No. 20 Ole Miss Hits Road to Face Alabama Tuesday Night

			#20 OLE MISS (14-3, 4-1 SEC) at ALABAMA (11-6, 2-3 SEC) Tuesday, Jan. 22 • 8 PM • Tuscaloosa, Ala. Coleman Coliseum (15,383)
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GAME 18
Matchup: #20/20 Ole Miss (14-3, 4-1 SEC) at Alabama (11-6, 2-3 SEC)
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Arena: Coleman Coliseum (15.383)
Television: ESPNU
   Roy Philpott, play-by-play
   Daymeon Fishback, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (XM-386)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Alabama leads 120-58
Last Meeting: Ole Miss won 78-66
   Jan. 23, 2018 (Oxford, Miss.)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels rank in the top 20 in back-to-back weeks of both polls for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
- Ole Miss has won 11 of the last 12 games, the first time having such a streak since the 2012-13 season.
- The Rebels have won at least 14 of their first 17 games for just the seventh time in 109 seasons of Ole Miss Basketball (2012-13, 2007-08, 2000-01, 1997-98, 1936-37, 1925-26).
- Ole Miss hits the road after playing back-to-back home games in front of sellout crowds.
- The Rebels have won four of the past six meetings against Alabama, including last season's lone matchup.
- Ole Miss is coming off an 84-67 win over Arkansas, its largest margin of victory in an SEC game since a 20-point (96-76) victory over LSU (Feb. 14, 2017).
- The Rebels won their first game as a ranked team since beating Mississippi State 93-75 (Feb. 6, 2013).
- Ole Miss is at least 4-1 in SEC play for the third time in the past seven seasons (2013-14, 2012-13).
- The Rebels are one of six teams to rank top 30 nationally in both field goal percentage (18th-49.2) and free throw percentage (27th-75.5).
- In the win over Arkansas, Terence Davis and Breein Tyree combined for 40 points; meanwhile, the Rebels got 27 points out of the five spot with 14 from Bruce Stevens and a season-high 13 from Dominik Olejniczak.
- The duo of Terence Davis and Breein Tyree account for 42.4 percent of the Rebels' scoring; each averages 17.8 ppg in conference play (tied for second in the SEC).
- Breein Tyree is one of three SEC players to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (2nd-17.5 ppg), field goal percentage (5th-49.7) and free throw percentage (6th-83.1).
- Terence Davis is averaging 19.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg over the last four games, recording a pair of double-doubles in that stretch; Davis has both of the Rebels' two double-doubles this season.
- Five Rebels are averaging more points per game in SEC play than in non-conference 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.

REBELS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
With 10 straight wins, including back-to-back wins over top 15 teams, the Rebels found themselves back in the national rankings for the first time in six years (Jan. 14). After splitting a pair of home games last week, Ole Miss is ranked 20th in the AP Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. Prior to last week, Ole Miss last cracked the top 25 in 2013 (AP-Jan. 28; Coaches-Feb. 4). The Rebels are in the top 20 for consecutive weeks for the first time since exactly 11 years ago during the 2007-08 season (Jan. 14, Jan. 21).

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 25th with two Quadrant 1 victories and two Quadrant 2 wins. CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 5 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections (Jan. 20). Andy Katz of NCAA.com has Ole Miss projected to be a No. 7 seed come March (Jan. 19).According to ESPN Bracketlogoist Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss is a No. 7 seed (Jan. 18). The Rebels will look to remain on the right side of the bubble as March nears.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC in field goal percentage (49.2) and rebounding defense (30.6).
- Breein Tyree ranks second in scoring (17.5 ppg), fourth in playing time (32.6 minutes per game), fifth in field goal percentage (49.7 percent) and sixth in free throw percentage (83.1 percent).
- Tyree is one of three SEC players (Grant Williams-Tennessee, Quinndary Weatherspoon-MSU) to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
- Terence Davis ranks fourth in field goal shooting (49.8 percent), sixth in steals (1.5 per game) as well as seventh in scoring (16.2 ppg) and assists (3.7 per game).
- Devontae Shuler ranks fifth in playing time (32.4 minutes per game) and steals (1.6 per game) as well as sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8).

RARE COMPANY
The Rebels are 18th in the nation in shooting (49.2 percent) and 27th from the charity stripe (75.5). Ole Miss is one of six teams in the country to rank top 30 nationally in field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Hofstra, LSU, Saint Mary's, South Dakota State and Tennessee join the Rebels in that elite group.

