The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, January 26
Oxford, Miss.
11 AM
Ole Miss
vs
#24 Iowa State
No. 20 Ole Miss Hosts No. 24 Iowa State in SEC/Big 12 Challenge Saturday
1/25/2019 | Men's Basketball
First Matchup Between Two Ranked Teams in the History of The Pavilion
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#20 OLE MISS (14-4, 4-2 SEC) vs. #24 IOWA STATE (14-5, 4-3 BIG 12) Saturday, Jan. 26 • 11 AM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Powder Blue Out/Meet the 2019 Ole Miss Baseball Team  |
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GAME 19
Matchup: #24/25 Iowa State (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) at #20/20 Ole Miss (14-4, 4-2 SEC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: ESPN
Mark Neely, play-by-play
Chris Spatola, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (Sirius-113; XM-191)
David Kellum, play-by-play
Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Iowa State leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Iowa State won 73-68
Dec. 23, 2000 (Laie, Hawaii)
TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Saturday's game will be the first ever matchup between a pair of top 25 teams in the history of The Pavilion.
- The last time a pair of top 25 teams met in Oxford, No. 22 Ole Miss defeated No. 19 Vanderbilt 74-58 at Tad Smith Coliseum (Jan. 30, 2008).
- Ole Miss is 2-0 against ranked teams this season, defeating No. 10 Auburn and No. 14 Mississippi State.
- 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 is one of only four SEC teams to play in all five of the previous SEC/Big 12 Challenges.
- The last two home games have been sellouts, and Saturday's game could mark the first time having three consecutive sellouts in The Pavilion's four-year history.
- Ole Miss will don the powder blue jerseys for the second time this season, beating ULM 83-60 (Dec. 1) in the jersey's debut.
- The Rebels are coming off a setback to Alabama, their first road loss in SEC play.
- Ole Miss has outscored the opposition 84.0-69.3 in games following a loss this season (3-0).
- The Rebels rank second in the SEC and 21st nationally in field goal percentage (48.8).
- The duo of Terence Davis and Breein Tyree account for 42.1 percent of the Rebels' scoring.
- Breein Tyree is one of four SEC players to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (2nd-17.0 ppg), field goal percentage (3rd-49.8) and free throw percentage (8th-83.1).
- Senior guard Terence Davis ranks 10th in school history in three-pointers made (148) and 19th in scoring (1,296 points).
- 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.
- With 483 career wins, Kermit Davis ranks 135th all-time and 31st among active Division I head coaches.
- 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.
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 this week. 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 32nd 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. 21). 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 (48.8) and rebounding defense (31.3).
- Breein Tyree ranks second in scoring (17.0 ppg), third in field goal percentage (49.8 percent), fourth in playing time (32.3 minutes per game), and eighth in free throw percentage (83.1 percent).
- Tyree is one of four SEC players (Bryce Brown-Auburn, 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 (49.5 percent), seventh in scoring (15.8 ppg) and ninth in steals (1.4 per game).
- Devontae Shuler ranks sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) as well as seventh in playing time (31.6 minutes per game) and steals (1.5 per game).
SATURDAY'S HISTORICAL GAME
History will take place Saturday as two top 25 teams will battle on Craddock Court for the first time in the four-year history of The Pavilion. In fact, the last time a top 25 matchup took place in Oxford, No. 22 Ole Miss defeated No. 19 Vanderbilt 74-58 in Tad Smith Coliseum 11 years ago (Jan. 30, 2008).
SCOUTING IOWA STATE
No. 24 Iowa State enters Saturday's SEC/Big 12 Challenge with a 14-5 (4-3 Big 12) record following a tough road loss to No. 9 Kansas (80-76) Monday night. The Cyclones are one of the best teams in the country taking care of the basketball, ranking eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and 24th in turnover margin (+3.8). Iowa State also leads the Big 12 in scoring offense (78.5 ppg), steals (7.5 per game) and threes made (8.9 per game). Marial Shayok paces the Cyclones with a Big 12-best 19.8 ppg, leading the conference in field goals made (137) and field goal attempts (269) for a 50.9 shooting percentage. Michael Jacobson (13.1 ppg), Talen Horton-Tucker (11.9 ppg) and Lindell Wiggington (10.9 ppg) average double figures as well. Freshman Tyrese Haliburton takes care of the basketball, ranking fourth nationally with a 5.5 assist/turnover ratio. Steve Prohm is in his fourth season as Iowa State's head coach, arriving in Ames after four seasons as the head coach at Murray State.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be just the second meeting between Ole Miss and Iowa State, including the first in the continental United States. The Cyclones won the lone matchup, defeating the Rebels 73-68 in the championship of the Yahoo! Sports Invitational in Laie, Hawaii (Dec. 23, 2000). Jamaal Tinsley scored eight of his 14 points during a big second half run that carried Iowa State to victory and hand Ole Miss its first loss of the season. The Cyclones trailed 48-34 after Emmanuel Wade converted a three-point play with 14:43 to play, but Iowa State went on a 21-5 run to turn the game in their favor. Ole Miss, which shot 52 percent (15 of 29) in the first half, hit only 9 of 26 shots over the final 20 minutes. Rahim Lockhart scored 15 points for the Rebels, while Justin Reed and Jason Holmes had 12 points apiece.
