Rebels Head to Auburn for Wednesday Night Matchup

			OLE MISS (16-7, 6-4 SEC) at AUBURN (16-7, 5-5 SEC) Wednesday, Feb. 13 • 7:30 PM CT • Auburn, Ala. Auburn Arena (9,121)
Watch • Listen • Live Stats • Tickets Ole Miss Game Notes • Auburn Game Notes • SEC Game Notes

GAME 24
Matchup: NR/RV Ole Miss (16-7, 6-4 SEC) at RV/RV Auburn (16-7, 5-5 SEC)
Date: Wednesday Feb. 13, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Arena: Auburn Arena (9,121)
Television: SEC Network
   Mike Morgan, play-by-play
   Barry Booker, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (Sirius-134, XM-192)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com/ESPN App
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn App
Series: Auburn leads 77-59
Last Meeting: Ole Miss won 82-67
   Jan. 9, 2019
   Oxford, Miss.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels are receiving votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
- Ole Miss has won 11 of the last 13 matchups versus Auburn.
- The 82-67 victory over the then-No. 10 Tigers last month at The Pavilion (Jan. 9) was the Rebels' first win over a top-10 opponent since beating No. 10 Missouri 63-49 at home during the 2012-13 season (Jan. 12, 2013).
- The Rebels held Auburn to their lowest point total (67) and lowest field goal percentage (32.8) in the first meeting, marks that still stand to this point of the season.
- Terence Davis is averaging 19.2 ppg over his past five games against Auburn, including a 27-point outburst in the last matchup.
- The Rebels are over .500 through the first 10 games of SEC play for the first time since the 2014-15 season (7-3), the last time they made the NCAA Tournament.
- Ole Miss enters Wednesday's game ranked No. 36 in the NET after back-to-back wins over Texas A&M and Georgia.
- The Rebels lead the SEC and rank ninth nationally in free throw percentage (77.0); Ole Miss has shot over 85.0 percent from the free throw line in eight games this season, including 93.0 percent-or-better in three games.
- Breein Tyree is averaging 24.0 ppg over the last five games, reaching the 20-point plateau in each game to become the first Rebel to record five straight 20-point games since Stefan Moody (14 in the 2015-16 season).
- Tying his career high with 31 points in the win at Georgia, Breein Tyree became the 40th Rebel in school history to score 1,000 career points.
- The duo of Terence Davis and Breein Tyree account for 44.6 percent of the Rebels' scoring, the second-highest scoring pair in the SEC; they have combined for 53.5 percent of the scoring over the past five games.
- Terence Davis and Breein Tyree are the first two teammates to score 1,000 career points for Ole Miss since Marshall Henderson and Jarvis Summers took the court as 1,000-point scorers (2013-14).
- Breein Tyree is the only player in the SEC to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (2nd-18.5 ppg), free throw percentage (4th-84.5), field goal percentage (6th-48.3) and three-pointers made (7th-2.2 per game).

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 36th with three Quadrant 1 victories and three Quadrant 2 wins. The Rebels have played 10 Quadrant 1 games thus far, ranking second in the SEC behind Texas A&M (11). According to ESPN Bracketlogoist Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss is a No. 8 seed (Feb. 8). CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 9 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections (Feb. 11). Andy Katz of NCAA.com has Ole Miss projected to be a No. 11 seed come March (Feb. 9). The Rebels will look to remain on the right side of the bubble as March nears.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in free throw shooting (77.0 percent).
- Breein Tyree ranks second in scoring (18.5 ppg), third in playing time (33.4 minutes per game), fourth in free throw percentage (84.5 percent), sixth in field goal percentage (48.3 percent) and seventh in three-pointers made (2.2 per game).
- Tyree is the only player in the SEC to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring, free throw percentage, field goal percentage and threes made.
- Tyree is one of three SEC players (Grant Williams-Tennessee, Quinndary Weatherspoon-MSU) to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
- In SEC games only, Tyree ranks second in playing time (35.5 minutes per game).
- Terence Davis ranks fourth in steals (1.7), seventh in scoring (16.2 ppg) and field goal shooting (47.4 percent), ninth in defensive rebounds (4.8 rpg) and 10th in assists (3.6 per game).
- Averaging 7.7 rpg in SEC games, Davis ranks fifth in the conference; his 6.0 defensive rebounds per game in SEC play rank second.
- Devontae Shuler ranks fourth in steals (1.8 per game), seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and ninth in playing time (31.7 minutes per game).

