Rivalry Renewed as Rebels Head to Starkville Saturday

			OLE MISS (12-2, 2-0 SEC) at MSU (12-2, 0-1 SEC) Saturday, Jan. 12 • 12 PM • Starkville, Miss. Humphrey Coliseum (10,575)
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GAME 15
Matchup: Ole Miss (12-2, 2-0 SEC) at #14/14 Mississippi State (12-2, 0-1 SEC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019
Time: 12 p.m. CT
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Arena: Humphrey Coliseum (10,575)
Television: CBS
   Spero Dedes, play-by-play
   Clark Kellogg, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (XM-388)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: MSU leads 143-115
Last Meeting: MSU won 79-62
   Feb. 17, 2018 (Starkville, Miss.)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Ole Miss faces top 15 teams in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
- The Rebels and the Bulldogs are the SEC's most-played rivalry, having met 258 times.
- Ole Miss has won eight of the last 10 matchups against MSU, which is the Rebels' best streak against the Bulldogs since winning eight straight from 1980-83.
- The Rebels have won nine straight games for the first time since winning nine straight in 2012-13, when Ole Miss captured the SEC Tournament title.
- Ole Miss is coming off an 82-67 victory over No. 10 Auburn, its first victory over a top 10 team since 2013.
- The Rebels begin SEC play 2-0 for just the fourth time in the last 20 seasons.
- Ole Miss is the only team in the country to rank top 25 in field goal percentage (13th-50.2 percent), free throw percentage (16th-76.1 percent) and rebounding margin (25th-+7.1).
- Breein Tyree is the only player to rank in the SEC's top 10 in scoring (3rd-17.4 ppg), field goal percentage (5th-51.0), three-point field goal percentage (6th-42.0) and free throw percentage (9th-80.9).
- Tyree is the reigning SEC Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 31 points in the win over Vanderbilt, the most points scored by an SEC player to open up conference play and the most by a Rebel this season.
- A Preseason Second Team All-SEC selection by the coaches, Terence Davis recorded a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Rebels to victory over No. 10 Auburn.
- Making 138 three-pointers over his career, Terence Davis ranks 10th in school history; Davis also ranks 25th in Ole Miss history with 1,235 career points and has 19 career 20-point games.
- 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 481 career wins, Kermit Davis ranks 136th all-time and 31st among active Division I head coaches.
- Kermit Davis is the second coach in school history to win 12 of his first 14 games at Ole Miss.
- The Rebels hold an all-time record of 1,305-1,304 (109th season).

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in free throw shooting (76.1 percent), while ranking second in field goal percentage (50.2), rebounding margin (+7.1) and rebounding defense (29.4).
- Breein Tyree is the only SEC player to rank top 10 in the conference in scoring (3rd-17.4 ppg), field goal percentage (5th-51.0 percent), three-point field goal percentage (6th-42.0 percent) and free throw percentage (9th-80.9 percent).
- Tyree also ranks fifth in playing time (32.0 minutes per game).
- Devontae Shuler ranks fourth in playing time (32.8 minutes per game), fifth in steals (1.7 per game) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (2.0).
- Terence Davis ranks sixth in scoring (16.0 ppg), while ranking eighth in field goal shooting (50.6 percent) and 10th in assists (3.6 per game).

RARE COMPANY
Ole Miss is the only team in the country to rank top 25 nationally in all three of these statistical categories: field goal percentage (50.2 percent), free throw percentage (76.1) and rebounding margin (+7.1). The Rebels are 13th in the nation in field goal percentage, 22nd from the charity stripe and 25th in rebounding margin. Ole Miss and South Dakota State are the only two teams to rank top 25 nationally in both shooting categories.

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 to determine at-large berths, Ole Miss is ranked 29th. Andy Katz of NCAA.com has Ole Miss projected to be a No. 9 seed come March. 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 is the first team out if the season ended today. The Rebels will look to be on the right side of the bubble marching through conference play.

SCOUTING MSU
MSU enters Saturday's rivalry contest with a 12-2 record following an overtime road loss at South Carolina to begin SEC play. Four Bulldogs average double figures led by Q Weatherspoon at 17.1 ppg. Lamar Peters averages 13.4 ppg as a dangerous shooter from long range, making 3.1 three-pointers per game at a 42.2 percent clip. Along with averaging 13.0 ppg, Aric Holman has 2.6 blocks per game to rank 11th nationally. Ben Howland is in his fourth season as MSU's head coach. His 23rd season as a head coach, Howland's previous stops include Northern Arizona (1995-99), Pittsburgh (2000-03) and UCLA (2004-13).

SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs are Ole Miss' most-played opponent, having met 258 times on the hardwood, which is also the SEC's most-played rivalry. Mississippi State holds a 143-115 lead in the series, which began in 1914, but the Rebels have won eight of the last 10 matchups, the best streak against the Bulldogs since winning eight straight from 1980-83. During the stretch, Ole Miss has averaged 77.4 ppg while only giving up 70.8 ppg. The Rebels have won two of the past four meetings in Starkville.

LAST YEAR'S SEASON SERIES
The Rebels and Bulldogs split last season's series with each team winning on its home floor. Ole Miss rallied for a 64-58 victory at The Pavilion (Jan. 6, 2018). Behind a stifling 1-3-1 zone defense and 16 second-half points from Breein Tyree, Ole Miss erased a nine-point deficit in the final eight minutes to continue its winning ways against Mississippi State. The Rebels outscored the Bulldogs 20-5 over the final 7:40 to claim the six-point win. The victory was Ole Miss' eighth over MSU in the past nine meetings of the in-state rivalry, and it also gave Andy Kennedy his 100th SEC victory. The Bulldogs got revenge at their place (Feb. 17, 2018) 79-62, snapping the Rebels' four-game winning streak in the rivalry and winning for just the second time in the last 10 matchups.

TYREE'S TASTE FOR THE RIVALRY
Breein Tyree enjoys the big moment, and playing in rivalry games is no different. Through four games against MSU over his career, he is averaging 15.5 ppg and shooting 53.3 percent (24 of 45). After scoring seven points in his rivalry debut, Tyree exploded for 24 points to lead the Rebels to an 87-82 overtime victory at Humphrey Coliseum (Feb. 21, 2017). The output was his best of his freshman season. Last year at The Pavilion, Tyree scored all 16 of his points in the second half to rally the Rebels to another win in the rivalry (Jan. 6, 2018). One month later in Starkville (Feb. 17, 2018), he tallied 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting.

RIVALRY CONNECTION
His alma mater is now his rival. Now in the Red and Blue, Kermit Davis will face MSU for the first time as Ole Miss head coach. Davis earned a varsity letter playing basketball for the Bulldogs in 1982, completing his bachelor's degree in the same year. Two years later, he finished up school with a master's degree at MSU. Davis' father, Kermit Davis Sr., was MSU head coach from 1971-77.

WWWWWWWWW
The Rebels have won nine consecutive games for the first time since the 2012-13 season when the team cut down the nets at the SEC Tournament. Seven of the nine wins have been by double digits. During this stretch, Ole Miss has shot over 50 percent in seven of those games to bring the season total to eight, surpassing last season's total. The Rebels eclipsed 50 percent from the field in five games throughout the entire 2017-18 season. The last time Ole Miss recorded at least eight games shooting better than 50 percent from the field also occurred during the 2012-13 campaign (nine times). Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC in field goal percentage (50.5), a mark that is 13th nationally.

STREAK STATS
During the Rebels' nine-game winning streak, they are outscoring the opposition by an average of 16.9 ppg (82.2-69.3). Ole Miss has won seven of the nine games by double figures, including each of the last six contests. The Rebels have shot 52.9 percent from the floor, while going 41.2 percent from beyond the arc. Ole Miss is sharing the basketball during the streak, averaging 17.8 assists per game.

REBELS UPSET NO. 10 AUBURN WITH WIRE-TO-WIRE VICTORY
In front of a rowdy crowd at The Pavilion, senior Terence Davis scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Ole Miss to an 82-67 victory over No. 10 Auburn (Jan. 9). The Rebels controlled the game from the tip, leading throughout to secure their ninth straight win and earn a signature victory in the first SEC home game under head coach Kermit Davis. The win gave Ole Miss its longest winning streak since the 2012-13 campaign, and the Rebels improved to 2-0 in SEC play for just the fourth time in the last two decades. It was also Ole Miss' first victory over a top 10 team in six years. Terence Davis' double-double led the way, while freshman KJ Buffen added a career-high 16 points off the bench. Devontae Shuler reached double figures as well, tallying 14 points. Junior center Dominik Olejniczak recorded season highs in points (11) and rebounds (7), helping Ole Miss hold a 45-37 advantage on the boards. The Rebels also dominated the paint by outscoring the Tigers (11-3, 0-1 SEC) 30-12 in that area.

