Men's Hoops Welcomes No. 7 Tennessee to Sold Out Pavilion

			OLE MISS (19-8, 9-5 SEC) vs. #7 TENNESSEE (24-3, 12-2 SEC) Wednesday, Feb. 27 • 6 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Ole Miss Coca-Cola T-Shirt Giveaway
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GAME 28
Matchup: #7/7 Tennessee (24-3, 12-2 SEC) at Ole Miss (19-8, 9-5 SEC)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network
   Roy Philpott, play-by-play
   Mark Wise, analyst
   Alyssa Lang, sideline
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (Sirius-135; XM-190)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   John Stroud, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/Tune In app
Series: Tennessee leads 73-44
Last Meeting: #19 Tennessee won 73-65
   Feb. 24, 2018 (Oxford, Miss.)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Wednesday's game is The Pavilion's fourth sellout of the season and the eighth in the facility's history.
- Tennessee is the highest ranked team to play in The Pavilion since Jan. 28, 2017 (No. 5 Baylor).
- Ole Miss enters Wednesday's game ranked No. 38 in the NET with four Quadrant 1 victories.
- The Rebels are 2-2 versus ranked teams this season, including 1-0 against top 10 teams (82-67 win over No. 10 Auburn-Jan. 9)
- Ole Miss has won five of its past six games.
- The Rebels are coming off a 72-71 win over Georgia, sweeping the Bulldogs in a season series for the first time since 1989.
- Ole Miss has won six of the past seven meetings with Tennessee in Oxford.
- With 35.0 ppg in conference play, Breein Tyree and Terence Davis make up the highest scoring duo in the SEC, slightly ahead of Tennessee's Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield (34.2 ppg).
- The Rebels have their best record through 27 games since going 19-8 during the 2014-15 season, the last time they made the NCAA Tournament; the 9-5 mark through 14 SEC games is the best since going 10-4 (2014-15).
- Ole Miss has secured a conference record of .500-or-better for the seventh time in the last eight years.
- Over the last six games, the Rebels are averaging 9.3 steals per game and 21.2 points off turnovers.
- The Rebels lead the SEC and rank 11th nationally in free throw percentage (77.0); Ole Miss has shot over 85.0 percent from the free throw line in nine games this season, including 93.0 percent-or-better in three games.
- Breein Tyree is averaging 21.1 ppg over the last nine games, reaching the 20-point plateau in six of them.
- Terence Davis and Breein Tyree account for 44.4 percent of the Rebels' scoring on the season.
- Tyree is the only player in the SEC to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (3rd-18.4 ppg), free throw percentage (3rd-83.1), field goal percentage (6th-48.0) and three-pointers made (6th-2.2 per game).
- Sophomore Devontae Shuler is averaging 12.8 ppg over the past four games.
- Kermit Davis is only the second coach in Ole Miss history to win at least 19 of his first 27 games as head coach.

MAKING THE MARCH TOWARDS MARCH MADNESS
In the first year under head coach Kermit Davis, the Rebels are making their presence known in 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 38th with four Quadrant 1 victories and three Quadrant 2 wins. The Rebels have played 11 Quadrant 1 games thus far. CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 8 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections (Feb. 25). According to ESPN Bracketlogoist Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss is a No. 9 seed (Feb. 26). Andy Katz of NCAA.com has Ole Miss projected to be a No. 9 seed come March (Feb. 21). 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 third in scoring (18.4 ppg), free throw percentage (83.7 percent) and playing time (33.7 minutes per game) as well as sixth in field goal percentage (48.0 percent) and 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 four SEC players (Grant Williams-Tennessee, Tremont Waters-LSU, 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 scoring (19.0 ppg).
- Terence Davis ranks fifth in steals (1.7), eighth in scoring (15.6 ppg), eighth in field goal shooting (46.1 percent) as well as 10th in assists (3.4 per game).
- Averaging 34.6 ppg in conference games, Tyree (19.0 ppg) and Davis (15.6 ppg) combine for the highest scoring duo in SEC play.
- Devontae Shuler ranks fourth in steals (1.8 per game), seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and ninth in playing time (32.3 minutes per game).

