Postgame Quotes vs. Middle Tennessee

OLE MISS HEAD COACH KERMIT DAVIS

Opening statement…
"We had a great start, obviously Breein (Tyree) got going. He looked like the leading returning scorer in the SEC. He had his best week of practice. You hear me say it all the time, his voice is the loudest in our gym. It's amazing how it equates to playing well at the other end. With Devontae (Shuler), we looked like an All-SEC backcourt today. He shared the ball, almost had a double-double, 10 points, nine assists. I thought Blake (Hinson) was fine, KJ (Buffen) had his moments. Just his immaturity at the end, it's what keeps him where he's at, maybe he can snap out of it one day and learn a lesson. It was a good win for us, I thought Middle Tennessee battled back with their good start to the second half. It was a good win for us for sure, I'll tell you what, great crowd. On December 14th on a Saturday with no students, that was terrific, so thank you everybody that came out. That meant a lot to our team."

On Breein Tyree…
"He's shot it so well the last couple of days, he had gotten on a run just like that. That's what he did a lot last year, but he was defending for long periods of time. I thought he really tried to defend today. It may not equate to 34 every night but you're going to have a great chance."

On having a game on a birthday…
"I've had it like that another time, I was 29 years old, playing on ESPN. You couldn't play a lot on ESPN in 1989, but we were competing against Kelvin Sampson's Washington State. That was the only time before, I can't remember another time, but it was a great birthday present and we'll enjoy it tonight."

On ball movement with 23 assists on 28 baskets…
"The last three games, even Butler, our assists-to-baskets made has gotten much better. The ball is moving, we're scoring in the 80s, and that's why. It's been a big improvement the last five days of practice we've worked, and it will stay a huge emphasis for our team."

On Khadim Sy…
"He keeps coming. He struggles with fatigue. He gets tired, and he gets kind of loose. He's was 4 for 9 and 10 (points) and seven (rebounds). I don't mind any three he shot, but he can get real physical around that goal. He can be 16 (points ) and 10 (rebounds), and that's what we've got to have come SEC play."

On coaching when Breein got it going in the first half…
"What happened, he really got it out of offense. Second half, he tried to dribble and manufacture it, and he got himself into trouble. That's when he had his couple turnovers. When you make a couple buckets and you can get going, the freedom of allowing a guy to let him play through a hot streak is great."

On Austin Crowley…
"Second half is the best he has guarded since he's been here. It equated to him playing better offense. We put Bryce (Williams) in the game, and they went right at him, Austin got a couple quick fouls. Just like his finish in the first half, he finishes through contact above the rim and makes those SEC plays."

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Players Mentioned

Austin Crowley

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

The University of Mississippi Athletics