The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Host Mizzou In SEC Battle Saturday
2/23/2017 | Men's Basketball
Ole Miss Game Notes - Missouri 
Date: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,051)
Television: SEC Network
Matt Stewart, play-by-play
Barry Booker, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
David Kellum, play-by-play
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Series: Ole Miss leads series 7-1
In Oxford: OM leads 3-0
Streak: OM, W6
Last Meeting: OM, W 75-71 (1/21/17)
TIP OFF
• Ole Miss returns home to The Pavilion Saturday to host the Missouri Tigers. The Rebels have won six straight against Mizzou and five of their last seven SEC games.
• The Rebels picked up their seventh win the last eight meetings against Mississippi State Tuesday, which is Ole Miss' best streak against the Bulldogs since winning eight straight from 1980-83.
• Ole Miss is averaging 88.3 ppg over its last four games and 84.0 ppg over the last seven.
• Head coach Andy Kennedy recently moved past former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino into 19th on the SEC career coaching victories list and now has 229 wins at Ole Miss. With the win over Mississippi State, Kennedy earned his 250th victory as a head coach.
• Kennedy is the first coach in SEC history post 11 straight winning seasons after taking over a program with four constitutive losing season.
• The Rebels have hit 180 of 219 (.822) attempts from the free throw line over the last eight games. Ole Miss leads the league in SEC play making 76.0 percent of its attempts and leads the nation in made free throws this year with 562.
• Senior F Sebastian Saiz recorded his 27th career double-double with 23 points and 10 boards in the win at MSU and now has 18 double-doubles this season, which leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally. Saiz leads the SEC and ranks sixth in the nation pulling down 11.0 rebounds a game and is the only player in the conference this season averaging a double-double. The league's active career rebounding leader, he recently moved past Reggie Buckner into third in Ole Miss history with 906 rebounds. Saiz has topped both 1,000 points and 900 boards in his career and joins Rebel great Murphy Holloway as the only two players in school history with 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. Saiz is also first player in school history and just the 16th player in SEC history with 1,000 points, 900 rebounds and 100 blocked shots.
• Sophomore G Terence Davis scored a career-high 33 points in Ole Miss' win over LSU and is averaging 23.8 points and 6.5 rebounds a game over his last four games. He has increased his scoring this season 12.8 ppg over last year, which is the largest increase in scoring for any player in the SEC and ranks sixth in the conference averaging 16.5 ppg in league play.
• Two Ole Miss signees - Devontae Shuler and Jamarko Pickett - were recently ranked four-star prospects in the latest release of the Rivals.com 150. Shuler was rated the No. 106 prospect in the nation, while Pickett checked in at No. 113. Pickett was also ranked the No. 93 player in the nation by ESPN.com.
REBELS PULL OUT OVERTIME WIN AT MSU
Freshman G Breein Tyree scored a career-high 24 points, including 20 points in the second half and overtime, to help lift Ole Miss to an 87-82 overtime win at Mississippi State. It marked the Rebels' seventh victory in eight tries over MSU, which is the best streak over the Bulldogs since 1980-83. Tyree scored the first eight points in overtime and Ole Miss jumped out on a 10-0 run to start the extra period to secure the win. Senior F Sebastian Saiz posted his 18th double-double of the year with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
REBELS SECURE WINNING SEASON
Ole Miss has secured its 11th consecutive winning season this year, all under head coach Andy Kennedy, and is one of just two teams in the SEC and 15 programs in the nation to have 11 straight winning seasons. That list includes Syracuse (47), Kansas (34), Arizona (33), Kentucky (27), Maryland (24), Duke (22), Michigan State (21), Xavier (21), Wisconsin (19), Pittsburgh (16), Louisville (16), North Carolina (15), Ohio State (12) and Florida State (11).
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER IN THE SEC
Sophomore Terence Davis earned SEC Player of the Week honors earlier this season after posting two double-doubles in wins over Tennessee and Missouri. Davis averaged 19.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the two victories. He had a then career-high 20 points in the win over the Vols, including 13 in the second half as the Rebels overcame a 13-point deficit, and added 19 points and 11 boards at Mizzou. Davis has increased his scoring 12.8 ppg this year over last season's average (1.8 ppg to 14.6 ppg), which is the largest jump in scoring for any player in the SEC. He is averaging 17.7 points and 6.6 rebounds a game over his last 10 games and is averaging 23.8 ppg over the last four.
KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION BEGINS 11TH YEAR
In 11 seasons under Mississippi native Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss has a 229-137 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.
DEAN OF SEC COACHES
Entering his 11th season in the league, Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy is the Dean of SEC basketball coaches. Kennedy has 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.
WINNING WAYS
Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy is the first coach in SEC to post 11 straight winning seasons after taking over a program with four straight losing seasons. Below is the list of coaches that took over a program after four consecutive losing seasons:
Goat Hale (Ole Miss) - 1944
B.L. 'Country' Graham (Ole Miss) - 1949
Ken Rosemond (Georgia) - 1965
John Lotz (Florida) - 1973
Hugh Durham (Georgia) - 1978
Jerry Green (Tennessee) - 1997
John Brady (LSU) - 1997
Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss) - 2006
Bruce Pearl (Auburn) - 2014
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 last year. 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.
KENNEDY MOVING UP SEC COACHING WINS LIST
Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy moved past former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino for 19th in SEC history with 228 career victories. 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
16. Nolan Richardson (Arkansas) - 249
17. John Calipari (Kentucky) - 238
18. Norm Sloan (Florida) - 232
19. Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss) - 229
20. Rick Pitino (Kentucky) - 219
21. Joel Eaves (Auburn) - 214
SAIZ SAYS DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior F Sebastian Saiz is the SEC active career leader in rebounding with 906 boards. He leads the league, and ranks sixth nationally, in rebounding this year pulling down 11.0 boards a game and is the only player in the SEC averaging a double-double this season. Saiz leads the SEC, and ranks fifth nationally, with 18 double-doubles this year and leads all active players in the conference with 27 career double-doubles.
NCAA Rebounding Leaders
1. Angel Delgado, Seton Hall 13.2 PRG
2. Caleb Swanigan, Purdue 12.9 PRG
3. Steve Taylor Jr., Toledo 12.4 RPG
4. Rokas Gustys, Hofstra 12.0 PRG
5. Bryce Washington, ULL 11.3 RPG
6. Sebastian Saiz, Ole Miss 11.0 PRG
7. Aubrey Williams, Kennesaw St. 10.9 RPG
8. Emmanuel Omogbo, Colorado St. 10.8 RPG
9. James Thompson IV, Eastern Mich. 10.8 RPG
10. Alex Johnson, Missouri St. 10.8 RPG
SAIZ JOINS 1,000/900 CLUB
With 23 points and 10 rebounds against Mississippi State, senior F Sebastian Saiz became just the second player in Ole Miss history to eclipse 1,000 points and 900 rebounds in his career. Saiz is the 38th player in Ole Miss history to break 1,000 career points and the 10th under head coach Andy Kennedy. He is also the third player in school history to post 900 career rebounds and recently passed Reggie Buckner for third on the Ole Miss career rebounding list with 909. Saiz and Murphy Holloway are the only players in Ole Miss history with 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. He is also the only player in Rebel history with 1,000 points, 900 boards and 100 blocked shots and just the 16th player in SEC history to reach the milestone joining conference legends like Glenn Davis (LSU), Shaquille O'Neal (LSU) and Kenny Walker (UK).
DAVIS LEADS OLE MISS COMEBACK OVER LSU
Sophomore G Terence Davis poured in a career high 33 points, with 22 coming in the second half, as Ole Miss erased an 11-point second half deficit to storm past LSU, 96-76. The Rebels ended the game on a 17-0 run, hitting 10 of their last 11 shots. Ole Miss closed out the game on a 42-12 streak to blow past the Tigers. Senior F Sebastian Saiz scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds, while junior G Deandre Burnett also chipped in 15 points and added five assists. Senior G Rasheed Brooks scored nine points and posted a career high seven steals, as the Rebels tallied a season best 14 steals. Ole Miss also knocked down 18 of 20 attempts from the free throw line.
