Men's Hoops Travels to Florida for Wednesday Night Battle

			OLE MISS (14-5, 4-2 SEC) at FLORIDA (11-8, 3-3 SEC) Wednesday, Jan. 30 • 5:30 PM CT • Gainesville, Fla. Exactech Arena (10,151)
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GAME 20
Matchup: RV/RV Ole Miss (14-5, 4-2 SEC) at Florida (11-8, 3-3 SEC)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019
Time: 5:30 p.m. CT
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Arena: Exactech Arena (10,151)
Television: SEC Network
   Roy Philpott, play-by-play
   Mark Wise, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (Sirius-138, XM-210)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Florida leads 65-46
Last Meeting: Ole Miss won 78-72
   Jan. 13, 2018 (Oxford, Miss.)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels and Gators have split the last six matchups with Ole Miss snapping a three-game losing skid in the series a season ago.
- Bruce Stevens scored a team-high 22 points in last year's win over Florida, his most in an SEC game.
- With a setback to No. 24 Iowa State on Saturday, Ole Miss lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
- The Rebels are receiving votes in both national polls.
- Ole Miss is off to its best start through 19 games since going 17-2 to begin the 2012-13 season that resulted in an SEC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.
- Freshman Blake Hinson is a native of Deltona, Florida.
- Ole Miss is 12-0 when leading at the half this season, one of 10 teams in the country to be undefeated (minimum 12 games) after having a halftime lead.
- The duo of Terence Davis and Breein Tyree account for 42.6 percent of the Rebels' scoring.
- Ole Miss has shot over 85.0 percent from the free throw line in six games this season.
- The Rebels are ranked 35th in the NET with Florida close behind at No. 36.
- Breein Tyree is one of four SEC players to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (3rd-17.3 ppg), field goal percentage (3rd-48.9) and free throw percentage (8th-82.6).
- Senior guard Terence Davis ranks 10th in school history in three-pointers made (149) and 19th in scoring (1,312 points); he is also fifth among active SEC players in career points and career steals (114).
- 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.
- The Rebels hold an all-time record of 1,307-1,307 (109th season).

REBELS RECEIVING VOTES
Ole Miss is receiving votes in both national polls this week, including the third-most in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll in terms of teams outside the top 25. The Rebels were ranked 20th last week (Jan. 21), appearing 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). 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). Prior to that, Ole Miss last cracked the top 25 in 2013 (AP-Jan. 28; Coaches-Feb. 4).

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 35th with three Quadrant 1 victories and two Quadrant 2 wins. CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 6 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections (Jan. 28). According to ESPN Bracketlogoist Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss is a No. 7 seed (Jan. 25). Andy Katz of NCAA.com has Ole Miss projected to be a No. 8 seed come March (Jan. 26). The Rebels will look to remain on the right side of the bubble as March nears.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss ranks second in rebounding defense (31.5).
- Breein Tyree ranks third in scoring (17.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (48.9 percent) as well as fifth in playing time (32.5 minutes per game), and eighth in free throw percentage (82.6 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 fifth in field goal shooting (48.2 percent), seventh in scoring (15.8 ppg) and ninth in steals (1.5 spg).
- Devontae Shuler ranks sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.9) as well as seventh in playing time (31.7 minutes per game) and steals (1.6 per game).

SCOUTING FLORIDA
Florida enters Wednesday's matchup with an 11-8 record, including a 3-3 mark in SEC play. The Gators are coming off a 55-50 loss to TCU in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge after winning back-to-back conference games. Florida is one of the best defensive teams in the country, leading the SEC and ranking 10th nationally in scoring defense (61.5 ppg). Their turnover margin of +4.6 is sixth in the country. Senior guard KeVaughn Allen leads the Gators in scoring at 12.7 ppg, while freshman Noah Locke adds 11.2 ppg. Nearly half of the Gators' assists comes from Andrew Nembhard (5.9 per game). Florida is coached by Mike White, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the program after serving as the head coach at Louisiana Tech for four seasons. White is a Rebel, having played at Ole Miss (1996-99) before serving as an assistant coach for seven seasons (2005-11).

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's game will be the 112th meeting between the Rebels and the Gators. Florida holds a 65-46 lead in the series, which began in 1940, but Ole Miss won last season's matchup 78-72 in Oxford. The win snapped the Rebels' three-game losing skid in the series. Each team has won three times over the past six meetings. The Gators won three in a row after the Rebels earned a home-and-home sweep of Florida in 2015, which was their first season sweep of UF since 1990. Eleven of the last 14 games in the series have been decided by seven points or less.

LAST TIME WE MET
The Florida Gators came into The Pavilion winners of six straight games and unbeaten in SEC play, but Ole Miss made sure they wouldn't leave that way. Shooting 60 percent (15 of 25) in the second half and making 22 of 26 free throws throughout the game, the Rebels protected their home floor with a 78-72 victory to hand the Gators their first conference loss of the season (Jan. 13, 2018). Bruce Stevens' arrival party came at a pretty opportune time for Ole Miss. The forward's 22 points and six rebounds lifted the Rebels to their biggest win of the year. Deandre Burnett had 20 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Markel Crawford was 7 of 12 from the field and poured in 17. The 48 points the backcourt compiled seemed to come easier with Stevens being active down low. The Rebels won the battle on the glass 44-35.

