The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Hosts Morehouse College in an Exhibition Thursday
11/1/2016 | Men's Basketball
Ole Miss Game Notes - Morehouse 
EXHIBITION
Ole Miss (20-12, 10-8 SEC) vs. Morehouse College (15-10, 10-8 SIAC)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
Time: 6:00p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,051)
Television: SEC Network +
Will Kollmeyer, play-by-play
Gerald Glass, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Series: First Meeting
TIP OFF
• Ole Miss opens the 2016-17 season Thursday with an exhibition game against Morehouse College and will tip off its 107th season of basketball at home Nov. 11 against UT Martin.
• Last season, head coach Andy Kennedy moved past MSU's Rick Stansbury for the fourth-most wins by a head coach in their first 10 years after taking over an SEC program. Kennedy trails only Joe B. Hall, of Kentucky, (227), Billy Donovan, of Florida, (226) and Wimp Sanderson, of Alabama, (216) in SEC history.
• The Rebels were predicted to finish ninth in the SEC this year by the media. Ole Miss finished tied for sixth in the league standings after being projected ninth in the preseason media poll last year. The Rebels have finished above their preseason projected finish each of the last five seasons since the league moved away from a divisional for mat.
• Ole Miss returns two starters from last year's squad (Sebastian Saiz -- 24 and Rasheed Brooks -- 27) that started a combined 46 games last season. The Rebels also returns two of their top four scorers from a year ago in Saiz (11.7 ppg) and Brooks (8.3 ppg) and two of their top three rebounders in Saiz (8.7 rpg) and Marcanvis Hymon (5.2 rpg).
• Senior F Sebastian Saiz is the second-leading returning rebounder in the SEC from last season and is the league's active career leader with 599 rebounds. He also ranks second in the league among active players with nine career double-doubles.
• Ole Miss added eight newcomers to this year's team, including a three of former D1 players in Deandre Burnett (Miami), Cullen Neal (New Mexico) and Dominik Olejniczak (Drake).
OLE MISS OPENS 107TH YEAR OF HOOPS
Ole Miss opens the 2016-17 season Thursday with an exhibition game against Morehouse College and will tip off its 107th season of basketball Nov. 11 at home against UT Martin. The Rebels have an all-time record of 1259-1268 in 106 years of basketball.
KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION BEGINS 11TH YEAR
In 10 seasons under Mississippi native Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss has a 212-126 record, one SEC Tournament championship, two SEC West championships, eight 20-win campaigns and seven postseason berths, which includes two NCAA Tournament appearances and pair of trips to the NIT Final Four. The all-time winningest coach in school history, Kennedy has averaged more than 21 wins per season in his 10 years in Oxford after the Rebels posted just three 21-win seasons in the 96 years before his arrival.
OLE MISS WINS 20 ... AGAIN
Ole Miss posted 20 wins last year for the eighth time in 10 seasons under Andy Kennedy. Ole Miss had seven 20-win campaigns in the 96 seasons prior to Kennedy's arrival in Oxford. Kennedy is just the fifth coach in SEC history to guide his teams to 20+ wins in at least eight of his first 10 years in the league. The others: Billy Donovan (Florida), Joe. B. Hall (Kentucky), Nolan Richardson (Arkansas), Tubby Smith (Georgia/Kentucky). Kennedy is also the first coach in Ole Miss history to win 20 games in five-straight seasons. Ole Miss and Kentucky are also the only two schools to finish .500 or better in the SEC each of the last five seasons.
REBELS CONSISTENTLY UNDERRATED
The Rebels were predicted to finish ninth in the SEC this year by the media. Ole Miss finished tied for sixth in the league standings after being projected ninth in the preseason media poll. The Rebels have not finished worse than sixth in the league and have finished above their preseason projected finish each of the last five seasons since the league moved away from a divisional format.
REBELS SECURE WINNING SEASON
Ole Miss secured its 10th-consecutive winning season last year, all under head coach Andy Kennedy, and is one of just two teams in the SEC and 16 programs in the nation to have 10-straight winning seasons. That list includes Syracuse (46), Kansas (33), Arizona (32), Kentucky (26), Maryland (23), Duke (21), Michigan State (20), Xavier (20), Wisconsin (18), Pittsburgh (16), Louisville (15), North Carolina (14), Ohio State (12), Georgetown (11) and Florida State (10).
DEAN OF SEC COACHES
Entering his 11th season in the league, Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy is the Dean of SEC basketball coaches. This season, Kennedy will have faced 38 different head coaches in the SEC during his time in Oxford. He is also the longest tenured head coach in the league in both basketball and football having entered the league prior to Alabama football coach Nick Saban.
SAIZ SAYS DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior F Sebastian Saiz is the SEC active career leader in rebounding with 599 boards. He averaged 8.7 rebounds a game last season and is the second leading returning rebounder in the league this year. Saiz posted eight double-doubles last season and ranks second among active players in the conference with nine career double-doubles.
KENNEDY'S FIRST 10 YEARS RANK AMONG ALL-TIME SEC GREATS ...
