Rebels Battle Kermit Davis' Former Team at The Pavilion Saturday

			OLE MISS (6-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. MIDDLE TENNESSEE (4-6, 0-0 C-USA) Saturday, December 14 • 2 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
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GAME 10
Date: Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network
   Dave Neal, play-by-play
   Debbie Antonelli, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (Sirius/XM Internet - 971)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: Middle Tennessee leads 6-5
Last Meeting: Dec. 21, 2018
   Ole Miss won 74-56
   Nashville, Tenn. (Bridgestone Arena)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels and Blue Raiders square off for the fourth straight year and the seventh time in the past nine seasons.
- Kermit Davis spent 16 seasons at Middle Tennessee and becoming the winningest coach in school history as well as Sun Belt Conference history, earning 332 wins at the school.
- Assistant coaches Win Case and Ronnie Hamilton joined Kermit Davis on the move from Middle Tennessee to Ole Miss.
- Head coach Kermit Davis celebrates his 60th birthday on Saturday.
- The Rebels are coming off an 83-67 win over CSU Bakersfield, shooting a season-best 57.8 percent from the floor.
- Ole Miss starters scored 78 of the team's 83 points in the victory over the Roadrunners; all five starters scored in double figures for the first time since Dec. 18, 2015 (85-79 win at Memphis).
- Ole Miss is 16-6 at home under Kermit Davis, including a 5-1 mark this season.
- The Rebels rank 17th in the country in three-point field goal percentage defense (26.9).
- Breein Tyree is the SEC's leading active scorer with 1,335 career points, which also ranks 19th on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list; Tyree also ranks 10th in Ole Miss history with 156 made three-pointers.
- Veterans Breein Tyree (16.4 ppg), Blake Hinson (13.4 ppg), KJ Buffen (11.0 ppg) and Devontae Shuler (9.8 ppg) have accounted for 64.1 percent of the team's scoring this season.
- Khadim Sy, the leading scorer as it pertains to newcomers (7.6 ppg), averaged 11.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg over the two games last week.
- Sophomore KJ Buffen leads the team in steals (2.0 per game), ranking third in the SEC.
- Ole Miss is one of only 27 teams to have one senior or less on the roster; the Rebels also have the fifth-most freshmen on a roster in the country, one of eight programs to have at least seven freshmen.
- Kermit Davis is in his 25th season as a collegiate head coach, the 22nd as a NCAA Division I head coach.
- Becoming the first Rebel to play in the NBA in more than a decade, Terence Davis has played in all 24 games for the reigning champion Toronto Raptors averaging 6.6 points per game.

YOU SERIOUS, CLARK?
Saturday's game is Christmas Vacation day at The Pavilion with the first 500 fans receiving a hat similar to the one Cousin Eddie wears in the classic holiday film. The oldest Rebel on the team, Khadim Sy, was born eight years after the movie came out in 1989.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage defense (26.9).
- The Rebels rank third in the conference in steals per game (8.6).
- KJ Buffen ranks third in the SEC averaging 2.0 steals per game.

SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS
Middle Tennessee enters Saturday's matchup with a 4-6 record following an 85-52 setback at Murray State (Dec. 7). After starting off the season 3-0, the Blue Raiders have lost six of their last seven games. The duo of C.J. Jones and Antonio Green paces Middle Tennessee in scoring at 16.2 ppg and 15.7 ppg, respectively. The two Blue Raiders have accounted for 49 of the team's 78 made three-pointers on the season. Green also leads the team in assists (3.2 per game) and steals (1.4 per game). Nick McDevitt is in his second season at Middle Tennessee after spending the past five seasons as UNC Asheville.

SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss is 5-6 all time against Middle Tennessee. The Rebels won the first two games of the series, one in 1960 and one in 1963, before the Blue Raiders took six of the next eight meetings. Four of those Middle Tennessee victories were led by Kermit Davis over his current club. This season marks the fourth straight season that the two programs have met on the hardwood, including the seventh time over the past nine years.

