Rod Barnes Returns to Ole Miss Saturday as Rebels Host Roadrunners

			OLE MISS (5-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. CSU BAKERSFIELD (4-6, 0-0 WAC) Saturday, December 7 • 1 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
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GAME 9
Date: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network+
   Seth Austin, play-by-play
   John Stroud, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (Sirius/XM Internet - 980)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: First Meeting

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Ole Miss has faced the toughest schedule among SEC schools with opponents holding a combined record of 47-22 (.681); six of the Rebels' first eight opponents were undefeated at the time of the matchup.
- Saturday's game is the return of Rod Barnes, CSU Bakersfield head coach; Barnes spent 17 seasons at Ole Miss (four as a player, five as an assistant coach, eight as head coach).
- Ole Miss junior Jarkel Joiner, sitting out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, led CSU Bakersfield in scoring last season; his 15.6 ppg and 532 total points as a sophomore set single-season records at the school.
- Through the first 109 seasons of Ole Miss Basketball, the Rebels never played any of the nine current Western Athletic Conference (WAC) teams; CSU Bakersfield will be the second WAC opponent Ole Miss has faced this season (beat Seattle 65-52, Nov. 19).
- After three games away from home, the Rebels are in the midst of a three-game homestand.
- Ole Miss is 15-6 at home under Kermit Davis, including a 4-1 mark this season.
- The Rebels rank 23rd in the country in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.0).
- Breein Tyree is the SEC's leading active scorer with 1,315 career points, which also ranks 19th on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list; Tyree also ranks 10th in Ole Miss history with 155 made three-pointers.
- Veterans Breein Tyree (16.0 ppg), KJ Buffen (11.1 ppg), Blake Hinson (11.0 ppg), and Devontae Shuler (9.1 ppg) have accounted for 61.4 percent of the team's scoring this season.
- Khadim Sy, the leading scorer as it pertains to newcomers (7.3 ppg), scored a career-high 12 points versus No. 24 Butler on Tuesday.
- Sophomore KJ Buffen leads the team in steals (2.1 per game), ranking fourth 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.
- Ole Miss has produced 14 All-SEC guards over the past 13 seasons.

ROD'S RETURN
Saturday's game will be a special one as one of Ole Miss' own returns home. CSU Bakersfield head coach Rod Barnes has spent 17 years at Ole Miss, from a player to a coach. Barnes played at Ole Miss from 1985-88 and was an honorable mention All-American selection his senior season. A 1988 graduate of Ole Miss, Barnes served as an assistant coach under Rob Evans from 1993-98 before being named head coach of the Rebels on April 9, 1998. During his eight years at the helm of the Rebel basketball program, Barnes recorded 141 victories to rank third on the Ole Miss career list behind Andy Kennedy (245) and B.L. "Country" Graham (144). The 2001 Naismith and CollegeInsider.com National Coach of the Year, Barnes had a 141-107 record as Rebel head coach and a 50-77 mark in SEC play. His .569 overall winning percentage was the highest by an Ole Miss coach since 1938, and the second-best of any Rebel mentor of seven-plus years (behind Kennedy's .611). In 2000-01, Barnes guided Ole Miss to a school-record 27 wins, the program's first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berth and a No. 9 final national ranking. Another winning season and postseason tournament followed in 2001-02 -- both were the fourth under Barnes. He is the only person in SEC history to earn both All-SEC (1988) and SEC Coach of the Year (2001) honors.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.0).
- The Rebels rank third in the conference in steals per game (9.1).
- KJ Buffen ranks fourth in the SEC averaging 2.1 steals per game.

TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Ole Miss has faced a tough non-conference slate to prepare for the rigors of the SEC. As of Dec. 5, Ole Miss opponents hold a combined record of 47-22 (.681), the best opponent record among the 14 SEC schools. Missouri is second in the conference, as their opposition is a combined 42-25 (.629). Six of the Rebels' first eight opponents were undefeated at the time, and Ole Miss handed four of them their first loss of the season.