Last season, head coach Andy Kennedy moved past MSU's Rick Stansbury for the fourth-most wins by a head coach in their first 10 years who took over an SEC program. See the list below:
1. Joe B. Hall (Kentucky) -- 227
2. Bill Donovan (Florida) -- 226
3. Wimp Sanderson (Alabama) -- 216
4. Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss) - 212
5. Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State) -- 208
6. Mark Gottfried (Alabama) -- 198
7. Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt) - 189
8. Cliff Ellis (Auburn) -- 186
Ray Mears (Tennessee) -- 186
10. Don Devoe (Tennessee) -- 185
11. John Brady (LSU) -- 184
Hugh Durham (Georgia) -- 184
13. Dale Brown (LSU) -- 175
14. Roy Skinner (Vanderbilt) -- 173
16. Babe McCarthy (Mississippi State) -- 169
... AND HE IS CLIMBING UP THE 11-YEAR LIST
Kennedy is also sixth on the list for most wins by a coach in their first 11 years in the league after taking over an SEC program. See the list below:
1. Bill Donovan (Florida) -- 261
2. Joe B. Hall (Kentucky) -- 250
3. Wimp Sanderson (Alabama) -- 239
4. Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State) -- 231
5. Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt) - 213
6. Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss) - 212
7. Mark Gottfried (Alabama) -- 210
8. Don Devoe (Tennessee) -- 204
9. Ray Mears (Tennessee) -- 201
10. Hugh Durham (Georgia) -- 199
11. Dale Brown (LSU) -- 194
12. John Brady (LSU) -- 192
13. C.M. Newtown (Alabama) -- 193
14. Roy Skinner (Vanderbilt) -- 188
15. Adolph Rupp (Kentucky) -- 185
CONSISTENT WINNER
Andy Kennedy is one of 10 active head coaches with 10 or more consecutive winning seasons to start a career. The list includes: Jim Boehiem (40), Roy Williams (28), Tom Izzo (21), Thad Matta (17), Mark Few (17), Mike Anderson (14), Jamie Dixon (13), Sean Miller (12) and Dave Rose (11).
#NEXTCHAPTER
The long awaited next chapter of Ole Miss Basketball began in January, as the Rebels christened the centerpiece of the Forward Together campaign, the state-of-the-art $96.5 million Pavilion at Ole Miss. The Pavilion has a capacity of 9,051 fans and includes a number of first-class amenities, including a private student concourse, courtside and baseline seating for students, three premium club areas for fans, and over 1,700 premium seats all within an intimate seating bowl. See page 11 for The Pavilion quick facts and records.
KENNEDY MOVING UP SEC COACHING WINS LIST
Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy ranks 21st in SEC history with 212 career victories. He trails former Auburn coach Joel Eaves (214) by two wins for 20th on the list. See complete list below:
1. Adolph Rupp (Kentucky) - 875
2. Billy Donovan (Florida) - 467
3. Dale Brown (LSU) - 448
4. C.M. Newtown (UA/VU) - 340
Harry Rabenhorst (LSU) - 340
6. Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt) - 332
7. Tubby Smith (UGA/UK) - 308
8. Joe B. Hall (Kentucky) - 297
Hugh Durhman (Georgia) - 297
10. Rick Stansbury (MSU) - 293
11. Ray Mears (Tennessee) - 278
Roy Skinner (Vanderbilt) - 278
13. Wimp Sanderson (Alabama) - 265
John Mauer (UK/UT/UF) - 265
15. Hank Crisp (Alabama) - 264
17. Nolan Richardson (Arkansas) - 249
18. Rick Pitino (Kentucky) - 219
19. John Calipari (Kentucky) - 217
20. Joel Eaves (Auburn) - 214
21. Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss) - 212
OFFENSIVE MACHINE
Ole Miss leads the SEC in scoring over the last 10 years under Andy Kennedy averaging just under 75.0 points a game and has produced a top-five individual scorer in the league eight of his 10 seasons including two SEC scoring champions.
SCOUTING THE MAROON TIGERS
Morehouse posted a 15-10 mark and a 10-8 record in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association last year, but return just four players off last year's squad and have a total of eight newcomers this season. The Maroon Tigers are led by 6-1 junior G Tyrius Walker, who played in only seven games last year but finished second on the team in scoring at 13.2 ppg. Morehouse, an all-male institution in Atlanta, Georgia, boasts several prominent alumni including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and film director Spike Lee.
DEFENDING HOME COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark of Andy Kennedy's squads since he took the reins in 2006-07. Ole Miss is 133-33 (.801 win pct.) in games played homes during Kennedy's tenure. The Rebels opened The Pavilion with a 7-2 mark in SEC play last year including winning their final five home games. Ole Miss has won 258 of its last 323 games (.799 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign.
LONG GONE
Ole Miss must replace three starters -- Tomasz Gielo, Stefan Moody and Martavious Newby -- off last year's squad, who combined for 78 starts a year ago. Moody, the SEC's leading scorer last year, ranked fifth in the nation in averaging 23.6 ppg and is one of five players in school history to score 700 or more points in a season. The Rebels must replace three of its top five scorers from last season including Moody, Tomasz Gielo (9.9 ppg) and Anthony Perez (7.0 ppg).
FRESH FACES
The Rebels added a mixture of talented college transfers and high school signings for the 2016-17 campaign. Deandre Burnett, a former Parade All-American in high school, sat out last season after transferring from Miami. Justas Furmanavicius earned NJCAA All-America honors at Three Rivers College before joining the Rebels. Cullen Neal, a graduate transfer from New Mexico, averaged 12.3 points per game last year for the Lobos and has two years of eligibility remaining. Dominik Olejniczak, 7-0 center from Poland, transferred to Ole Miss from Drake and must sit out this season due to transfer rules. Nate Morris, rated the No. 21 center and No. 148 player overall in the nation by 247Sports, helped lead his high school to a 36-2 record, the Texas 5A state championship as a senior. Breein Tyree, a top-100 national player and the No. 5 player in New Jersey by 247Sports, averaged 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as a senior for national powerhouse St. Joseph's.