LAST TIME WE MET
In his first meeting against his former team, head coach Kermit Davis led Ole Miss to a 74-56 victory over Middle Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena (Dec. 21, 2018). Behind Breein Tyree's big night, as well as double figure performances from post players Dominik Olejniczak and Bruce Stevens, the Rebels won their sixth straight game. Tyree finished with a game-high 24 points on 10 of 13 shooting, including a career-high tying four made three-pointers. Olejniczak scored a season-high 10 points after getting the start, while Stevens added 12 points of his own with a pair of threes. The Ole Miss defense held Middle Tennessee to just 33.9 percent shooting as the Rebel offense stayed hot as of late, shooting over 50 percent for the sixth straight game.

REBELS VS. CONFERENCE USA
Ole Miss is 42-22 all-time against the current members of the Conference USA, including a 5-6 mark versus Middle Tennessee. Throughout history, the Rebels have also faced Charlotte (2-1), Florida Atlantic (1-0), Florida International (1-0), Louisiana Tech (8-5), Marshall (2-1), North Texas (2-0), Rice (2-2), Southern Miss (18-6) and Western Kentucky (1-1).

A GRISWOLD-LIKE REUNION
Ole Miss coaches Kermit Davis, Win Case and Ronnie Hamilton will see a familiar team on the opposite bench Saturday afternoon. As a staff, the trio was together at Middle Tennessee for four seasons and coached the Blue Raiders to the biggest wins in program history. They helped produce a stretch in which the Blue Raiders earned three straight Conference USA championships, recorded two NCAA Tournament upsets over No. 2 seed Michigan State (2016) and No. 5 seed Minnesota (2017) and won a school-record 31 games (2016). Meanwhile, Davis and Case were in Murfreesboro for a decade together, leading MT to seven conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. As the head coach at Middle Tennessee for 16 seasons, Davis won 332 games to become the winningest coach in school history.

"KERMIT?! HE WAS BORN 60 YEARS AGO" - AUNT BETHANY
Not only is Kermit Davis facing his former team this weekend, but he is also celebrating a birthday. The Ole Miss head coach turns 60 years old on Saturday.

JUST A REAL NICE SURPRISE
The win over CSU Bakersfield was the first time Ole Miss had all five starters score double figures since an 85-79 win at Memphis (Dec. 18, 2015). The Rebel starting five combined for 78 of the team's 83 points in the victory versus the Roadrunners.

JELLY OF THE MONTH CLUB
Ole Miss is 7-1 in the month of December under second-year coach Kermit Davis. Last season, the Rebels went 6-0 in the final month of the calendar year as part of a 10-game winning streak that extended into SEC play.

CAN'T SEE THE LINE, CAN YA RUSS?
Ole Miss got to the free throw line in the win over CSU Bakersfield (Dec. 7), setting season highs in makes (24) and attempts (36). Breein Tyree (11 of 14) and Blake Hinson (9 of 12) led the way. As a team, the Rebels are shooting 70.0 percent from the charity stripe. Last season's team set a school record, making 78.3 percent of its free throws to rank fourth nationally.

HOUSE SURE DOES LOOK SWELL, CLARK
Winning at home has been a trademark at Ole Miss. Over the past 14 seasons, the Rebels are 159-48 (.768 win pct.) in home games. In four-plus seasons (opened January 2016) playing in the $96.5 million Pavilion at Ole Miss, the Rebels hold a 46-22 (.676) advantage against the opposition. Ole Miss has won 284 of its last 364 games (.780 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign. Under second year head coach Kermit Davis, the Rebels are 16-6 (.727 win pct.) at home.

LONG DISTANCE DEFENSE
Ole Miss is one of the nation's best in defending the long ball, holding its opposition to a 26.9 percent clip from three-point land. That mark ranks second in the SEC as well as 17th in the nation. The Rebels have limited opponents to shooting under 30 percent from beyond the arc in seven of their nine games.