SCOUTING CSU BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners enter Saturday's contest with a 4-6 record following a narrow 64-60 loss to UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 3). The setback prevented CSUB from earning a three-game winning streak after three consecutive losses. CSUB thrives on the glass, ranking 12th nationally in rebounding margin (+10.3) with the help of pulling down 13.7 offensive rebounds per game (21st in the country). Both marks lead the WAC, and the 'Runners also pace the conference in scoring offense (74.1 ppg). Taze Moore, a native of Southaven, Mississippi, leads CSUB in scoring at 12.0 ppg. He also is the team's leader in blocks (1.5 per game), steals (1.5 per game) and three-point shooting (44.0 percent). While CSUB rebounds well as a team, it is balanced with Shawn Stitch leading the way at only 4.9 per game. Rod Barnes is in his ninth season as head coach of CSUB. He is in his 21st season as a head coach, while includes eight years as head coach of the Rebels.

ROADRUNNER TO REBEL
A native of Oxford, Mississippi, Ole Miss junior guard Jarkel Joiner transferred back to his hometown school after spending two seasons with CSU Bakersfield. Joiner earned First Team All-WAC honors as a sophomore, leading the WAC in scoring during conference games (18.6 ppg). He also set CSUB's Division I single-season records for points (532), scoring average (15.6), field goals made (208), and field goals attempted (461). As a freshman, Joiner shot 69 of 77 (89.6 percent) to set a school record for free throw percentage. Sitting out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, Joiner will be eligible to join the Rebels on the hardwood as a junior for the 2020-21 campaign.

ADDITIONAL OLE MISS-CSUB CONNECTIONS
- CSU Bakersfield head coach Rod Barnes spent 17 seasons at Ole Miss as a player (4 years), assistant coach (5 years) and head coach (8 years).
- CSU Bakersfield associate head coach Jeff Conarroe was an administrative aide and graduate assistant at Ole Miss from 2003-06 under Barnes; he earned his master's degree in business administration from Ole Miss in 2004.

WACKY FACT
Through the first 109 seasons of Ole Miss Basketball, the Rebels never faced any of the current nine teams in the WAC: California Baptist, Chicago State, CSU Bakersfield, Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, Seattle, UMKC, UT Rio Grande Valley and Utah Valley. However, in the 110th season, Ole Miss has two WAC teams on the schedule. The Rebels already beat Seattle at home, 65-52, (Nov. 19). CSU Bakersfield will become the second WAC opponent in Ole Miss history.

LONG DISTANCE DEFENSE
Ole Miss is one of the nation's best in defending the long ball, holding its opposition to a 27.0 percent clip from three-point land. That mark ranks second in the SEC as well as 23rd in the nation. The Rebels have limited opponents to shooting under 30 percent from beyond the arc in six of their eight games.

REBELS FALL TO NO. 24 BUTLER
Ole Miss could not stop Kamar Baldwin and the No. 24 Butler Bulldogs in Tuesday night's non-conference tussle at The Pavilion. The senior guard scored a game-high 31 points on 11 of 16 shooting to lead the visitors past the Rebels 67-58 and keep the Bulldogs undefeated on the 2019-20 campaign. Ole Miss got 37 points from its bench, including 34 between the duo of Breein Tyree and Khadim Sy. Tyree led the Rebels with 22 points, including 17 in the second half, to go along with a career-high eight rebounds. Sy tallied a career high of his own, scoring 12 points down in the post. Ole Miss shared the ball throughout the night, dishing out 16 assists on 22 made baskets. Junior guard Devontae Shuler tied his career high with six assists, while only committing a pair of turnovers against the Butler defense.

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 7.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg. The Dakar, Senegal, native also leads the team in blocks (6). He had one of his best games as a Rebel earlier this week, scoring a career-high 12 points with four rebounds, a career-high three assists and zero turnovers versus No. 24 Butler. Four of Sy's six buckets were dunks as his teammates found him for alley-oops. Six of Sy's eight made buckets over the past two games have come from soaring threw the air and dunking the basketball.