TOP-10 WIN
Snapping a four-game skid versus top-10 teams, the victory over No. 10 Auburn was the Rebels' first win over a top-10 opponent since beating No. 10 Missouri 63-49 at home during the 2012-13 season (Jan. 12, 2013).

LET'S GO 2-0
Ole Miss improved to 2-0 in SEC play for just the fourth time in the last 20 seasons The Rebels also won their first two conference games during the 2012-13, 2005-06 and 2000-01 seasons. Two of those seasons (2012-13 and 2000-01) resulted in NCAA Tournament berths. Ole Miss captured the 2013 SEC Tournament title and advanced to the round of 32. A Sweet 16 appearance combined with an SEC Wester Division crown highlighted the 2000-01 campaign.

BACK OVER .500
With an 12-2 start to the season, Ole Miss is back over .500 all-time (1,305-1,304). At the beginning of last season, the Rebels went over .500 for the first time since 1959 before ending the season nine games under .500 through 108 seasons of basketball (1,293-1,302).

CONTROLLING THE BOARDS
Ole Miss is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to winning the battle on the boards. The Rebels have out-rebounded their opponent in 13 of their 14 games, holding a +7.1 rebounding margin to rank 25th nationally.

BUFFEN'S BREAKOUT
In just his second SEC game and playing the highest ranked team of his young Ole Miss career, freshman KJ Buffen had his best game. The Gainesville, Georgia, native scored a career-high 16 points in 23 minutes off the bench, going 4 of 6 from the floor and 8 of 11 from the free throw line. He also added a team-high three steals for a personal best. Coming off the bench in all 14 games, Buffen ranks second on the team in rebounding with 5.4 boards per game.

OLEJNICZAK'S OUTPUT
Junior center Dominik Olejniczak has emerged as a pleasant presence in the paint. After averaging 4.3 ppg in his first year on the court for Ole Miss a season ago, the seven-footer matched that scoring output through the first six games of this season. However, he's increased his average to 8.0 ppg over the last eight contests with six of those games being in the starting lineup. The Torun, Poland, native helped Ole Miss knock off No. 10 Auburn with season highs in points (11) and rebounds (7) Wednesday night.

BIG MEN MAKING BIG FREE THROWS
With the Rebels taking a season-high 37 free throws Wednesday night versus No. 10 Auburn, 23 of them were attempted by frontcourt members Dominik Olejniczak and KJ Buffen. Both Rebels set career highs in makes and attempts from the charity stripe as the duo combined to go 17 of 23 (73.9 percent). Olejniczak went 9 of 12 from the line, while Buffen converted 8 of 11.

TYREE NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After leading the Rebels to an 81-71 win at Vanderbilt to begin conference play, Ole Miss junior guard Breein Tyree was named SEC Player of the Week. Scoring the most points by any SEC player over the weekend, Tyree earned the accolade from the conference office for the first time in his career. With a career-high 31 points, Tyree put the team on his back and led the Rebels to their eighth straight victory. Tyree's output was the most points scored by a Rebel and a Vanderbilt opponent this season. No other player scored more than 23 points in an SEC opener. Making a career-high 11 shots, Tyree went 11 of 16 from the floor for a 68.6 percent clip. He got off to a hot start, draining his first six shots from the field and scoring 17 of his team's 35 first half points. The Somerset, New Jersey, native produced his first career 30-point game and has scored at least 20 points in seven of the last 10 games. He was a perfect 6 of 6 from the line, making four free throws during the final six minutes to help keep Ole Miss ahead late in the game. Tyree is the first Rebel to be named SEC Player of the Week since teammate Terence Davis earned the honor as a sophomore (Jan. 23, 2017).

FAST START FOR KERMIT DAVIS
With the victory over No. 10 Auburn on Wednesday night, head coach Kermit Davis became just the second coach in Ole Miss history to win 12 of his first 14 games guiding the Rebels. The Mississippi native joined the likes of former Ole Miss coach Homer Hazel (1926-30), who won 20 of his first 22 games. Hazel's run extended into his second season as head coach after going 16-2 during the entire 1925-26 campaign.

UNDERRATED REBELS
Coming off a season in which they finished 12-20 (5-13 SEC) and last in the conference, the Rebels were predicted to finish 14th in the SEC this year by the media. However, Ole Miss is used to being underrated before the season begins and has already matched its win output from a season ago through only 14 games. The Rebels have finished above their preseason projection six of the last seven seasons since the league moved away from a divisional format, the outlier being the 2017-18 campaign.