BALANCED SCORING RACES REBELS PAST ROADRUNNERS
All five starters scored in double figures as balanced scoring led Ole Miss to an 83-67 victory over former head coach Rod Barnes and his CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners at The Pavilion (Dec. 7). Ole Miss starters scored 78 of the team's 83 points in the win. The Rebels shot a season-best 57.8 percent (26 of 45) from the floor, including 66.7 percent (14 of 21) in the second half to break away from the Roadrunners (4-7). Sophomore Blake Hinson tallied a game-high 23 points by going 6 of 8 from the field and 9 of 12 from the charity stripe. Breein Tyree also found success at the line, going 11 of 14 to contribute to his fifth 20-point game of the season. Tyree added six assists, one shy of his career high. Fellow guard Devontae Shuler took care of the basketball as well, dishing out a personal-best six assists without committing a turnover. The Irmo, South Carolina, native recorded 15 points as well. Junior Khadim Sy posted his second consecutive double-digit scoring output, tallying 10 points with a team-high seven rebounds, and KJ Buffen scored all 10 of his points in the first half.

TYREE'S 20-POINT GAMES
Breein Tyree led the Rebels last week, putting together a pair of 20-point games. Coming off the bench against No. 24 Butler (Dec. 3), he tallied a team-high 22 points to go along with a career-high eight rebounds. In the win over CSU Bakersfield (Dec. 7), Tyree scored 20 points with the help of shooting 11 of 14 from the free throw line. He now has five 20-point games on the season and 27 for his career. During his First Team All-SEC campaign a season ago, Tyree scored at least 20 points in 17 different contests, including 24 points against Middle Tennessee.

SEE SY FLY
After transferring to Ole Miss following an All-American season at junior college Daytona State, Khadim Sy has become a focal point in the Rebels frontcourt. Making seven starts, the 6-foot-10 forward has averaged 7.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg. The Dakar, Senegal, native also leads the team in blocks (6). He had one of his best games as a Rebel earlier last week, scoring a career-high 12 points with four rebounds, a career-high three assists and zero turnovers versus No. 24 Butler (Dec. 3). Four of Sy's six buckets were dunks as his teammates found him for alley-oops. He followed that up with 10 points and a team-high seven boards in a win over CSU Bakersfield (Dec. 7). Eight of Sy's 12 made buckets over the past three games have come from soaring threw the air and dunking the basketball.

PACK THE PAVILION
After a new average attendance record (7,816) was broken during the 2018-19 campaign, a 13 percent increase from the previous season, another record was set this season with 5,100 season ticket holders and counting. Last season, the Rebels had the highest increased home attendance in the SEC for conference games (23.75 percent). For SEC games, the 8,791 average attendance was up significantly from the 7,104 average during the 2017-18 campaign. Five sellouts in 2018-19 also broke another Pavilion record. The Pavilion has nine sellouts in its history (opened in January 2016).

CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
In his final year as a Rebel, senior guard Breein Tyree ranks 19th on the all-time scoring list with 1,335 points. That career output leads all active players in the SEC. The Somerset, New Jersey, native scored 22 points against No. 24 Butler (Dec. 3) to pass Marshall Henderson (1,293), Stefan Moody (1,294) and Cob Jarvis (1,313) on the all-time scoring list. Next on Tyree's climb up the charts is Tim Jumper (1,375). If he matches his scoring output from a season ago, he'll end his career in the top 10. Through 108 games in an Ole Miss uniform, Tyree has knocked down 156 three-pointers to sit 10th in the program's rankings. He drained four three-pointers versus Butler to leapfrog David Huertas into the top 10. Tyree is a pair of treys away from tying Todd Abernethy for ninth all-time.

