Men's Hoops Hosts FGCU to Close Out 2018 Calendar Year

			OLE MISS (9-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. FGCU (5-9, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) Saturday, Dec. 21 • 1 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Oxford Area Community Night
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GAME 12
Matchup: FGCU (5-9) vs. Ole Miss (9-2)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network+
   Will Kollmeyer, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (XM-386)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   John Stroud, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: First Meeting

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Ole Miss is looking to go undefeated in the month of December for just the third time since 1950.
- The Rebels have won six straight games for the first time since closing out the 2015 calendar year with seven consecutive wins.
- Ole Miss has shot over 50 percent in seven games this year, surpassing its total from all of last season (5).
- The Rebels are one of five teams to rank top 30 nationally in both field goal percentage (50.6) and free throw percentage (75.9), ranking ninth and 29th in the country, respectively.
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in field goal percentage and free throw shooting.
- The Rebels are coming off a 74-56 victory over Middle Tennessee in head coach Kermit Davis' first game against his former team.
- Kermit Davis, a native of Leakesville, Mississippi, is in his first year at Ole Miss after spending the past 16 seasons at Middle Tennessee and becoming the winningest coach in school history as well as Sun Belt Conference history.
- With 478 career wins, Kermit Davis ranks 138th all-time and 31st among active Division I head coaches.
- The Rebels are one of two SEC teams to play more games away from their own arena through the first 11 games of the season (five home games, four neutral site games, two road games).
- Ten of the 11 Rebels that have attempted a free throw this season are shooting better than 70 percent from the stripe; Breein Tyree leads the team and ranks fifth the SEC in free throw shooting (81.8 percent).
- Tyree (17.6 ppg) also paces the team in scoring and ranks third in the SEC; he has scored at least 20 points in six of the past eight games.
- Devontae Shuler ranks top 10 in the SEC in minutes per game (second-32.8), steals per game (fifth-1.7) and assist/turnover ratio (seventh-1.7).
- A Preseason Second Team All-SEC selection by the coaches, Terence Davis ranks 28th in Ole Miss history with 1,177 career points; Davis also leads the team in assists (4.1), ranking ninth in the SEC.
- Terence Davis is playing in his 100th game as a Rebel on Saturday.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in field goal percentage (50.6) and free throw shooting (75.9 percent).
- The Rebels rank second in rebounding defense, allowing only 28.3 boards per game.
- Ole Miss ranks third in 3-point shooting (37.6 percent) and rebounding margin (+7.4).
- Devontae Shuler ranks second in playing time (32.8 minutes per game), fifth in steals (1.7 per game) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.7).
- Breein Tyree ranks third in scoring (17.6 ppg), fifth in free throw shooting (81.8 percent) and sixth in field goal percentage (52.1).
- Terence Davis ranks ninth in scoring (15.1 ppg), field goal shooting (48.8 percent) and assists (4.1 per game).

THROUGH THE NET
As the SEC's leader in field goal percentage (50.6) and free throw percentage (75.9), Ole Miss is one of five teams to rank top 30 nationally in both categories. The Rebels are the nation's ninth-best shooting team, while ranking 29th in free throw percentage. Gonzaga, Liberty, Lipscomb and South Dakota State are the only other teams in the top 30 of both statistical categories.

SCOUTING DUNK CITY
FGCU enters Saturday's matchup with a 5-9 record. The Eagles are coming off a 77-56 setback to Florida (Dec. 22), which snapped a three-game winning streak. Prior to the trio of victories, FGCU had lost six straight. The Eagles and Rebels have one common opponent in the non-conference slate. FGCU opened up the season at Illinois State, falling to the Redbirds 74-66 (Nov. 6). Ole Miss won beat ISU 81-74 at Redbird Arena on Dec. 8. As a team, the Eagles lead the Atlantic Sun in total steals, while matching the Rebels at 7.3 steals per game. Senior guard Dinero Mercurius paces the team and ranks 56th nationally with 24 steals on the year. In terms of scoring, fellow senior guards Haanif Cheatham and Schadrac Casimir post 13.2 ppg and 12.1 ppg, respectively. Michael Fly is in his first season as the head coach at FGCU after spending the past five seasons as an assistant coach for the Eagles.

