Nationally Ranked Rebels Return Home, Host LSU Tuesday Night

			#18 OLE MISS (13-2, 3-0 SEC) vs. LSU (12-3, 2-0 SEC) Tuesday, Jan. 15 • 8 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Terence Davis Poster Giveaway (First 1,000 Fans)
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GAME 16
Matchup: RV/RV LSU (12-3, 2-0 SEC) at #18/20 Ole Miss (13-2, 3-0 SEC)
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network
   Dave Neal, play-by-play
   Dane Bradshaw, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (Sirius-134; XM-190)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Sean Tuohy, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: LSU leads 121-88
Last Meeting: LSU won 82-66
   Feb. 10, 2018 (Baton Rouge, La.)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Last week, the Rebels knocked off a pair of top 15 teams in back-to-back games for the first time in school history.
- Ole Miss is ranked in the national polls (AP-18, Coaches-20) for the first time since 2013.
- The Rebels have won 10 straight games for the first time since winning 13 straight to begin the 2007-08 season; the winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest active winning streak in the country.
- Ole Miss leads the series 55-34 in Oxford, which includes winning five of the last six at home (1-0 in The Pavilion).
- The Rebels begin SEC play 3-0 for just the fifth time in program history and the third time in the last 20 seasons; all three over the last two decades resulted in NCAA Tournament berths.
- Ole Miss is coming off an 82-67 victory over No. 10 Auburn, its first victory over a top 10 team since 2013, and an 81-77 win at No. 14 Mississippi State (ninth win in the last 11 rivalry matchups).
- The Rebels are one of only two teams (South Dakota St.) in the country to rank top 20 in field goal percentage (15th-49.9 percent) and free throw percentage (20th-76.1 percent).
- Terence Davis is the reigning SEC Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 ppg in victories over two top 15 teams.
- Both SEC Players of the Week through the first two weeks of conference play have been Rebels (Breein Tyree was SEC Player of the Week last week).
- Six Rebels are averaging more points per game in SEC play than in non-conference games.
- Blake Hinson's career-high 26 points in the win at No. 14 MSU was the most by a Rebel freshman in a game since Jarvis Summers scored 27 at Penn State (Dec. 4, 2011).
- Breein Tyree is one three players to rank in the SEC's top 10 in scoring (3rd-17.5 ppg), field goal percentage (6th-50.3) and free throw percentage (9th-81.8).
- Making 140 three-pointers over his career, Terence Davis ranks 10th in school history; Davis also ranks 25th in Ole Miss history with 1,247 career points and has 19 career 20-point games.
- Kermit Davis is the first coach in school history to win his first three SEC games and only the second coach in school history to win 13 of his first 15 games at Ole Miss.

WHAT A WEEK
Ole Miss had quite the week, shining in the national spotlight by beating top 15 teams in back-to-back games for the first time in school history. The Rebels knocked off No. 10 Auburn 82-67 at home (Jan. 9) before going on their rivals' home floor and walking away with an 81-77 win over the No. 14 Bulldogs (Jan. 12). The performance had NCAA.com's Andy Katz tab the Rebels as his NCAA Team of the Week. It was the first time Ole Miss beat ranked teams in consecutive games since 2002-03 when the Rebels went to No. 23 LSU (Jan. 18, 2003) and won 67-57 before taking down No. 15 Alabama 76-57 at home (Jan. 21, 2003).

BACK IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
With 10 straight wins, including back-to-back wins over top 15 teams, the Rebels find themselves back in the national rankings for the first time in six years. Ole Miss is ranked 18th in the AP Poll, appearing for the first time since being ranked 16th on Jan. 28, 2013. The Rebels are No. 20 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, cracking that top 25 for the first time since sitting at No. 23 (Feb. 4, 2013).

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 24th with three Quadrant I victories. CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 4 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections. Andy Katz of NCAA.com has Ole Miss projected to be a No. 9 seed come March. According to ESPN Bracketlogoist Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss is a No. 10 seed. The Rebels will look to remain on the right side of the bubble as March nears.

RARE COMPANY
Ole Miss is one of two teams in the country to rank top 20 nationally in field goal percentage (49.9 percent) and free throw percentage (76.1). The Rebels are 15th in the nation in field goal percentage and 20th from the charity stripe. South Dakota State is the only other team to rank top 20 nationally in both shooting categories.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in free throw shooting (76.1 percent), while ranking second in field goal percentage (49.9), three-point percentage (38.2) and rebounding defense (29.9).
- Breein Tyree is one of three SEC players to rank top 10 in the conference in scoring (3rd-17.5 ppg), field goal percentage (6th-50.3 percent) and free throw percentage (9th-81.8 percent).
- Tyree also ranks fifth in playing time (32.2 minutes per game).
- Devontae Shuler ranks third in playing time (33.0 minutes per game), fifth in steals (1.6 per game) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
- Terence Davis ranks fifth in field goal shooting (50.6 percent), while ranking seventh in scoring (15.7 ppg) and 10th in assists (3.5 per game).