OLE MISS NEARING .500 MARK AS A PROGRAM
With a 1276-1279 all time record, Ole Miss is nearing a .500 winning percentage as a program. The Rebels were 95 games under .500 when Andy Kennedy took over in Oxford and have not been .500 or better as a program since Ole Miss was 440-440 on Jan. 17, 1958.
CONSISTENT WINNER
Andy Kennedy is one of nine active head coaches with 11 or more consecutive winning seasons to start a career. The list includes: Jim Boehiem (41), Roy Williams (29), Tom Izzo (22), Thad Matta (17), Mark Few (18), Jamie Dixon (14), Sean Miller (13) and Dave Rose (12).
REBELS RATE HIGHLY IN LATEST RPI RELEASE
Ole Miss checks in at No. 66 in the latest Ratings Percentage Index released by the NCAA, while Saturday's opponent Mizzou checks in at No. 242. Ole Miss is 7-11 against the RPI top 150 with wins over Vanderbilt (No. 49), Tennessee (No. 55), Auburn (No. 77), Memphis (No. 113) and MSU (No. 135). The Rebels' 11 losses this season have come against No. 4 Baylor, No. 8 Florida, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 21 Creighton, No. 30 South Carolina, No. 32 Middle Tennessee, No. 35 Arkansas, No. 36 Virginia Tech, No. 52 Tennessee, No. 57 Georgia and No. 94 Texas A&M. Ole Miss boasts the 38th toughest strength of schedule this season and the Rebels have played the 55th toughest non-conference schedule according to ESPN.com.
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 fifth 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. Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss) - 229
6. Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt) - 213
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
REBELS ROUT BULLDOGS
Ole Miss routed Mississippi State 88-61 as four Rebels scored in double figures led by sophomore G Terence Davis with 18 points and senior F Sebastian Saiz with 17. It marked the largest margin of victory over MSU for the Rebels since 1951. Saiz posted his 15th double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while junior G Deandre Burnett added 16 points, five assists and a career-high four steals. Junior F Justas Furmanavicius chipped in six points and pulled down 10 boards as the Rebels posted a +13 rebounding margin and outscored the Bulldogs 44-28 in the paint.
REBELS STORM BACK FOR 10TH STRAIGHT OVER THE TIGERS
Ole Miss tied a school record with a 23-point comeback to knock off Auburn 90-84 for the 10th straight time. The Rebels overcame a 20-point halftime deficit and a 23-point second half deficit, which both tied Ole Miss' comeback victory at Alabama in 2010. Sophomore G Terence Davis scored a career-high 26 points, all in the second half, after playing just four minutes in the first half. Davis knocked down 11 of 13 shot from the field in the second half and pulled down six rebounds. Junior G Cullen Neal added 20 points, 15 coming in the second half, and hit 3 of 7 attempts from behind the arc. Junior Deandre Burnett chipped in 18 points and was a perfect 10 of 10 from the line, as the Rebels made 27 of 31 attempts from the line in the comeback. Ole Miss scored 63 points in the second half and shot 62.5 percent from the field.
SECOND HALF SURGE GIVE REBELS COMEBACK WIN AT VANDERBILT
Sophomore G Terence Davis and junior Deandre Burnett scored 17 points each as Ole Miss overcame a five-point halftime deficit to knock off Vanderbilt 81-74. Davis scored all 17 of his points in the second half to help Ole Miss to the come-from-behind victory. Ole Miss opened the second half with a 9-2 run take the lead for good. The Rebels knocked down 7 of 9 from behind the arc in the second half and out rebounded the Commodores 41-33. Ole Miss also forced 11 VU turnovers, while committing just eight. Junior F Justas Furmanavicius and freshman G Breein Tyree both added 11 points for the Rebels and senior F Sebastian Saiz recorded 16th double-double of the year with 16 rebounds and 10 points.
REBELS DROP NAIL BITER TO NO. 5 BAYLOR
Ole Miss dropped a nail biter 78-75 to No. 5 Baylor in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Senior F Sebastian Saiz posted his 14th double-double of the year with 20 points and 10 rebounds and freshman Breein Tyree added a career-high 20 points, including 18 in the second half. Ole Miss made 22 of 23 attempts (.957) at the line, which is the second-best free throw percentage as a team in a game with 20 or more attempts in school history. The Bears were the highest ranked non-conference opponent to visit Oxford since the Rebels hosted No. 5 Memphis in 1984.