SCOUTING ALABAMA
Alabama enters Tuesday's matchup with an 11-6 record and a 2-3 mark in SEC play. The Crimson tide split a pair of road games last week, defeating Missouri 70-60 (Jan. 16) before dropping a tight contest to No. 3 Tennessee 71-68 (Jan. 19). Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. leads Alabama in scoring at 14.2 ppg and shoots at an 84.1 percent clip from the charity stripe. John Petty follows at 12.1 ppg with the majority of his scoring coming from three-point land. Leading the team in threes made, 37 of Petty's 67 made field goals have been beyond the arc. Donta Hall's nine double-doubles lead the SEC. The senior is averaging 11.4 ppg and 9.0 rpg, including a conference-best 11.0 rpg in SEC play. Avery Johnson is in his fourth season as Alabama's head coach, making the transition to college hoops after seven seasons as a head coach in the NBA.

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's game will be the 179th meeting between the two schools. The Crimson Tide hold a 120-58 lead in the series, which began in 1921, but the Rebels have won four of the last six against Alabama. Ole Miss won last season's matchup 78-66 in The Pavilion (Jan. 23, 2018), but the Crimson Tide took the last meeting in Tuscaloosa 70-55 (March 1, 2017).

LAST TIME WE MET
Guard play was the name of the game for the Ole Miss, and that's exactly what catalyzed them to a 78-66 win over Alabama (Jan. 23, 2018). Deandre Burnett led all scorers with 24 points. Terence Davis and Markel Crawford complimented him with 15 each. The Rebel backcourt combined for 63 points on the night. A rather up-and-down first half was largely defined by scoring droughts and long runs. Ole Miss jumped out to an 18-9 lead in the game's first seven minutes before Alabama fired off an 18-0 run that saw the Rebels go scoreless for nearly eight minutes of game time. Ole Miss responded by finishing the half on a 23-4 run and snagged a 41-31 lead going into the locker room. Alabama came into the game as the number one rated team in the SEC in defensive efficiency, but Ole Miss shot 50 percent from the field on the night.

REBELS ROLL PAST RAZORBACKS IN SOLD OUT PAVILION
No. 18 Ole Miss jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back, cruising to an 84-67 wire-to-wire win over Arkansas (Jan. 19). After their 10-game winning streak was snapped to hand them their first SEC loss Tuesday night, the Rebels bounced back with a convincing victory in front of a sellout crowd at The Pavilion. Ole Miss caused havoc on defense, converting 17 turnovers (13 steals) into 22 points. The Razorbacks were limited to a 36.7 percent (11 of 30) clip in the second half, and 6 of 23 (26.1 percent) from three throughout the entire game. The Rebels also controlled the paint 44-28, holding Arkansas leading scorer Daniel Gafford to a season-low nine points. Ole Miss had balanced scoring with four Rebels in double figures. Breein Tyree tallied a game-high 22 points, scoring 11 in each half. The junior guard was 7 of 15 from the floor and made all six of his free throw attempts. Senior Terence Davis stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and a career-high five steals. Classmate Bruce Stevens added 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench, going 6 of 7 from the floor. Fellow big man Dominik Olejniczak played his best game of the season, scoring a season-high 13 points going up against Gafford. The Torun, Poland, native also pulled down five rebounds and defended the rim with a pair of blocks.

D.C. STEPS UP
Senior guard D.C. Davis, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship over the summer, got his second career start in Saturday's game versus Arkansas. With Devontae Shuler nursing a foot injury, Davis stepped in and delivered. The Purvis, Mississippi, native scored seven points, his most in an SEC game, and dished out a career-high four assists without committing a turnover. Davis played a career-high 27 minutes, surpassing his total playing time (16 minutes) all of last season, although he did earn a start versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Dec. 19, 2017). This season, Davis has played in all 17 games and averages 11.6 minutes per contest.

BIG GAME FOR THE BIG MEN
In the win over Arkansas, the five spot came up big on both sides of the court. Dominik Olejniczak and Bruce Stevens combined for 27 points and 12 rebounds, while limiting Arkansas leading scorer Daniel Gafford to a season-low nine points. The duo went 11 of 14 from the floor (78.6 percent), helping the Rebels hold a 44-28 advantage in the paint. Olejniczak got the Rebels off to a fast start, scoring nine of the team's first 19 points. The junior center tallied a season-high 13 points, all coming in the first half. Meanwhile, Stevens produced in the second half by scoring 10 straight points for the Rebels late in the game. The Louin, Mississippi, native missed just one shot, going 6 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed seven rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.