REBELS VS. ATLANTIC SUN
While the Rebels have never taken the court against Florida Gulf Coast, Ole Miss is 9-2 all-time against the current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Throughout history, the Rebels have faced Jacksonville (2-1), Lipscomb (5-0) and Stetson (2-1). However, Ole Miss has not played six of the conference's nine teams. Taking exhibitions into account, the Rebels defeated North Alabama 94-53 prior to the start of last season (Nov. 5, 2017).

MAKING THE MARCH TOWARDS MARCH MADNESS
In the first year under head coach Kermit Davis, the Rebels are making their presence known in early conversations regarding the NCAA Tournament. In the new NET, a metric the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee looks at in determining at-large berths, Ole Miss is ranked 45th. CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 10 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections. According to ESPN Bracketlogoist Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss would be the last at-large team to make the tournament if the season ended today. The Rebels will look to remain on the right side of the bubble marching through conference play.

A NEW ERA OF OLE MISS BASKETBALL
The 2018-19 season is the dawn of a new era for Ole Miss Basketball. A new head coach took the reins of the program when Kermit Davis was hired on March 15, 2018. Davis, the winningest coach in Middle Tennessee history, returns to his home state with years of success. A native of Leakesville, Mississippi, Davis guided the Blue Raiders to league titles in seven of his last nine years in Murfreesboro, between Conference USA and the Sun Belt. Middle Tennessee was one of five programs he led to conference championships in 36 years as an assistant and head coach. An eight-time conference coach of the year, Davis is 31st among active Division I head coaches with 478 career wins (412 in Division I), including stints at MT, Idaho and Texas A&M. He ranks 11th nationally in winning percentage over the last three years and 13th over the last seven.

LIGHTING UP THE PAVILION
The offense has put up some record shooting percentages early in the first year under Kermit Davis. Through the first five home games of the Davis era, Ole Miss has boasted the top three shooting performances in The Pavilion. Going 32 of 52 (61.5 percent) in a victory versus Chattanooga (Dec. 16), Ole Miss tallied its best shooting percentage since going 28 of 45 (62.2 percent) in a 78-51 win at LSU nearly eight years ago (Jan. 22, 2011). The Pavilion record broke the previous best mark of 61.1 percent (33 of 54) in a win over San Diego last month (Nov. 28). In this year's season opener versus Western Michigan (Nov. 10), the Rebels shot 54.1 percent (33 of 61) to match the previous top Pavilion percentage (Feb. 14, 2017 vs. LSU). No opposing team has shot better than 53 percent in The Pavilion.

REBELS ROLL BLUE RAIDERS FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT VICTORY
In his first meeting against his former team, head coach Kermit Davis led Ole Miss to a 74-56 victory over Middle Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena (Dec. 21). Behind Breein Tyree's big night, as well as double figure performances from post players Dominik Olejniczak and Bruce Stevens, the Rebels won their sixth straight game. Tyree finished with a game-high 24 points on 10 of 13 shooting, including a career-high tying four made three-pointers. Olejniczak scored a season-high 10 points after getting the start, while Stevens added 12 points of his own with a pair of threes. The Ole Miss defense held Middle Tennessee to just 33.9 percent shooting as the Rebel offense stayed hot as of late, shooting over 50 percent for the sixth straight game.

DYNAMIC DUO
Senior Terence Davis and junior Breein Tyree have become a dynamic duo in the Ole Miss backcourt, averaging 41.6 percent of the Rebels' scoring this year. Tyree leads the way at 17.6 ppg to rank third in the SEC, while Davis' 15.1 ppg rank ninth. The pair have combined for 10 20-point games so far this season, including three games in which they both reached the 20-point plateau. Davis produced a single game season high of 30 points at Butler (Nov. 16), and Tyree has the second-highest output with his career-best 28 points versus Baylor (Nov. 23). Both Rebels also crack the SEC's top 10 in field goal percentage. Tyree leads Ole Miss and is sixth in the conference at 51.2 percent, while Davis is ninth at 48.8 percent.

WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN
The Rebels have won six consecutive games for the first time since the start of the 2015-16 season. During this stretch, Ole Miss has shot over 50 percent in each game to bring the season total to seven, surpassing last season's total. The Rebels eclipsed 50 percent from the field in five games throughout the entire 2017-18 season. Ole Miss leads the SEC in field goal percentage (50.6), a mark that ranks ninth nationally.

A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER?
The Rebels are 5-0 in the month of December for the first time since 2015 and only the second time in the last seven seasons. Ole Miss closed out the 2015 calendar year with a perfect 5-0 mark during the final month. With a win Saturday, the Rebels would go undefeated in December for just the third time since 1950. Prior to the 1949-50 season, four games or less were played during the final month of the calendar year each season.