REBELS RECEIVING VOTES
Ole Miss is receiving votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week. The Rebels were ranked 20th in both polls 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).

SCOUTING AUBURN
Auburn enters Wednesday's matchup with an 16-7 record, including a 5-5 mark in SEC play. The Tigers had a three-game winning streak snapped Saturday in an 83-78 loss at No. 21 LSU. Auburn is led by strong guard play in Bryce Brown (16.7 ppg) and Jared Harper (15.6 ppg). Brown is making 3.5 three-pointers per game, ranking second in the SEC and 14th nationally. As a team, Auburn leads the conference from long distance by shooting 37.7 percent and making 11.3 three per game (fourth nationally). The Tigers also crack the country's top 10 in turnover margin (3rd-+5.2), turnovers forced per game (4th-18.5), steals per game (8th-9.2) and blocks per game (8th-5.3). Bruce Pearl is in his fifth season guiding the Auburn program. He is in his 24th season as a head coach with stops at Southern Indiana (1992-2001), Milwaukee (2001-05) and Tennessee (2005-11) before arriving at Auburn in 2014.

SERIES HISTORY
Auburn leads the all-time series 77-59, but the Rebels have won 11 and the last 13 over the Tigers and 14 of the last 18. Prior to last season's sweep, the Rebels had a 10-game winning streak in the series. It was the longest in school history against an SEC foe, bettering a pair of eight-game streaks against LSU and Mississippi State. During the winning streak, five of the Rebels' victories occurred in Oxford, four in Auburn and one at the SEC Tournament (2012). The Tigers hold a 51-14 advantage in Auburn, but Ole Miss has won four of the last five meetings on The Plains.

LAST TIME WE MET
In front of a rowdy crowd at The Pavilion, senior Terence Davis scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Ole Miss to an 82-67 victory over No. 10 Auburn (Jan. 9). The Rebels controlled the game from the tip, leading throughout to secure their ninth straight win and earn a signature victory in the first SEC home game under head coach Kermit Davis. The win gave Ole Miss its longest winning streak since the 2012-13 campaign, and the Rebels improved to 2-0 in SEC play for just the fourth time in the last two decades. It was also Ole Miss' first victory over a top 10 team in six years. Terence Davis' double-double led the way, while freshman KJ Buffen added 16 points off the bench. Devontae Shuler reached double figures as well, tallying 14 points. Junior center Dominik Olejniczak recorded 11 points and seven rebounds, helping Ole Miss hold a 45-37 advantage on the boards. The Rebels also dominated the paint by outscoring the Tigers 30-12 in that area.

BIG MEN MAKING BIG FREE THROWS
With the Rebels taking a season-high 37 free throws versus No. 10 Auburn (Jan. 9), 23 of them were attempted by frontcourt members Dominik Olejniczak and KJ Buffen. Both Rebels set career highs in makes and attempts from the charity stripe as the duo combined to go 17 of 23 (73.9 percent). Olejniczak went 9 of 12 from the line, while Buffen converted 8 of 11.

INDIVIDUAL REBELS VERSUS AUBURN
Terence Davis and Breein Tyree have had some of the biggest games of their careers against the Auburn Tigers. As a sophomore, Davis scored a team-high 26 points as the Rebels rallied from 23 points down in the second half to beat the Tigers 90-84 at The Pavilion (Feb. 11, 2017). At Auburn last year, Tyree tallied 24 points which was a career high at the time (Jan. 9, 2018). He knocked down four three-pointers on the road. In the first matchup this season, Davis produced the Rebels' first double-double of the season with 27 points and 12 rebounds. The senior is averaging 19.2 ppg over the past five games versus Auburn.

