Rivalry Game Sold Out as Ole Miss Hosts No. 21 MSU Saturday

			OLE MISS (14-6, 4-3 SEC) vs. #21 MSU (15-5, 3-4 SEC) Saturday, Feb. 2 • 2:30 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Baby Dega 500 Race
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GAME 21
Matchup: #22/21 Mississippi State (15-5, 3-4 SEC) at RV/RV Ole Miss (14-6, 4-3 SEC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network
   Mike Morgan, play-by-play
   Pat Bradley, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss IMG Sports Network (Sirius-103; XM-190)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: MSU leads 143-116
Last Meeting: Ole Miss won 81-77
   Jan. 12, 2019 (Starkville, Miss.)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels are receiving votes in both national polls.
- Ole Miss is trying to sweep the season series with MSU for the third time in the last five seasons.
- The Rebels and the Bulldogs are the SEC's most-played rivalry, having met 259 times.
- Ole Miss has won nine of the last 11 matchups against MSU, including an 81-77 victory in Starkville last month, which is the Rebels' best streak against the Bulldogs since winning nine of 11 from 1978-83 including eight straight from 1980-83.
- Blake Hinson scored a career-high 26 points in his first rivalry game, the most points scored by an Ole Miss freshman since Jarvis Summers scored 27 points at Penn State (Dec. 4, 2011).
- Over his career, Breein Tyree is averaging 11.0 ppg; in five career games against MSU, he is averaging 16.2 ppg.
- Saturday's game marks the third sellout of the year, the seventh sellout in the four-year history of The Pavilion.
- KJ Buffen is coming off his best game as a Rebel, scoring a career-high 17 points (8 for 8 at the free throw line).
- The duo of Terence Davis and Breein Tyree account for 43.2 percent of the Rebels' scoring; they combined for 46 of the team's 86 points Wednesday night at Florida, both scoring at least 20 points in the same game for the fourth time this season.
- The Rebels rank 22nd nationally in free throw percentage (75.8); Ole Miss has shot over 85.0 percent from the free throw line in six games this season.
- Breein Tyree is one of four SEC players to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (2nd-17.4 ppg), field goal percentage (5th-48.3) and free throw percentage (7th-82.6).
- Senior guard Terence Davis ranks 10th in school history in three-pointers made (151) and 18th in scoring (1,338 points); he is also fifth among active SEC players in career points and career steals (115).
- Ole Miss is off to its best start through 20 games in five years (14-6 during the 2013-14 season).
- 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.

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 37th with three Quadrant 1 victories and two Quadrant 2 wins. CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 8 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections (Feb. 1). According to ESPN Bracketlogoist Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss is a No. 9 seed (Feb. 1). 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 (31.3).
- Breein Tyree ranks second in scoring (17.4 ppg), fourth in playing time (32.9 minutes per game), fifth in field goal percentage (48.3 percent) and seventh 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 sixth in field goal shooting (48.2 percent) and scoring (16.4 ppg) as well as ninth in steals (1.5 spg) and 10th in assists.
- Averaging 17.9 ppg and 8.0 rpg in SEC games, Davis ranks fifth in the conference in both categories; his 6.6 rpg in SEC play rank second.
- Devontae Shuler ranks fourth in steals (1.7 per game) as well as seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and playing time (32.0 minutes per game).

SCOUTING MSU
MSU enters Saturday's rivalry contest with a 15-5 record following a midweek road loss at Alabama. Four Bulldogs average double figures led by Quinndary Weatherspoon at 17.2 ppg. Lamar Peters averages 13.1 ppg as a dangerous shooter from long range, making 2.8 three-pointers per game at a 38.9 percent clip. Along with averaging 11.5 ppg, Aric Holman has 2.2 blocks per game to rank 24th nationally. As a team, MSU ranks 15th in the country with 5.2 blocks per game. Ben Howland is in his fourth season as MSU's head coach. His 23rd season as a head coach, Howland's previous stops include Northern Arizona (1995-99), Pittsburgh (2000-03) and UCLA (2004-13).

SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs are Ole Miss' most-played opponent, having met 259 times on the hardwood, which is also the SEC's most-played rivalry. Mississippi State holds a 143-116 lead in the series, which began in 1914, but the Rebels have won nine of the last 11 matchups, the best streak against the Bulldogs since winning nine of 11 from 1978-83. Included in that stretch were eight straight wins from 1980-83. Ole Miss holds an 84-43 advantage in Oxford, winning the past seven at home that includes a perfect 3-0 mark in The Pavilion (opened 2016).

