Ole Miss Hoops Treks North to Face Illinois State Saturday

			OLE MISS (5-2, 0-0 SEC) at ILLINOIS STATE (6-4, 0-0 MVC) Saturday, Dec. 8 • 7 PM • Normal, Ill. Redbird Arena (10,200)
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GAME 8
Matchup: Ole Miss (5-2) at Illinois State (6-4)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Ill.
Arena: Redbird Arena (10,200)
Television: NBC Sports-Chicago (ESPN+)
   Kurt Pegler, play-by-play
   Bob Morris, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (Sirius-206, XM-190)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Illinois State leads 4-0
Last Meeting: Dec. 16, 2017
   Illinois State won 101-97 (OT)
   (Oxford, Miss.)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels and Redbirds close out a home-and-home series that started last season and came together via an exchange on Twitter.
- In last year's matchup, Bruce Stevens recorded a career-high 27 points.
- Two of the previous four all-time meetings between the two programs have gone to overtime.
- Normal, Illinois is the furthest north Ole Miss will travel during the 2018-19 regular season. At 535 miles, it is the furthest non-conference road trip and the third-furthest of the season behind Columbia, S.C. and Gainesville, Fla.
- Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 11th nationally in free throw percentage (78.8).
- The Rebels are coming off back-to-back home wins with victories over San Diego (93-86) and ULM (83-60) last week; Ole Miss shot over 50 percent in both games.
- Ole Miss dished out a season-high 25 assists on 33 made field goals last weekend against ULM as 10 different Rebels recorded at least one assist; Devontae Shuler tied his personal best with a team-high six assists.
- Breein Tyree (17.9 ppg) leads the team in scoring and ranks third in the SEC; he is averaging 21.0 ppg over the last four games.
- Tyree has scored double figures in 13 straight games.
- Freshmen Blake Hinson has reached double digits in the last two games, including a career-high 17 points versus ULM.
- Devontae Shuler leads the SEC in playing time at 33.9 minutes per game, while ranking sixth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
- A Preseason Second Team All-SEC selection by the coaches, Terence Davis ranks 32nd in Ole Miss history with 1,114 career points, passing Fred Cox in the win over ULM.
- Kermit Davis, a native of Leakesville, Mississippi, is in his first year at Ole Miss after spending the last 16 seasons at Middle Tennessee and becoming the winningest coach in school history as well as Sun Belt Conference history.
- With 474 career wins, Kermit Davis ranks 140th all-time and 32nd among active Division I head coaches.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in free throw shooting (78.8 percent).
- The Rebels rank second in rebounding defense, allowing only 28.4 boards per game.
- Devontae Shuler leads the SEC in playing time (33.9 minutes per game).
- Shuler ranks sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and eighth in steals (1.6 per game).
- Breein Tyree ranks third in scoring (17.9 ppg).
- Tyree ranks fifth in free throw shooting (81.4 percent) and field goal percentage (51.3), while ranking ninth in playing time (31.4 minutes per game).
- Terence Davis ranks ninth in assists (3.7 per game) and 12th in scoring (14.7 ppg).

THE TWITTER GAME
Twitter played in a role in scheduling Saturday's matchup. After Illinois State went 28-7, winning the Missouri Valley with a 17-1 record but falling in the conference tournament, an at-large bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament was not given to the Redbirds. The snub prompted ISU head coach Dan Muller to reach out on Twitter to schedule any Power 5 opponent for the upcoming season. Ross Bjork, Ole Miss Vice Chancellor/Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, saw Muller's tweet and showed then-Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy. The two loved the idea of a matchup with a strong mid-major program and contacted Illinois State to set up a home-and-home series beginning with the 2017-18 season.