MINUTE MONSTER
Averaging 32.8 minutes per game, sophomore guard Devontae Shuler leads the Rebels in playing time and ranks second in the SEC. He has played at least 30 minutes in nine the Rebels' 11 games, including a career-high 38 minutes in the win over Baylor (Nov. 23). As a freshman a season ago, Shuler averaged 18.8 minutes per game and only played 30 minutes once (33 minutes versus South Dakota State).

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
As a team, Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 29th nationally in free throw percentage (75.9). Ten of the 11 Rebels that have attempted free throws this season are shooting over 70 percent from the stripe. In the Emerald Coast Classic championship game against Cincinnati (Nov. 24), Ole Miss converted 16 of 17 at the line for a 94.1 percent clip. It was the Rebels' best free throw percentage in a game since going 22 of 23 (95.7 percent) versus Baylor during the 2016-17 campaign (Jan. 28, 2017). The team followed that up by shooting 87.0 percent (20 of 23) from the stripe to help defeat San Diego (Nov. 28). After going 0 for 1 in the first half at Illinois State (Dec. 8), the Rebels went a perfect 14 of 14 over the final 20 minutes to finish the game at 93.3 percent. Breein Tyree leads the Rebels as a 81.8 percent free throw shooter (45 of 55), ranking fifth the SEC.

TYREE ON A TEAR
Junior guard Breein Tyree is one the veteran leaders on the floor for Ole Miss. His consistency has allowed him to become the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.6 ppg to rank third in the SEC. He also ranks fifth in the conference in free throw percentage (81.8 percent) and sixth in field goal percentage (51.2 percent). Tyree has scored at least 20 points in six of the last eight games. He had the best game of his career in the semifinals of the Emerald Coast Classic (Nov. 23), putting up a personal-best 28 points to lead Ole Miss to a victory over Baylor. He followed that up with a 14-point performance versus Cincinnati (Nov. 24) before tallying a team-high 22 points against San Diego (Nov. 28). Facing ULM (Dec. 1), Tyree led the Rebels once again with 20 points. He scored a game-high 22 points, including 17 in the second half, to help Ole Miss earn a hard-fought road win at Illinois State (Dec. 8). Tyree scored eight of the team's final 10 points to put the game on ice, going a perfect 7 of 7 at the line. In a win over Chattanooga (Dec. 16), Tyree sparked a 28-0 run and scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. Last week, he tallied career highs in field goals made (10) and threes (4) en route to a team-high 24 points versus Middle Tennessee (Dec. 21).

STAT-STUFFING SHULER
Sometimes the biggest jumps are from one's freshman to sophomore year. After playing in all 32 games last year, primarily coming off the bench, sophomore Devontae Shuler has gotten off to a fast start this season. Through 11 games as a starting guard, he has stuffed box scores by leading the Rebels in minutes (32.8 per game) and steals (1.7 per game), while ranking second in assists (3.1 per game). Shuler ranks in the SEC's top 10 in three categories, sitting at second in playing time, fifth in steals and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.7). In the Emerald Coast Classic versus Cincinnati (Nov. 24), he tallied a career-high 24 points to best his previous high of 19 last season against South Dakota State. In the road win at Illinois State (Dec. 8), he matched his career high with four steals, the third time he's accomplished that feat. In Jackson, Shuler scored a team-high 19 points to lead the Rebels to a win over Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 12).

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior Terence Davis has 1,177 points to rank 28th in Ole Miss history. He is on pace to land inside the top 20, and with a big year, could find himself in the top 10 to end his Rebel career. Scoring 20 points for the 17th time in his career in a win over Chattanooga (Dec. 16), Davis passed Ken Turner (1,159) and Rahim Lockhart (1,160). Next on his chase up the chart are Rod Barnes (1,201) and Walter Actwood (1,216). John Stroud, one of this year's analyst for games on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (radio), is the Rebels' all-time scoring leader with 2,328 points.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
After the non-conference matchup to close out the 2018 calendar year, the Rebels will tip off 2019 with SEC play. Ole Miss heads back to Nashville for the second time in as many weeks, facing Vanderbilt in the Saturday night conference opener (Jan. 5). The contest is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network and can be heard on the airwaves of the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network.

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Players Mentioned

Terence Davis

Dominik Olejniczak

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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