Postgame Quotes vs. Arkansas State

OLE MISS HEAD COACH KERMIT DAVIS

Opening statement…
"I thought our guys for the most part did some pretty good things with the scout. We went into a period of time in that second half (where) it was embarrassing. The ball didn't move, we couldn't execute. We called sets, and we couldn't do them. We had a lot of different guys in there. We still have a long way to go offensively, but to hold a team to 32 percent I thought was a good first game for us."

On KJ Buffen's play…
"He's putting just what he does in practice right into the game. His attitude is unbelievable, he just allows everybody to coach him. He takes all the blame, he owns everything that comes his way. A lot of young guys try to deflect it and puts their hands up, he takes it all. He's grown up in a year, and he still has so much room for improvement. It's really good to see him play with that kind of confidence.

On Devontae Shuler's game…
"He ran our team. He looked like an experienced guard tonight. He looked like he was the most experienced guy on the floor. He played with a great persona about him and was good in our huddles even when he wasn't playing late. He's telling the guy pick your head up, those kinds of things in the huddle. He's grown up as a player, but also as a leader on our team.

On Shuler's scoring uptake…
"I wouldn't say (averaging) 20 a night, but he's capable (of it). The last guy I'm worried about on our team is Breein (Tyree). It was just one of those games. I thought he settled a little bit early. The strength of his game is right at that rim and his mid-range. He'll bounce back and play well on Tuesday. Devontae's got to keep doing what he's doing in practice and handling all the little things on and off the court."

On defensive performance tonight…
"I thought our pressure was key. We extended our defense to overplay passes in the lanes and just disrupted their offense. Even the shots we got, sometimes they may have been open, but they weren't shots that they normally get out of that set. We rushed them a little bit. They kept playing hard, and we just stayed with our base man-to-man defense tonight. The three-point field goal percentage was a little high, but to hold that team to 32 percent with 23 turnovers was good."

On Luis Rodriguez…
"He shot a three in the first half that was kind of a bad three. He's a good shooter. We have a lot of good shooters. They shoot step-in, extra-pass threes. I thought he guarded better. He had more of a physical presence, and I think he is going to continue to get better."

On Khadim Sy, Sammy Hunter, and Carlos Curry…
"We have a lot of work to do. We haven't even seen close to what Khadim (Sy) can do. He is struggling now to score balls through contact. All of our bigs did. Sammy (Hunter) just couldn't go grab balls and play right through contact. I think that is somewhere we really have to grow. Carlos (Curry) bobbled some balls. He made one good catch and a dunk, but we have a lot of room for improvement. I feel good about those guys, and they are going to make some improvement, but we have a lot to improve on there."

On playing a smaller lineup…
"Before Blake (Hinson) got hurt, we were thinking there would be times when we were going to play Blake (Hinson) and KJ (Buffen) at the four and five. Blake (Hinson) knows how to run offense. KJ (Buffen) knows how to run offense. I thought Austin (Crowley) came in and gave us a big lift. He just struggled guarding the ball. His physicality has to get better. He's definitely a good athlete. At that time, we played faster in transition."

On attendance…
"I thought it was great. The student body was fantastic. I thought they were good, we just have to keep building on it. Hopefully Tuesday night, it just keeps growing. Comparing the first night crowd last year to the first night crowd this year, I know there's a football game tomorrow, but it still is progress. We have work to do there too. We're not going to totally make it until we start coming to watch Ole Miss all of the time. Waiting for the SEC season, or waiting for this game, or waiting for Butler, we'll get it done at some point. We're not there yet, where Ole Miss fans just come all of the time to watch Ole Miss Basketball no matter who the opponent is. We have to do our part and keep getting this team better, and I know the fans will come."

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Carlos Curry

Sammy Hunter

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Khadim Sy

The University of Mississippi Athletics