REPORT ON THE REDBIRDS
Illinois State enters Saturday's contest with a 6-4 record after a 94-75 midweek loss at in-state foe Illinois-Chicago. Five of their six wins have been by single digits, while all four losses have been double-digit games. As a team, the Redbirds take care of the basketball, committing only 12.2 turnovers per game to lead the Missouri Valley Conference. Illinois State also paces the conference in 3-point shooting defense, limiting opponents to 30.2 percent from beyond the arc. Four Redbirds average double figures in scoring, led by senior Milik Yarbrough at 18.3 ppg. Phil Fayne (14.7 ppg), Josh Jefferson (13.2 ppg) and Zach Copeland (10.2 ppg) follow Yarbrough. The Redbirds are coached by Dan Muller, who is in his seventh season.

SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss is still looking for its first win over Illinois State, as the Redbirds have taken the previous four meetings. Illinois State one the first matchup 76-72 on its home floor (Dec. 23, 1978). The two programs would not play again until 26 years later on the final day of the BCA Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Nov. 16, 2004), a 70-52 victory for the Redbirds. In the NIT (March 14, 2012), Illinois State claimed a 96-93 OT win in Tad Smith Coliseum. A home-and-home series started back up last year, and the Redbirds knocked off the Rebels 101-97 in overtime at The Pavilion.

LAST TIME WE MET
Last year, the Rebels and Redbirds battled on the court, and Illinois State emerged with a 101-97 overtime victory. Ole Miss lost its third home overtime game through the first 10 games of the season. The Rebels fell behind 35-17 in the first half to put themselves in a hole for the rest of the game. Five different Rebels scored in double figures. Twenty-one of Bruce Stevens' career-high 27 points came in the second half as he tried to bring his team back from a deficit that was as large as 14 in the second half. Terence Davis had 17 points on 7 of 15 shooting, while falling one rebound short of a double-double with a team-high nine boards. Deandre Burnett had 19 and Markel Crawford had 15, while Breein Tyree added 14 points. Keyshawn Evans had 25 for the Redbirds and made five three-pointers. Milik Yarbrough had 25 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with three minutes left.

REBELS VS. MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
Ole Miss is 11-10 all-time against the current members of the Missouri Valley Conference. Along with going 0-4 against Illinois State throughout history, the Rebels have also faced Bradley (4-2), Drake (1-0), Evansville (2-0), Indiana State (1-1), Loyola-Chicago (1-0), Southern Illinois (1-2) and Valparaiso (1-1).

BRUCE BREAKS OUTS VERSUS REDBIRDS
In last season's game against Illinois State, Bruce Stevens had his best game as a Rebel with a career-high 27 points that still stands today. The Louin, Mississippi, native went 7 of 9 from the floor, while converting 13 of 16 from the free throw line. It was the most points scored by a Rebel at that point of the season.

REBEL-REDBIRD CONNECTION
Ole Miss freshman guard Luis Rodriguez and Illinois State sophomore forward Keith Fisher III were teammates at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California. Rodriguez has played in all seven games for the Rebels this season, while Fisher is sitting out after transferring from San Jose State.

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 32nd among active Division I head coaches with 474 career wins (408 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.

SHARING AND SCORING
Ole Miss shared the rock in the 23-point victory over ULM. The Rebels tallied a season-high 25 assists on 33 made field goals, the most in a game since last season versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Dec. 19, 2017). Ten Rebels appearing in the game recorded at least one assist led by point guard Devontae Shuler, who matched his career high with a team-best six assists.

OLE MISS CRUISES PAST ULM
Ball distribution proved to be a major key to Ole Miss' 83-60 victory over ULM (Dec. 1). The Rebels produced 25 assists on 33 made baskets en route to a wire-to-wire win at The Pavilion. The constant ball movement allowed the Rebels to shoot 52.4 percent (33 of 63) from the floor. Ole Miss used its size to control the boards and the paint throughout the contest. The Rebels outrebounded the Warhawks 41-24, a season high in rebounding margin, and held a 36-18 advantage on points in the paint. For the third time in the last four games, Breein Tyree reached the 20-point plateau and led the Rebels in points. Behind Tyree's 20 points, freshmen Blake Hinson finished off a strong week by setting new career highs in points (17) and threes (4). Terence Davis added 15 points, 13 of them coming in the second half, and a team-high eight rebounds.