REBEL-GATOR CONNECTIONS
- The Gators are led by third-year head coach and former Ole Miss letterwinner Mike White. A point guard for the Rebels from 1996-99, White helped Ole Miss to 74 wins, two SEC West titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances in his four years in Oxford. A co-captain as a senior, White ranks seventh in Ole Miss history with 370 career assists. After his playing career, White served as an Ole Miss assistant coach for seven seasons, including five under Andy Kennedy.
- Ole Miss sophomore guard Devontae Shuler and Florida freshman forward Keyontae Johnson both played at Oak Hill Academy but were never teammates. Shuler spent two seasons at Oak Hill (2015-16, 2016-17), while Johnson was on the team last season.

SUNSHINE STATE REBEL
Freshman Blake Hinson hails from The Sunshine State. A native of Deltona, Florida, 106 miles southeast of Gainesville, Hinson will be playing in his home state for the first time in conference play.

IOWA STATE'S HOT SHOOTING DOOMS REBELS
A record-breaking shooting performance by No. 24 Iowa State doomed No. 20 Ole Miss in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. In the first ever battle between two ranked teams in The Pavilion, a 69.1 field goal percentage (38 of 55) lifted the Cyclones past the Rebels 87-73 (Jan. 26). Iowa State shot 20 of 26 (76.9 percent) in the second half, making 13 consecutive shots at one point to build upon a five-point halftime lead. Junior guard Breein Tyree scored 22 points, his team-best ninth 20-point game of the season, to pace the Rebels. Terence Davis recorded 16 points, while tallying team highs in rebounds (6) and assists (4). Two other Rebels put together double-figure scoring performances as Blake Hinson and Devontae Shuler finished with 13 and 10, respectively. As a team, Ole Miss forced Iowa State into making 19 turnovers. The Rebels also pulled down 15 offensive rebounds, tying a season high. Ole Miss went 15 of 17 (88.2 percent) from the stripe and held the Cyclones to only four free throw attempts throughout the game.

HISTORICAL GAME
History took place Saturday (Jan. 26) as two top 25 teams battled on Craddock Court for the first time in the four-year history of The Pavilion. No. 20 Ole Miss hosted No. 24 Iowa State for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. In fact, it was the first time a top 25 matchup took place in Oxford since No. 22 Ole Miss defeated No. 19 Vanderbilt 74-58 in Tad Smith Coliseum 11 years ago (Jan. 30, 2008).

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
A series of firsts happened as a red-hot No. 24 Iowa State team beat the No. 20 Rebels in the first top 25 battle in Oxford in 11 years. The Cyclones set a Pavilion record for shooting percentage, going 38 of 55 for 69.1 percent. The previous record was 61.5 percent by Ole Miss earlier this season against Chattanooga (Dec. 16). The previous high by an opponent was Vanderbilt last season, shooting 52.7 percent (March 3, 2018). It was the first time the Rebels allowed their competitors to shoot over 50 percent this season. Ole Miss also lost for the first time while winning the turnover battle (previously 9-0), forcing 19 Iowa State turnovers and only committing eight. Causing more than 15 turnovers for the ninth time this season, the Rebels fell in the first of such a game.

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. The last time the Rebels won at least 14 of their first 19 games, they cut down the nets at the SEC Tournament in Nashville and marched into the NCAA Tournament (2012-13 season). 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 42.6 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 17.3 ppg to rank third in the SEC, while Davis' 15.8 ppg rank seventh. The pair have combined for 16 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 48.9 percent, while Davis is fifth at 48.2 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	8.8 ppg	9.5 ppg	9.1 ppg
Dominik Olejniczak	5.9 ppg	8.2 ppg	6.6 ppg
KJ Buffen	5.6 ppg	6.5 ppg	5.9 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 17.3 ppg to rank third in the SEC. He also ranks third in the conference in field goal percentage (48.9 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 nine 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) before matching that output against No. 24 Iowa State (Jan. 26).

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 7.7 ppg over the last 13 contests with 11 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 107 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,312 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 48.2 percent clip (fifth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.5 per game). With 10 points at Alabama last week, 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 (437) and 10th in three-pointers made (149).

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
While shooting 75.1 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 six 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. The Rebels made 15 of 17 (88.2 percent) against No. 24 Iowa State (Jan. 26). Breein Tyree is an 82.6 percent free throw shooter (71 of 86) to rank eighth in the SEC among qualifiers, while Devontae Shuler boasts a 82.9 percent clip (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 18 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 sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.9) as well as seventh in steals and playing time (31.7 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).

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 third in the SEC in field goal percentage (48.8), a mark that is 39th 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 two in SEC play thus far. 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.

ALL-TIME .500
With a 14-5 start to the season, Ole Miss holds a .500 all-time record (1,307-1,307). 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 the trip to Florida, Ole Miss returns home to renew the rivalry with No. 21 MSU (Feb. 2). After beating the Bulldogs 81-77 in Starkville earlier this year (Jan. 12), the Rebels will go for the season sweep for the third time in the last five seasons. The Pavilion is sold out for the game, and tipoff is set for 2:30 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.

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Deandre Burnett

Markel Crawford

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Dominik Olejniczak

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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