DEFENDING HOME COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark at Ole Miss. Over the past 14 seasons, the Rebels are 158-48 (.767 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 45-22 (.672) advantage against the opposition. Ole Miss has won 283 of its last 363 games (.780 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign. Under second year head coach Kermit Davis, the Rebels are 15-6 (.714 win pct.) at home.

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).

THE LINEUP
Eight different Rebels have started games this season as head coach Kermit Davis has thrown together three different lineups through the first eight contests. KJ Buffen and Devontae Shuler are the only two Rebels to start each game. Against No. 24 Butler on Tuesday, junior college transfer Bryce Williams and freshman forward Sammy Hunter started for the first time.

CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
In his final year as a Rebel, senior guard Breein Tyree ranks 19th on the all-time scoring list with 1,315 points. That career output leads all active players in the SEC. The Somerset, New Jersey, native scored 22 points against Butler on Tuesday 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 107 games in an Ole Miss uniform, Tyree has knocked down 155 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 trio of threes away from tying Todd Abernethy for ninth all-time.

REBELS RALLY FROM 21 DOWN TO BEAT PENN STATE
Trailing by 21 in the second half, the Rebels rallied to knock off unbeaten Penn State 74-72 (Nov. 27) in the NIT Tip-Off semifinals. Junior guard Bryce Williams had ice in his veins, making two free throws with 13 seconds left, and the Rebels came up with one more big defensive stop to complete the come-from-behind victory. A steal in the backcourt by sophomore KJ Buffen led to a Williams offensive rebound and foul by Penn State. Prior to that, senior Breein Tyree scored five points to tie the contest on two occasions with less than 66 seconds to go. After going scoreless in the first half, Tyree exploded for 18 second half points to lead Ole Miss in scoring. Blake Hinson added 17 points, sparking the comeback alongside Williams. Buffen stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points to go along with career highs in rebounds (9), assists (6) and steals (4). Khadim Sy added eight points and a career-high eight rebounds. On the defensive side of the floor, Ole Miss kept up as one of the nation's best teams in defending the 3-pointer as Penn State finished 5 of 19 (26.3 percent) from long distance. Outscoring PSU 47-29 in the second half, the Rebels held the opposition to a 35.7 field goal percentage (10 of 28) and only committed one turnover of their own over the final 20 minutes.

AN EPIC COMEBACK
With 16:23 to go in the game, Ole Miss trailed Penn State 53-32. However, the Rebels continued to fight and climbed all the way back to tie the contest with one minute to go. The two free throws by Bryce Williams with 13 seconds left gave Ole Miss its first lead of the game, one they would not let slip away. The 21-point comeback was the largest second half rally since the Rebels overcame a 23-point deficit at home against Auburn (Feb. 11, 2017).

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.

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 (16.0 ppg), sophomore forward KJ Buffen (11.1 ppg), sophomore Blake Hinson (11.0 ppg), and junior Devontae Shuler (9.1 ppg) have accounted for 61.4 percent of the team's scoring this season. Tyree ranks 10th in the league in scoring, while Buffen leads the team in rebounding (7.0 per game) and steals (2.1 per game). Shuler also paces the Rebels in assists (3.3 per game). Since returning from injury, Hinson has put together a pair of double-digit scoring performances while starting three games following the injury to Luis Rodriguez.

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 eight games, one of only two Rebels to start each game, Buffen is averaging 11.1 ppg along with a team-best 7.0 rpg. The Gainesville, Georgia, native is also leading the team in steals (2.1), which ranks fourth in the SEC. His 7.0 rebounding average is 11th 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 428 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 494 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 five Raptors to play in all 21 of the team's games.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
The Rebels won't have a midweek game due to final exams, but they will remain at home for their next contest. One week after facing CSU Bakersfield and former head coach Rod Barnes, Ole Miss will battle Kermit Davis' former team Middle Tennessee. On Davis' 60th birthday (Dec. 14), the matchup will tip off at 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Following the game, the Ole Miss women's basketball team will host Southeast Missouri.

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Sammy Hunter

Jarkel Joiner

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

Bryce Williams

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