HINSON'S HIGHLIGHT REEL
Freshman Blake Hinson is coming off his best two games as a Rebel. Coming into last week with a career-high nine points, Hinson set a new personal best with 15 points in a win over San Diego. Going 4 of 7 from the field, the freshman helped Ole Miss post a new Pavilion record for shooting percentage (.611) and the best field goal percentage in seven years. He also added a career-high two steals. Hinson followed that game up with an even better performance against ULM on Saturday. The Deltona, Florida, native tallied new career highs in points (17), field goals (6), 3-pointers (4) and assists (4). His shooting improved from earlier in the week, going 6 of 8 from the field and 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. He scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half to help the Rebels get out to a comfortable lead. This season, Hinson has started in all seven games for the Rebels and leads the team in 3-pointers made (13).

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
As a team, Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 11th nationally in free throw percentage (78.8). Nine of the 10 Rebels that have attempted free throws this season are shooting over 70 percent from the stripe. The Rebels knocked down their free throws at the Emerald Coast Classic, making 45 of 53 (84.9 percent) during the two-game weekend. In the championship game against Cincinnati, 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. Breein Tyree leads the Rebels as a 81.4 percent free throw shooter (35 of 43), ranked fifth in the SEC.

MINUTE MONSTER
Averaging 33.9 minutes per game, sophomore guard Devontae Shuler leads the SEC in playing time. He has played at least 30 minutes in five the Rebels' seven 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).

STEADY TYREE
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 early on in the season, averaging 17.9 ppg to rank third in the SEC. Over the last 13 games dating back to last season, Tyree has reached double figures in every contest. The Somerset, New Jersey, native is averaging 21.0 ppg through the last four 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 before tallying a team-high 22 points against San Diego. Last week versus ULM, Tyree led the Rebels once again with 20 points.

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 seven games as a starting guard, he has stuffed box scores by leading the Rebels in minutes (33.9 per game) and steals (1.6 per game), while ranking second in assists (3.4 per game) and third in rebounds (4.6 per game). Shuler is the SEC leader in playing time, while ranking sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8). 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. On the road at Butler (Nov. 16), Shuler tallied team highs in rebounds (8), assists (5) and steals (3). The eight-rebound performance was a career high for the Irmo, South Carolina, native.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior Terence Davis has 1,114 points to rank 32nd in Ole Miss history. He is on pace to crack the top 20, and with a big year, could find himself in the top 10 to end his Rebel career. Last week, Davis passed Terrance Henry (1,095) with a 20-point performance versus San Diego (Nov. 28) before leapfrogging Fred Cox (1,102) in the win over ULM (Dec. 1). Next on his chase up the chart are Joe Ayers (1,130) and Jack Marshall (1,137). John Stroud is the Rebels' all-time scoring leader with 2,328 points.

LIGHTING UP THE PAVILION
The offense has put up some record shooting percentages early in the first year under Kermit Davis. In the win over San Diego, the Rebels shot 61.1 percent (33 of 54). It was the best shooting percentage by an Ole Miss squad since going 28 of 45 (62.2 percent) in a 78-51 win at LSU nearly eight years ago (Jan. 22, 2011). The mark also set a new Pavilion record by seven percentage points. The previous record occurred in this year's season opener versus Western Michigan as well as against LSU on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14, 2017). Ole Miss boasted a 54.1 field goal percentage (33 of 61) in both of those victories. No opposing team has shot better than 53 percent in The Pavilion. The Rebels have shot over 50 percent in three of their first seven games, only reaching that mark five times all of last season.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
Following the trip north, the Rebels will return to the Magnolia State but remain away from home. For the first time in 11 years, Ole Miss will play a game in the state's capital (Jackson). The Rebels will square off against Southeastern Louisiana at the Mississippi Coliseum (Dec. 12). Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on SECN+. Closing out the week, Ole Miss returns to the friendly confines of The Pavilion to host Chattanooga (Dec. 16). The Sunday evening matchup is set for 5 p.m. on SEC Network. Both games can be heard on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network.

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Players Mentioned

Deandre Burnett

Markel Crawford

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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