REBELS VS. BIG 12
Ole Miss is 17-23 all-time versus current members of the Big 12, having faced every current member. Along with playing once against Iowa State, the Rebels have also faced Baylor (1-2), Kansas (0-1), Kansas State (3-2), Oklahoma (2-1), Oklahoma State (1-0), TCU (3-2), Texas (6-9), Texas Tech (1-4) and West Virginia (0-2). Ole Miss is one of four SEC schools to play in all five SEC/Big 12 Challenges, joining Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
FACING RANKED TEAMS
Ole Miss is 2-0 against ranked teams this season. The Rebels knocked off No. 10 Auburn 82-67 at home (Jan. 9) before going on the road to beat rival No. 14 Mississippi State 81-77 (Jan. 12). It marked the first time in school history that the Rebels won back-to-back games over top 15 teams.
OLE MISS DROPS FIRST SEC ROAD GAME
No. 20 Ole Miss suffered its first road loss in conference play Tuesday night. Alabama used its defense to convert turnovers into points, downing the Rebels 74-53 at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide scored 23 points off 16 Ole Miss turnovers to earn another win over a top 20 team on its home floor. Ole Miss held the home team to just a 38.5 percent (25 of 65) clip from the field, including 7 of 22 (31.8 percent) from beyond the arc. Terence Davis scored a team-high 10 minutes in limited action, fouling out early in the second half. Breein Tyree added nine, while Bruce Stevens tallied seven points and a team-high six rebounds. Freshman Luis Rodriguez scored a career-high seven points in 18 minutes off the bench, going 2 for 2 from the floor and 3 of 4 from the charity stripe. As a team, the Rebels shot 40 percent (20 of 50).
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. Another sellout on Saturday would give The Pavilion three consecutive sellouts for the first time ever.
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 last week 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 42.1 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 17.0 ppg to rank second in the SEC, while Davis' 15.8 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. Tyree leads Ole Miss and is third in the conference at 49.8 percent, while Davis is fourth at 49.5 percent.
STEPPING UP IN SEC PLAY
Several Rebels have stepped up their games at the beginning of conference action. Four Rebels in the regular rotation are scoring at their average or more in SEC play compared non-conference games.
| Rebel | Non-Conference | SEC | Season |
| Terence Davis | 15.5 ppg | 16.5 ppg | 15.8 ppg |
| Blake Hinson | 8.5 ppg | 9.5 ppg | 8.8 ppg |
| Dominik Olejniczak | 5.9 ppg | 8.2 ppg | 6.7 ppg |
| KJ Buffen | 5.9 ppg | 6.5 ppg | 6.1 ppg |
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 17.0 ppg to rank second in the SEC. He also ranks third in the conference in field goal percentage (49.8 percent) and eighth in free throw percentage (83.1 percent), one of four 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 7.8 ppg over the last 12 contests with 10 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 106 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,296 points to rank 19th in Ole Miss history. With a strong finish to the season, he could find himself in the top 10 to end his Rebel career. In his final year on campus, Davis is averaging 15.8 ppg to rank seventh in the SEC and shooting at a 49.5 percent clip (fourth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.5 per game). With 10 points at Alabama, Davis passed Rebel greats Marshall Henderson (1,293) and Stefan Moody (1,294). Next on his chase up the Ole Miss scoring chart are Cob Jarvis (1,313) and Tim Jumper (1,375). John Stroud, one of the analyst for select 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 (432) and 10th in three-pointers made (148).
CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
While shooting 74.5 percent as a team, nine of the 11 Rebels that have attempted free throws this season are shooting over 70 percent from the stripe. Ole Miss has shot 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 eighth 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 become an important piece in the Ole Miss lineup. Starting 17 games at point guard, he has stuffed box scores by leading the Rebels in steals (1.5 per game). Shuler ranks in the SEC's top 10 in three categories, sitting at sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) as well as seventh in steals and playing time (31.6 minutes per game). 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).
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 last week'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 18 games and averages 12.3 minutes per contest.
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 (48.8), a mark that is 21st nationally.
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.
BACK OVER .500
With a 14-4 start to the season, Ole Miss is back over .500 all-time (1,307-1,306). 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 the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, Ole Miss returns to conference play by heading to The Sunshine State to battle the Florida Gators (Jan. 30). Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT 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.
Players Mentioned
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