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 17.4 ppg to rank third in the SEC. He also ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (51.0 percent), as well as sixth in three-point field goal percentage (42.0 percent) and ninth in free throw percentage (80.9 percent). The Somerset, New Jersey, native is the only player that ranks in the SEC's top 10 of all four categories. Tyree has scored at least 20 points in seven of the last 11 games. In the semifinals of the Emerald Coast Classic (Nov. 23), he put up a 28 points to lead Ole Miss to a victory over Baylor. He followed that up with 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). 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. In Nashville, he tallied a team-high 24 points versus Middle Tennessee (Dec. 21) before exploding for a career-high 31 points against Vanderbilt (Jan. 5).

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 481 career wins (415 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.

DYNAMIC DUO
Senior Terence Davis and junior Breein Tyree have become a dynamic duo in the Ole Miss backcourt, averaging 41.9 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 17.4 ppg to rank third in the SEC, while Davis' 16.0 ppg rank sixth. The pair have combined for 13 20-point games so far this season, including three games in which they both reached the 20-point plateau. They also have one 30-point game to each of their credit this season, both occurring away from home. Tyree scored a career-high 31 in the victory at Vanderbilt (Jan. 5), and Davis tallied his season high of 30 at Butler (Nov. 16). Both Rebels also crack the SEC's top 10 in field goal percentage. Tyree leads Ole Miss and is fifth in the conference at 51.0 percent, while Davis is eighth at 50.6 percent.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Through 102 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,235 points to rank 25th 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. In his final year on campus, Davis is averaging 16.0 ppg to rank sixth in the SEC and shooting at a 50.6 percent clip (eighth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.6 per game), cracking the conference's top 10. With 27 points in the win over No. 10 Auburn, Davis passed Walter Actwood (1,216) and Dwayne Curtis (1,232) to place himself in the top 25. Next on his chase up the Ole Miss scoring chart are B.L. "Country" Graham (1,259), Sebastian Saiz (1,273) and Zach Graham (1,274). 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. Davis also ranks 10th all-time in three-pointers attempted (408) and three-pointers made (138).

MINUTE MONSTER
Averaging 32.8 minutes per game, sophomore guard Devontae Shuler leads the Rebels in playing time and ranks fourth in the SEC. He has played at least 30 minutes in 11 of the Rebels' 14 games, including a career-high 38 minutes in the win over Baylor (Nov. 23). He began the SEC portion of the schedule by logging 37 minutes at Vanderbilt as well as 35 minutes versus Auburn. 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 22nd nationally in free throw percentage (76.1). Eight of the 11 Rebels that have attempted free throws this season are shooting over 75 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. In the win at Vanderbilt (Jan. 5), Ole Miss went 14 of 15 in the second half to remain in front down the stretch. Devontae Shuler leads the Rebels as a 85.9 percent free throw shooter (29 of 34), while Breein Tyree's 80.9 percentage (55 of 68) ranks ninth in the SEC among qualifiers.

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 14 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 (3.2 per game). Shuler ranks in the SEC's top 10 in three categories, sitting at fourth in playing time, fifth in steals and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (2.0). 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).

MISSISSIPPI MADE
Along with head coach Kermit Davis (Leakesville), all three Ole Miss seniors hail from the state of Mississippi: D.C. Davis (Purvis), Terence Davis (Southaven) and Bruce Stevens (Louin).

STEPPING UP IN SEC PLAY
Bruce Stevens and Breein Tyree played their best during the conference slate last season. After averaging 9.0 ppg and 4.7 rpg to begin his Ole Miss career, Stevens improved in SEC play by bumping his averages to 11.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg. Meanwhile, Tyree improved his scoring for the second straight year in conference action, going from 8.3 ppg in non-conference to 12.3 ppg in SEC play. As a freshman, Tyree emerged to rank fourth on the team in scoring at 9.3 ppg in SEC contests, up from his 2.1 ppg before the start of conference play. Tyree got off to a fast start to SEC play on Saturday with his career-high 31 points at Vanderbilt.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
After facing a pair of ranked teams, Ole Miss returns to the friendly confines of The Pavilion for back-to-back home games. First, the Rebels host LSU for a Tuesday night matchup (Jan. 15). That contest is set for an 8 p.m. CT tip on SEC Network. A week from Saturday, Ole Miss welcomes Arkansas to Oxford for the first of two games against the Razorbacks this season. The noon tipoff will also air on SEC Network. Like all Ole Miss men's basketball games, you can catch all of the action on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network.

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

D.C. Davis

Terence Davis

Dominik Olejniczak

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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