SCOUTING LSU
Receiving votes in both national polls, LSU enters Tuesday's matchup with a 12-3 record. The Tigers are also 2-0 in league play with victories over Alabama and Arkansas last week. LSU averaged 91.0 ppg during the two contests to pace the SEC in scoring through the first two weeks of conference play. The trio of Skylar Mays, Tremont Waters and Naz Reid average over 13 points per game to pace the Tigers in scoring. Mays leads the team in three-point shooting (40.6 percent) and free throw shooting (88.1 percent), while Waters ranks fourth nationally with 3.0 steals per game. Will Wade is in his second season as LSU's head coach after serving as VCU's head coach for two years. Wade began his head coaching career at Chattanooga, leading the Mocs for two seasons before accepting the job at VCU.

SERIES HISTORY
The series with the Tigers, which began in 1909, is the second-longest in Ole Miss Basketball history. LSU leads the all-time series 121-88. The Rebels have won eight of the last 13 meetings over the Bayou Bengals, including five of the last six in Oxford. Ole Miss holds a 55-34 advantage in Oxford, winning the only matchup in the three-year history of The Pavilion 96-76 (Feb. 14, 2017). LSU won last season's battle 82-66 in Baton Rouge (Feb. 10, 2018).

LAST TIME WE MET IN THE PAVILION
The Rebels loved the last time they faced LSU at home, putting together a huge comeback to blow out the Tigers on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14, 2017). Using Terence Davis' career-high 33 points, 22 of which coming in the second half, Ole Miss erased a double-digit second half deficit and stormed past LSU 96-76. When the Rebels needed a bucket after LSU extended the lead to 11 with 16 minutes to play, Davis took over. The Rebels closed the game on a 17-0 run to end the game, hitting 10 of their last 11 shots. Ole Miss ended the contest on a 42-12 streak to blow past the Tigers. The offense was able to score throughout the night, and the Ole Miss defense got stops in the second half. In the first half, LSU was able to hit over 50 percent of its shots. The Rebels clamped down in the second half, holding LSU to only 29 points on just 28 percent shooting. Deandre Burnett and Sebastian Saiz added 15 points apiece behind Davis' big night. The 20-point win was the largest margin in the series since the Rebels claimed a 72-48 victory in Oxford (Feb. 25, 2012).

REBEL-TIGER CONNECTIONS
Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis spent five seasons (1998-2002) at LSU as associate head coach before going to Middle Tennessee and becoming the winningest coach in school history. Davis' time on the bayou was highlighted by a 28-6 record during the 1999-2000 season, which resulted in a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. The Rebels will also see a familiar face on the opposing sideline Tuesday night. LSU assistant coach Bill Armstrong spent 11 seasons (2007-17) at Ole Miss alongside former head coach Andy Kennedy. He spent five seasons as coordinator of basketball operations before being promoted to assistant coach for six years.

WWWWWWWWWW
The Rebels have won 10 consecutive games for the first time since the 2007-08 team opened up the season with 13 straight victories. The winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest active winning streak in the country with No. 3 Tennessee and No. 6 Michigan State. No. 1 Virginia (15-0) and No. 2 Michigan (17-0) are the only remaining unbeaten teams, while Hofstra has quietly built a 12-game winning streak. Seven of the 10 Ole Miss wins during the streak 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 (49.9), a mark that is 20th nationally.

STREAK STATS
During the Rebels' 10-game winning streak, they are outscoring the opposition by an average of 15.6 ppg (82.1-66.5). Ole Miss has won seven of the 10 games by double figures, including six of the last seven contests. The Rebels have shot 52.2 percent from the floor, while going 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. Ole Miss is sharing the basketball during the streak, averaging 17.5 assists per game.

TERENCE DAVIS EARNS SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
After averaging 19.5 ppg and leading the Ole Miss men's basketball team to a pair of victories over top 15 teams, senior guard Terence Davis was named SEC Player of the Week by the conference office. Through the first two weeks of conference play, both SEC Players of the Week have been Rebels. Breein Tyree earned his first career SEC Player of the Week honor last week following a career-high 31 points at Vanderbilt (Jan. 5). Davis collects his second weekly conference accolade after becoming SEC Player of the week as a sophomore (Jan. 23, 2017). Davis recorded team highs in points (27) and rebounds (12), earning the first double-double by a Rebel this season, as Ole Miss upset No. 10 Auburn 82-67 last week (Jan. 9). Going 9 of 15 from the floor, it was the 19th 20-point game of his career and moved Davis into the top 25 of the Ole Miss all-time scoring list. With the help of four three-pointers, the senior moved into the Ole Miss top 10 in threes made for a career as well (140 in 103 career games). He hit two more Saturday, going 5 of 10 from the floor for 12 points in the 81-77 victory at No. 14 Mississippi State (Jan. 12). The win marked the first time Ole Miss beat back-to-back ranked teams since the 2002-03 season.