TYREE'S CAREER DAY LEADS REBELS TO ROAD WIN
Breein Tyree broke the 1,000-point threshold en route to a career-high 31 points, leading Ole Miss to an 80-64 victory over Georgia (Feb. 9). The Rebels capped off a perfect week by winning in Athens for the first time in seven years. Ole Miss had three double-figure scorers including Tyree. Freshman Blake Hinson added 13 points of his own with three made three-pointers. Senior Terence Davis was all over the stat sheet for the second straight game, scoring 12 points with five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Bruce Stevens pulled down a season-high nine rebounds to go along with six points, including 4 of 4 from the line. Ole Miss was very active on the defensive end, grabbing 10 steals and forcing 20 turnovers that led to 19 points on the other end. With the help of 13 offensive rebounds, the Rebels held a 21-5 advantage in second chance points.

TYREE REACHES 1,000
Although he didn't need all of his career-high 31 points Saturday to reach the milestone, junior guard Breein Tyree became the 40th Rebel to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss in the win over Georgia. Tyree now has 1,022 career points through 89 games, 14 points away from passing one of his former coaches, Todd Abernethy, on the all-time list. Teammate Terence Davis has already reached the historical mark, ranking 17th all-time with 1,384 points. Tyree and Davis are the first Ole Miss duo to take the court as 1,000-point scorers since Jarvis Summers (1,629) and Marshall Henderson (1,293) played together during the 2013-14 season. Last season, Markel Crawford surpassed 1,000 points for his career. However, he recorded the majority of his scoring at Memphis and joined Ole Miss as a graduate transfer for the 2017-18 season.

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 18.5 ppg to rank second in the SEC. It only took Tyree 20 games to pass his point total (347) from last season. He also ranks fourth in the conference in free throw percentage (84.5 percent), sixth in field goal percentage (48.3 percent) and seventh in three-pointers made (2.2 per game), the only conference player to crack the SEC top 10 in scoring and those three shooting categories. The Somerset, New Jersey, native has scored at least 20 points in a team-high 13 games. Over the past five games, Tyree has broken the 20-point plateau each time and is averaging 24.0 ppg. He is the first Rebel to score 20 points in five consecutive games since Stefan Moody had 14 straight 20-point games from Nov. 25, 2015 to Jan. 28, 2016. Opening conference play, he exploded for a career-high 31 points against Vanderbilt (Jan. 5) to earn SEC Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. He matched his career high in Saturday's win at Georgia (Feb. 9), while eclipsing 1,000 points for his career.

CRASHING THE GLASS
In Saturday's win over the Bulldogs, Ole Miss controlled the boards against the SEC's best rebounding team. The Rebels out-rebounded Georgia 38-32, including 13-9 on the offensive glass. The 13 offensive rebounds led to a 21-5 advantage in second chance points.

STEALS STAT
In the pair of victories last week, the Rebels averaged 12.0 steals per game, leading to 25 ppg off turnovers. Ole Miss recorded 14 steals in the win over the Aggies (Feb. 6), the most by the Rebels in an SEC game since Feb. 14, 2017 versus LSU. Senior Terence Davis led the way with a career-high seven steals, the first Rebel to reach that mark since Rasheed Brooks accomplished the feat during the 2017 Valentine's Day win over the Tigers. On Saturday at Georgia, Ole Miss forced 20 turnovers with the help of 10 steals, all of the swipes coming in the first half. Davis once again led the way with four steals. With 11 steals over the past two games, Davis now shares the team lead with Devontae Shuler (40) and the pair ranks fourth in the SEC at 1.7 spg. He has 126 steals throughout his career, seven shy of cracking the Ole Miss top 10 steals list.

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Shooting 77.0 percent as a team, Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks ninth nationally in free throw percentage. Seven of the 11 Rebels that have attempted free throws this season are shooting over 75 percent from the stripe. Ole Miss has shot over 85 percent in eight different games this season, including three games of 93 percent-or-better. Throughout the last five games, Ole Miss is 86.3 percent from the line. In the win over Texas A&M (Feb. 6), Ole Miss went 18 of 19 at the line (94.7 percent). 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). 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. 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. Breein Tyree is an 84.5 percent free throw shooter (93 of 110) to rank fourth in the SEC among qualifiers, while Devontae Shuler boasts an 84.4 percent clip (38 of 45).