PAVILION PACKED
After Ole Miss beat a pair of top 15 teams in back-to-back games for the first time in school history, Rebel Nation showed up to The Pavilion to support their nationally ranked team. Both home games last week were sold out. The Pavilion opened in January 2016 and has six sellouts in its history.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE DAVIS
No Rebel recorded a double-double in any of the first 13 games of the season, but Terence Davis has emerged with a pair over the last four games. The Southaven, Mississippi, native tallied 27 points and 12 rebounds, both team highs, to lead Ole Miss past No. 10 Auburn 82-67 (Jan. 9). The next time Davis took Craddock Court at The Pavilion, he produced another double-double with 21 points and 10 boards against LSU (Jan. 15). Davis now has eight double-doubles for his career to pace the Rebels. In the last four games, he is averaging 19.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg.

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 only took 15 games to surpass last season's win total. A win over Arkansas Saturday marked only the seventh time in 109 seasons that the Rebels won at least 14 of their first 17 games (2012-13, 2007-08, 2000-01, 1997-98, 1936-37, 1925-26). 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.

DYNAMIC DUO
Senior Terence Davis and junior Breein Tyree have become a dynamic duo in the Ole Miss backcourt, averaging 42.4 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 17.5 ppg to rank second in the SEC, while Davis' 16.2 ppg rank seventh. The pair have combined for 15 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 fourth in the conference at 49.8 percent, while Tyree is fifth at 49.7 percent.

STEPPING UP IN SEC PLAY
Several Rebels have stepped up their games at the beginning of conference action. Five Rebels are scoring at their average or more in SEC play compared non-conference games.

Rebel	Non-Conference	SEC	Season
Breein Tyree	17.3 ppg	17.8 ppg	17.5 ppg
Terence Davis	15.5 ppg	17.8 ppg	16.2 ppg
Blake Hinson	8.5 ppg	10.4 ppg	9.1 ppg
Dominik Olejniczak	5.9 ppg	9.0 ppg	6.8 ppg
KJ Buffen	5.9 ppg	7.6 ppg	6.4 ppg

Last year, Breein 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 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 second in the SEC. He also ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (50.0 percent) and sixth in free throw percentage (83.1 percent), one of three conference players to crack the SEC top 10 in scoring and those two shooting categories. The Somerset, New Jersey, native has scored at least 20 points in a team-high eight 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). Tyree scored a team-high 22 points to lead the Rebels to a wire-to-wire win over Arkansas (Jan. 19).

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 8.2 ppg over the last 11 contests with nine of those games being in the starting lineup. The Torun, Poland, native helped Ole Miss get off to a fast start against Arkansas (Jan. 19), scoring the team's first five points en route to a season-high 13.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Through 105 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,286 points to tie Jason Smith (1996-99) for 21st in Ole Miss history. He needs only seven points to land inside the top 20, and with a big finish, could find himself in the top 10 to end his Rebel career. In his final year on campus, Davis is averaging 16.2 ppg to rank seventh in the SEC and shooting at a 49.8 percent clip (fourth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.7 per game), cracking the conference's top 10. With 18 points in the win over Arkansas on Saturday, Davis passed Sebastian Saiz (1,273) and Zach Graham (1,274). Next on his chase up the Ole Miss scoring chart are Marshall Henderson (1,293), Stefan Moody (1,294) and Cob Jarvis (1,313). 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 eighth all-time in three-pointers attempted (427) and 10th in three-pointers made (146).

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
While shooting 75.5 percent as a team, 10 of the 11 Rebels that have attempted free throws this season are shooting over 70 percent from the stripe. Ole Miss ranks 27th nationally in free throw percentage, shooting over 85 percent in five different games this season. 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. Breein Tyree leads the Rebels as a 83.1 percent free throw shooter (69 of 83) to rank sixth in the SEC, while Devontae Shuler follows at 82.9 percent (34 of 41).

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 483 career wins (417 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.

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.

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. Starting 16 games at point guard, he has stuffed box scores by leading the Rebels in steals (1.6 per game). Shuler ranks in the SEC's top 10 in three categories, sitting at fifth in steals and playing time (32.4 minutes per game) as well as 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. 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).

HOT SHOT
Ole Miss has shot over 50 percent in eight games, 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 (49.2), a mark that is 18th nationally.

BACK OVER .500
With a 14-3 start to the season, Ole Miss is back over .500 all-time (1,307-1,305). 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
After playing six straight SEC games, the Rebels will then take a break from conference play and return to The Pavilion to host No. 24 Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge (Jan. 26). Tipoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN, and the challenge will be the first battle between two ranked teams in the history of The Pavilion. 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

Markel Crawford

D.C. Davis

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Dominik Olejniczak

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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