REBELS DOWN RIVAL MSU BEHIND HINSON'S 26
In the most hostile environment yet this year, Ole Miss outlasted No. 14 Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 12). The Rebels clawed back into the game towards the end of the first half and controlled the game late against the Bulldogs en route to an 81-77 victory. Blake Hinson led the Rebels with a career-high 26 points on 8 of 16 shooting, including a career-high five made threes. The Rebels had four double-digit scorers. Breein Tyree, after going down with an injury early in the game, scored 19 points and was 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. Tyree added the game-winning bucket with less than a minute remaining. Terence Davis and Devontae Shuler had 12 and 10, respectively. Tying a season high with 12 made threes, the Rebels beat ranked opponents in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

HINSON HIGHLIGHTS RIVALRY WIN
Blake Hinson saved his best game for his first taste of the rivalry with Mississippi State on Saturday. Scoring a career-high 26 points, Hinson led Ole Miss to an 81-77 win over the No. 14 Bulldogs in Starkville. After recording a team-high 10 points in the first half to keep the Rebels within striking distance down two, he scored 11 of the team's first 12 second half points. Ole Miss trailed by nine early in the final period, and Hinson drilled three straight three-pointers. He connected on five from long range throughout the afternoon, the most by a Rebel since the second game of the season when Terence Davis hit six at Butler (Nov. 16). Hinson's 26 points were the most by an Ole Miss freshman in a game since Jarvis Summers scored 27 points at Penn State (Dec. 4, 2011). The game-high output was the most by a Rebel freshman in an SEC game since March 2, 2011 (30 by Dundrecous Nelson at Auburn).

FAST START FOR KERMIT DAVIS
With the victory over No. 14 Mississippi State (Jan. 12), head coach Kermit Davis became the first coach in program history to win his first three SEC games. He is also just the second coach in Ole Miss history to win 13 of his first 15 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 surpassed its win output from a season ago through only 15 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.

LET'S GO 3-0
Ole Miss improved to 3-0 in SEC play for just the fifth time in program history, including the third over the last 20 seasons. The Rebels also won their first three conference games during the 2012-13, 2005-06, 1997-98, 1973-74 and 1936-37 seasons. Three of those seasons (2012-13, 2000-01 and 1997-98) 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. During the 1997-98 season, The Rebels won SEC Western Division and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

STEPPING UP IN SEC PLAY
Several Rebels have stepped up their games at the beginning of conference action. Six Rebels are scoring more in SEC play than they did in non-conference games.

Rebel	Non-Conference	SEC	Season
Breein Tyree	17.3 ppg	18.3 ppg	17.5 ppg
Terence Davis	15.5 ppg	16.7 ppg	15.7 ppg
Blake Hinson	8.5 ppg	14.7 ppg	9.7 ppg
Devontae Shuler	10.3 ppg	11.7 ppg	10.6 ppg
Dominik Olejniczak	5.9 ppg	8.3 ppg	6.4 ppg
KJ Buffen	5.9 ppg	7.0 ppg	6.1 ppg

Last year, 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.

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 7.8 ppg over the last nine contests with seven 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) last week.

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 17.5 ppg to rank third in the SEC. He also ranks sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (50.6 percent) and ninth in free throw percentage (81.8 percent). The Somerset, New Jersey, native is one of three players to rank in the SEC's top 10 of all three categories. Tyree has scored at least 20 points in seven of the last 12 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 482 career wins (416 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 41.7 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 17.5 ppg to rank third in the SEC, while Davis' 15.7 ppg rank seventh. 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. Davis leads Ole Miss and is fifth in the conference at 50.6 percent, while Tyree is sixth at 50.3 percent.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Through 103 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,247 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 15.7 ppg to rank seventh in the SEC and shooting at a 50.6 percent clip (fifth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.5 per game), cracking the conference's top 10. With 27 points in the win over No. 10 Auburn (Jan. 9), 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 (413) and three-pointers made (140).

MINUTE MONSTER
Averaging 33.0 minutes per game, sophomore guard Devontae Shuler leads the Rebels in playing time and ranks third in the SEC. He has played at least 30 minutes in 12 of the Rebels' 15 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, 35 minutes versus Auburn and 36 minutes at Mississippi State. 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 20th 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 83.8 percent free throw shooter (31 of 37), while Breein Tyree's 81.8 percentage (63 of 77) 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 15 games as a starting guard, he has stuffed box scores by leading the Rebels in minutes (33.0 per game) and steals (1.6 per game). Shuler ranks in the SEC's top 10 in three categories, sitting at third in playing time, fifth in steals and seventh 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. 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).

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).

BACK OVER .500
With an 13-2 start to the season, Ole Miss is back over .500 all-time (1,306-1,304). 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).

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
Following Tuesday night's matchup, the Rebels remain at home for another conference contest Saturday (Jan. 19). 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

Deandre Burnett

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Dominik Olejniczak

Devontae Shuler

Breein Tyree

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