DYNAMIC DUO
Senior Terence Davis and junior Breein Tyree have become a dynamic duo in the Ole Miss backcourt, averaging 44.6 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 18.5 ppg to rank second in the SEC, while Davis' 16.2 ppg rank seventh. The two Rebels are the second-high scoring duo in the SEC behind No. 1 Tennessee's Grant Williams (19.9 ppg) and Admiral Schofield (16.5 ppg). The pair have combined for 21 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 before tallying 40 of the Rebels' 75 points against No. 21 MSU (Feb. 2). In the victory over Texas A&M (Feb. 6), the duo produced 41 of the Ole Miss' 75 points. They scored 43 of the 80 points in the win at Georgia (Feb. 9) to average 53.5 percent of the scoring over the last five games. They also have three 30-point games to their credit this season, all occurring away from home. Tyree scored a career-high 31 in SEC road victories at Vanderbilt (Jan. 5) and Georgia (Feb. 9), while 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 sixth in the conference at 48.3 percent, while Davis ranks seventh at 47.4 percent.

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 16-7, the Rebels are off to their best start in five seasons. The 2013-14 team also posted a 16-7 mark through the first 23 games. With a 6-4 mark, Ole Miss is over .500 through 10 SEC games for the first time since 2014-15, the last time the Rebels made the NCAA Tournament. 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.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Through 111 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,384 points to tie Jack Waters for 17th 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 16.2 ppg to rank seventh in the conference and shooting at a 47.4 percent clip (seventh in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.6 per game), rebounding (6.3 per game) and steals (1.7). With 12 points at Georgia (Feb. 9), Davis passed Tim Jumper (1,375) and tied Waters. Next on his chase up the Ole Miss scoring chart are Eric Laird (1,421) and Ansu Sesay (1,428). John Stroud, one of the analyst for select games on the Ole Miss Sports Network (radio), is the Rebels' all-time scoring leader with 2,328 points. Davis also ranks seventh all-time in three-pointers attempted (454) and ninth in three-pointers made (154).

STEPPING UP IN SEC PLAY
Several Rebels have stepped up their games at the beginning of conference action. Five Rebels in the regular rotation are scoring at their average or more in SEC play compared non-conference games.

Rebel	Non-Conference	SEC	Season
Breein Tyree	17.7 ppg	19.6 ppg	18.5 ppg
Terence Davis	15.5 ppg	17.1 ppg	16.2 ppg
Blake Hinson	8.8 ppg	9.0 ppg	8.9 ppg
KJ Buffen	5.6 ppg	6.7 ppg	6.1 ppg
Dominik Olejniczak	5.9 ppg	6.3 ppg	6.1 ppg

Tyree has played better in SEC games in all three seasons as a Rebel. Last year, he improved his scoring for the second straight year in conference action, going from 8.3 ppg in non-conference to 12.3 ppg in SEC play. As a freshman, Tyree emerged to rank fourth on the team in scoring at 9.3 ppg in SEC contests, up from his 2.1 ppg before the start of conference play.

Behind Tyree's third-ranked SEC output (19.6 ppg), Davis ranks sixth in scoring (17.1 ppg). Pulling down 6.0 defensive boards per SEC game, the senior ranks second in the conference and is fifth in the SEC with 7.7 rpg. He is also fourth with 2.1 steals per conference game. Meanwhile, Tyree is an 88.2 percent free throw shooter in SEC games, ranking sixth in the conference. He is second in the conference in playing time, averaging 35.5 minutes per game in SEC play.

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 22 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 ninth in playing time (31.7 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).

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 (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 6.7 ppg over the last 17 contests with 15 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.

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 485 career wins (419 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 was 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. Going 16-7 in his first 23 games as Ole Miss head coach, Davis became to the fifth coach in school history to get off to that good of a start. While Hazel went 20-3 over his first 23 games, R.B. Sullivan (1920), Lee Hunt (1983) and Rod Barnes (1999) won 16 of their first 23 games as head coach of the Rebels.

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).

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
After playing back-to-back road games, the Rebels return to the friendly confines of The Pavilion (Feb. 16). Ole Miss hosts Missouri the first of two games against the Tigers this season. Tipoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

RebelsCalendar

Next Event

Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Markel Crawford

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Dominik Olejniczak

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

The University of Mississippi Athletics