LOOKING FOR GROUNDHOGS DAY ON GROUNDHOGS DAY
This Groundhogs Day, the Rebels will be looking to relive the first matchup of this season's rivalry series. In a hostile environment, Ole Miss outlasted No. 14 Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum (Jan. 12). The Rebels clawed back into the game towards the end of the first half and controlled the game late against the Bulldogs en route to an 81-77 victory. Blake Hinson led the Rebels with a career-high 26 points on 8 of 16 shooting, including a career-high five made threes. The Rebels had four double-digit scorers. Breein Tyree, after going down with an injury early in the game, scored 19 points and was 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Tyree added the game-winning bucket with less than a minute remaining. Terence Davis and Devontae Shuler had 12 and 10, respectively. Tying a season high with 12 made threes, the Rebels beat ranked opponents in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

HINSON HIGHLIGHTS RIVALRY WIN
Blake Hinson saved his best game for his first taste of the rivalry with Mississippi State (Jan. 12). Scoring a career-high 26 points, Hinson led Ole Miss to an 81-77 win over the No. 14 Bulldogs in Starkville. After recording a team-high 10 points in the first half to keep the Rebels within striking distance down two, he scored 11 of the team's first 12 second half points. Ole Miss trailed by nine early in the final period, and Hinson drilled three straight three-pointers. He connected on five from long range throughout the afternoon, the most by a Rebel since the second game of the season when Terence Davis hit six at Butler (Nov. 16). Hinson's 26 points were the most by an Ole Miss freshman in a game since Jarvis Summers scored 27 points at Penn State (Dec. 4, 2011). The game-high output was the most by a Rebel freshman in an SEC game since March 2, 2011 (30 by Dundrecous Nelson at Auburn).

TYREE'S TASTE FOR THE RIVALRY
Breein Tyree enjoys the big moment, and playing in rivalry games is no different. Through five games against MSU over his career, he is averaging 16.2 ppg and shooting 54.7 percent (29 of 53). After scoring seven points in his rivalry debut, Tyree exploded for 24 points to lead the Rebels to an 87-82 overtime victory at Humphrey Coliseum (Feb. 21, 2017). The output was his best of his freshman season. Last year at The Pavilion, Tyree scored all 16 of his points in the second half to rally the Rebels to another win in the rivalry (Jan. 6, 2018). One month later in Starkville (Feb. 17, 2018), he tallied 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting. In the first matchup of this season (Jan. 12), Tyree scored the final four points of the game. His layup with one minute to go broke a 77-77 tie, and he converted two free throws with nine seconds remaining to finish with 19 points and lead the Rebels to a road victory.

RIVALRY CONNECTION
His alma mater is now his rival. Now in the Red and Blue, Kermit Davis is 1-0 against MSU. Davis earned a varsity letter playing basketball for the Bulldogs in 1982, completing his bachelor's degree in the same year. Two years later, he finished up school with a master's degree at MSU. Davis' father, Kermit Davis Sr., was MSU head coach from 1971-77.

WAWWD (WHAT A WIN WOULD DO)
- Ole Miss would beat MSU for the 10th time in the last 12 matchups.
- The Rebels would sweep the season series for the third time over the last five seasons.
- Ole Miss would move to 5-3 in SEC play, its best mark in conference play through eight games since the last time the Rebels made the NCAA Tournament (2014-15).
- Senior Terence Davis would improve to 6-2 against the Bulldogs over this Ole Miss career.
- The Rebels would earn a fourth Quadrant 1 victory and third over a ranked team.

FACING RANKED TEAMS
Ole Miss is 2-1 against ranked teams this season. The Rebels knocked off No. 10 Auburn 82-67 at home (Jan. 9) before going on the road to beat rival No. 14 Mississippi State 81-77 (Jan. 12). It marked the first time in school history that the Rebels won back-to-back games over top 15 teams. The Rebels' lone loss against a ranked team came in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to No. 24 Iowa State (Jan. 26), which shot 69 percent to earn the win.

PAVILION PACKED
Saturday's game is already sold out, marking the third sellout of the season. The Pavilion opened in January 2016 and now has seven sellouts in its history. After Ole Miss beat a pair of top 15 teams in back-to-back games for the first time in school history, Rebel Nation showed up to The Pavilion to support their nationally ranked team. The following games against LSU (Jan. 15) and Arkansas (Jan. 19) were sold out.

CRASHING THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
Ole Miss has improved its offensive rebounding as of late, pulling down 13.6 offensive boards over the past five games. In three of those contests, the Rebels matched their season high with 15 offensive rebounds. Through the first 15 games of the season, Ole Miss averaged 9.8 offensive boards per game.