VETERANS LEAD THE WAY
While several newcomers have made immediate impacts to expand Ole Miss' depth, the Rebels are led by a veteran cast. Senior guard Breein Tyree (16.4 ppg), sophomore Blake Hinson (13.4 ppg), sophomore forward KJ Buffen (11.0 ppg) and junior Devontae Shuler (9.8 ppg) have accounted for 64.1 percent of the team's scoring this season. Tyree ranks eighth in the league in scoring, while Buffen leads the team in rebounding (6.6 per game) and steals (2.0 per game). Shuler also paces the Rebels in assists (3.6 per game). Since returning from injury, Hinson has put together three double-digit scoring performances while starting four games following the injury to Luis Rodriguez.

LOSING LUIS
Luis Rodriguez suffered a foot injury during the shootaround ahead of the Rebels' game against Penn State in the NIT Tip-Off at the Barclays Center (Nov. 27). Rodriguez had surgery on his left foot Sunday (Dec. 1) and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. After playing in 25 games as a freshman, Rodriguez saw an expanded role to begin his sophomore season. The Los Angeles, California, native started each of the first five games for the Rebels and averaged 5.8 points per game. His 5.2 rebounds per game and 2.6 assists per game ranked second on the team in both categories.

BUFFEN BREAKS OUT
KJ Buffen was a primary bench player during his freshman campaign, but the 6-foot-7 forward is to off to superb start to his sophomore season. Starting all nine games, one of only two Rebels to start each game, Buffen is averaging 11.0 ppg along with a team-best 6.6 rpg. The Gainesville, Georgia, native is also leading the team in steals (2.0), which ranks third in the SEC. His 6.6 rebounding average is 12th in the conference. Buffen tallied a career-high 23 points in a win over Norfolk State (Nov. 12). He added career highs in rebounds (9), assists (6) and steals (4) in the incredible comeback win over Penn State (Nov. 27). After averaging only 6.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg in his first season as a Rebel, Buffen has emerged as one of the team's best players to begin the 2019-20 season.

YEAR TWO OF THE DAVIS ERA
Kermit Davis is in his second season at the helm of Ole Miss Basketball. A nine-time conference coach of the year, Davis is 38th among active Division I head coaches with 429 career wins over 22 seasons, including stints at MT, Idaho and Texas A&M. In 25 seasons as a college basketball head coach, he has amassed 495 wins. Davis wasted no time making an impact in Oxford. With the Rebels coming off a last-place finish in 2017-18, the media picked Ole Miss to land at the bottom of the SEC standings again in 2018-19. However, the Rebels posted a 20-13 record to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. With a return to March Madness for the sixth time in his career, Davis joined a list of 63 coaches in college basketball history to take three different schools to the NCAA Tournament. Davis was named SEC Coach of the Year by his peers and the Associated Press, earning conference coach of the year accolades for the ninth time in his career. He became the sixth Ole Miss coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year honors, while joining Andy Kennedy as the only Rebel coaches to collect the award in their first year in Oxford.

TD TO THE NBA
The Rebels are without Second Team All-SEC guard Terence Davis, who finished his career ranked 12th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,512 points. After going undrafted, Davis turned heads in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and quickly earned a multi-year deal with the reigning champion Toronto Raptors. Davis has become a regular in the Raptors' rotation to start the NBA season. The Southaven, Mississippi, native matched LeBron James with 13 points in the Raptors' win over the Lakers (Nov. 10). Davis recorded NBA career highs in points (19) and rebounds (8) to help Toronto take down the Orlando Magic at home (Nov. 19). He is only one of four Raptors to play in all 24 of the team's games and is the first Rebel to play in the NBA since Justin Reed (2005-07).

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
Following the three-game homestand, Ole Miss heads to the state capital (Jackson, Mississippi) to face Southeastern Louisiana at the Mississippi Coliseum for the second consecutive season (Dec. 21). Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.

RebelsCalendar

Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Dominik Olejniczak

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

The University of Mississippi Athletics