The University of Mississippi Athletics
Coaches Tab Burnett and Davis Preseason All-SEC
11/10/2017 | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Ole Miss guards Deandre Burnett and Terence Davis were tabbed Preseason All-SEC by the conference's coaches, the league office announced on the opening day of college basketball season. In the conference's 14th annual men's basketball coaches Preseasons All-SEC selections, Burnett earned a spot on the first team while Davis collected second team accolades.
Ole Miss is one of six SEC teams to have multiple players on the lists. Both Rebels earned Preseason All-SEC distinction for the second time this season. At SEC Media Days in October, the media had Burnett and Davis as second team Preseason All-SEC honorees. Averaging a combined 31.4 points per game last season, Burnett and Davis return as the highest scoring duo in the SEC and the 13th-highest scoring tandem in the country.
After sitting out a year due to transferring from Miami (Fla.), Burnett made an immediate impact on the Rebels during the 2016-17 campaign. The guard averaged a team-high 16.5 points per game and finished fifth in the SEC in both free-throw percentage (88.1) and three-point percentage (37.6). Finishing eighth in the league in scoring, Burnett reached double figures in 26 of 33 games, including 10 20-plus performances and a career-high 41-point output (Nov. 18 vs. Oral Roberts). He also shared the rock, providing 104 assists throughout the season (3.2 apg). In the Rebels' exhibition win over North Alabama on Sunday, Burnett racked up 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Davis burst onto the scene as a sophomore last year, averaging 14.9 points per game after only providing 1.8 points per game as a freshman. It was the largest increase in scoring among any returning player in the conference. Shooting 48.2 percent from the field, the Southaven, Mississippi, native ranked fourth in the league in field goal percentage and recorded 20+ points in six different games. He quickly became a playmaker on both sides of the floor, leading the Rebels with 50 steals as well. Like his running mate Burnett, Davis produced double figures in scoring in 26 games. Twice he eclipsed the 30-point plateau, scoring a career-high 33 versus LSU as well as 30 in a win over Syracuse in the NIT. Last Sunday, he tallied 13 points in only 15 minutes to help the Ole Miss knock off North Alabama in exhibition play.
The coaches' Preseason All-SEC first and second teams consist of a minimum of eight players on each squad, voted on by the SEC Head Men's Basketball Coaches. No ties were broken and no predicted order of finish was made.
Burnett, Davis and the rest of the Rebels tip off the 2017-18 season tonight versus Louisiana. The season opener is expected to begin at approximately 7 p.m. following the women's game inside The Pavilion at Ole Miss. Tickets are still available by going to OleMissTix.com.
For the latest news and information on Ole Miss Basketball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
First Team All-SEC
KeVaughn Allen - Florida
Yante Maten - Georgia
Kevin Knox - Kentucky
Deandre Burnett - Ole Miss
Quinndary Weatherspoon - Mississippi St.
Michael Porter, Jr. - Missouri
Tyler Davis - Texas A&M
Robert Williams - Texas A&M
Matthew Fisher-Davis - Vanderbilt
Second Team All-SEC
Braxton Key - Alabama
Collin Sexton - Alabama
Jaylen Barford - Arkansas
Daryl Macon - Arkansas
Mustapha Heron - Auburn
Chris Chiozza - Florida
Terence Davis - Ole Miss
Hamidou Diallo - Kentucky
Chris Silva - South Carolina
Grant Williams - Tennessee