OLE MISS DROPS HEARTBREAKER AT FLORIDA
Ole Miss suffered a heartbreaking loss Wednesday night as the Florida Gators prevailed 90-86 in overtime at Exactech Arena. KeVaughn Allen drained a highly-contested three with 2.5 seconds left to keep the Gators alive and send the game into overtime. It was a game of runs seeing 17 lead changes and nine ties throughout, and Florida ultimately found momentum in overtime to come away with the win. The Rebels were led by Terence Davis who had a game-high 26 points on 8 of 17 shooting. The senior guard also pulled down 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the year, while dishing out a team-high five assists. Breein Tyree added 20 points of his own, 16 of them coming in the second half and overtime. KJ Buffen scored a career-high 17 points and went 8 of 8 from the line in the second half, tying his career-high in made free throws. Ole Miss was +14 on the glass with 19 second chance points and matching a season best for offensive rebounds (15).

BUFFEN'S BIG GAME OFF THE BENCH
Freshman KJ Buffen provided a huge spark off the bench for Ole Miss at Florida (Jan. 30). In 29 minutes, he scored a career-high 17 points on 4 of 7 shooting that included his second three-pointer of the season. Entering the game as a 61.7 percent free throw shooter, Buffen was a perfect 8 for 8 from the charity stripe. Coming off the bench in all 20 games, the Gainesville, Georgia, native ranks second on the team in rebounding with 4.6 boards per 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. With a record of 14-6, the Rebels are off to their best start in five seasons. The 2013-14 team also posted a 14-6 mark through the first 20 games. 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 43.2 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 17.4 ppg to rank second in the SEC, while Davis' 16.4 ppg rank sixth. The pair have combined for 18 20-point games so far this season, including four games in which they both reached the 20-point plateau. Against Florida (Jan. 30), Davis (26) and Tyree (20) combined for 46 of the team's 86 points. 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 fifth in the conference at 48.3 percent, while Davis sixth at 48.2 percent.

STEPPING UP IN SEC PLAY
Several Rebels have stepped up their games at the beginning of conference action. Three 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	17.9 ppg	16.4 ppg
KJ Buffen	5.6 ppg	8.0 ppg	6.5 ppg
Dominik Olejniczak	5.9 ppg	7.9 ppg	6.6 ppg

Davis ranks fifth in the SEC in scoring (17.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg) in conference games. Pulling down 6.6 defensive boards per SEC game, the senior ranks second in the conference.

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 17.4 ppg to rank second in the SEC. With 348 points through 20 games, Tyree has already passed his season total (347) from last season. He also ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (48.3 percent) and seventh in free throw percentage (82.6 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 10 games. In the semifinals of the Emerald Coast Classic (Nov. 23), he put up 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). At Florida (Jan. 30), he also added 20 points.

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 three 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). At Florida on Wednesday (Jan. 30), he recorded team highs in points (26) and rebounds (12). Davis now has nine double-doubles for his career to pace the Rebels.

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 7.6 ppg over the last 14 contests with 12 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 108 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,338 points to rank 18th 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 16.4 ppg to rank sixth in the conference and shooting at a 48.2 percent clip (sixth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.5 per game) and rebounding (6.2 per game). With 26 against Florida, Davis passed Cob Jarvis (1,313). Next on his chase up the Ole Miss scoring chart are Tim Jumper (1,375) and Jack Waters (1,384). 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 (444) and 10th in three-pointers made (151).

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Shooting 75.8 percent as a team, Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC and 22nd nationally. 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 (76 of 92) to rank seventh in the SEC among qualifiers, while Devontae Shuler boasts a 83.3 percent clip (35 of 42).

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 19 games at point guard, he has stuffed box scores by leading the Rebels in steals (1.7 per game). Shuler ranks in the SEC's top 10 in three categories, sitting at fourth in steals as well as seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and playing time (32.0 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 Jackson, Shuler scored a team-high 19 points to lead the Rebels to a win over Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 12). He tallied his personal best of four steals for the fourth time while pulling down a career-high nine rebounds at Florida (Jan. 30).

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 (47.9), a mark that is 39th nationally.

MISSISSIPPI MADE
Along with head coach Kermit Davis (Leakesville), all three Ole Miss seniors hail from the state of Mississippi: D.C. Davis (Purvis), Terence Davis (Southaven) and Bruce Stevens (Louin).

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
Following the rivalry game, the Rebels remain at home for a conference matchup against the Aggies of Texas A&M (Feb. 6). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. 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

D.C. Davis

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Dominik Olejniczak

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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