OLE MISS SECURES COMEBACK OVER VOLS
Senior F Sebastian Saiz and sophomore G Terence Davis each posted double-doubles to help erase a 13-point deficit in the second half as Ole Miss outlasted Tennessee 80-69. Davis scored a career-high 20 points and pulled down 11 boards, while Saiz added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman G Breein Tyree and junior F Justas Furmanavicius both added a career-best 15 points. The Rebels held Tennessee without a field goal in the final 4:13 for their sixth win over the Vols in the last seven meetings.
REBELS RALLY FOR NINTH STRAIGHT OVER THE TIGERS
Ole Miss overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to knock off Auburn 88-85 on the road Saturday. It was the Rebels' ninth-straight win over Auburn, which is the most consecutive wins over an SEC opponent in school history besting a pair of eight game streak against LSU and Mississippi State. Senior F Sebastian Saiz posted his sixth straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and junior G Deandre Burnett added a team-high 18 points and a career-best eight assists. Ole Miss forced 16 Auburn turnovers, recorded eight steals and six Rebels scored in double figures.
DAVIS, SAIZ LEAD REBELS TO ROAD WIN AT MIZZOU
Senior F Sebastian Saiz picked up his 13th double-double of the year with 19 points and 10 rebounds and sophomore G Terence Davis recorded his second straight double-double 18 points and 11 rebounds as Ole Miss knocked off Missouri 75-71 on the road. Junior G Deandre Burnett added 14 points and hit three 3-pointers in his first action since the Georgia game.
BURNETT MAKING FREEBIES
Junior G Deandre Burnett made 25 consecutive free throws to start the season and finished just 12 shy of Dave Rhodes' school record. Burnett is 163 of 182 (.896) from the charity stripe this season, which ranks second in the SEC, and no player in the nation made more consecutive free throws to start the season. As a team, the Rebels lead the league in SEC play making 76.0 percent of its attempts this year and are 180 of 219 (.822) from the line over the last eight games.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
The Tigers are 7-20 overall and 2-13 in the SEC after dropping a home game to Kentucky 72-62 Tuesday. Mizzou has lost three straight after winning two of three in league games earlier this month. Missouri is 1-10 away from Columbia this season, including an 0-7 mark on the road. Junior G Jordan Barnett leads the team in scoring at 12.5 ppg and is averaging 13.5 ppg in league play. Sophomore F Kevin Puryear is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg and leads the squad in rebounding at 6.3 per game. Junior G Terrence Phillips has a team-best 43 3-pointers this year and has dished a 119 assists. The Tigers rank last in the SEC in scoring in league games at just 67.3 ppg and are also last in field goal percentage hitting just 39.4 percent of their attempts in conference play.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MIZZOU
Ole Miss and Missouri have play just eight times with all eight meetings coming in since the Tigers joined the SEC in 2012-13. The Rebels lead the all-time series 7-1 and have won six straight, including a 75-71 road win earlier this season. Ole Miss is a perfect 3-0 against Mizzou in Oxford including an 85-76 home win last season. The Rebels' only loss to the Tigers came in the first ever meeting in Columbia in 2013. Head coach Andy Kennedy is 7-1 in his career against Missouri.
REBELS BLOCKING SHOTS
Ole Miss ranks sixth in the SEC and 54th in the nation this season averaging 4.6 blocked shots per game. Earlier this season, the Rebels tied a school record with 13 blocked shots against Bradley and senior F Sebastian Saiz posted a career-high six blocked shots.
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 144-38 (.791 win pct.) in home games during Kennedy's tenure. The Rebels are 18-7 all time in The Pavilion and just snapped an eight-game home winning streak earlier this year. Ole Miss has won 269 of its last 339 games (.794 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign.
REBELS CLEANING UP ON THE GLASS
The Rebels rank third in the SEC pulling down 39.2 rebounds a game this year and are fifth in the league with a +2.3 rebounding margin. Ole Miss has only been outrebounded by nine opponents this year and are cleaning up on the offensive glass pulling down 12.3 offensive rebounds a game, which ranks fifth in the league.