SCOUTING TENNESSEE
No. 7 Tennessee enters Wednesday's matchup with a 24-3 record, including 12-2 in SEC play to sit tied atop the conference standings with No. 4 Kentucky and No. 13 LSU. The Volunteers are coming off a tough overtime loss at LSU on Saturday. Tennessee tops the conference in several categories, while finding the top five of the national rankings. The Vols are second in the country in assist/turnover ratio (1.7), third in field goal percentage (50.4), fourth in assists (19.0 per game) and fifth in blocks (5.5 per game). Reigning SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams leads the conference in scoring at 19.0 ppg, while Admiral Scofield is fourth at 16.9 ppg. Williams ranks second in the SEC with a 56.9 field goal percentage and is shooting 82.9 percent from the free throw line to rank fourth. Dishing out 6.3 assists per game, Jordan Bone paces the conference and ranks 15th nationally. Rick Barnes is in his fourth season as Tennessee head coach after spending 18 seasons as the head coach of Texas. With 685 career wins, Barnes has 32 years of head coaching experience at the Division I level.

SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss and Tennessee have met 117 times, with the Volunteers holding a 73-44 lead in a series that began in 1924. Ole Miss has won six of the last 10 meetings, but Tennessee has taken the past three matchups. In Oxford, the Volunteers hold a slight 26-25 advantage. The home team has won 14 of the last 18 regular season meetings dating back to 2004. Ole Miss has won six of the past seven games played in Oxford with a 1-1 record in The Pavilion.

LAST TIME WE MET
Ole Miss fell in an early 29-9 hole against No. 19 Tennessee, and the Rebels were able to do that to a degree by shaving the lead all the way down to four points early in the second half. However, a poor shooting afternoon doomed Ole Miss in a 73-65 loss to the Volunteers (Feb. 24, 2018). Breein Tyree led the Rebels with 17 points on 7 of 16 shooting. Bruce Stevens had 14, and Terence Davis added 13 points of his own. The Rebels did a good job of containing Tennessee forward Grant Williams, who had just six points on 3 of 10 shooting. However, Admiral Schofield picked up the slack and poured in 25 for the Vols.

TERENCE DAVIS VERSUS TENNESSEE
Over the past four matchups against the Volunteers, Terence Davis has nearly averaged a double-double (15.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg). Last season at The Pavilion, Davis scored 13 points to go along with six rebounds. He produced a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in an 80-69 victory in Oxford (Jan. 17, 2017). In the other two games, both in Knoxville, he led the Rebels in scoring. As a sophomore, he scored a team-high 14 points (Feb. 8, 2017) at Tennessee. Last season on the road (Feb. 3, 2018), Davis tallied 13 points to go along with nine rebounds to pace the Rebels.

THE ROAD TO NASHVILLE
With four games left in the regular season, the SEC Tournament (March 13-17) is just around the corner. Ole Miss boasts a 9-5 conference mark, tied for fourth with South Carolina. The Gamecocks hold the tiebreaker with a home victory over the Rebels in the season's lone battle (Feb. 19). Therefore, if the tournament started today, Ole Miss would hold the No. 5 seed and face the winner of the No. 12 versus No. 13 matchup. The top four seeds earn a double bye into the quarterfinals.

PAVILION PACKED
Wednesday's game against No. 7 Tennessee is sold out. With four sellouts this season, The Pavilion now has eight sellouts in its history (opened in January 2016). 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. The rivalry game against MSU was also a sellout (Feb. 2).

FACING RANKED TEAMS
Ole Miss is 2-2 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' losses against ranked teams came in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to No. 24 Iowa State (Jan. 26), which shot 69 percent to earn the win, and at home to No. 21 MSU (Feb. 2).

WHAT A WIN WOULD DO
- It would be the Rebels' highest ranked victory since knocking off No. 6 Alabama 84-56 to end the 2001-02 regular season.
- Ole Miss would have its third victory over a top 25 team this season, the most wins over ranked teams since earning four during the 2001-02 campaign; it would also be the second win over a top 10 team, also the most since 2001-02.
- The Rebels would snap a three-game skid against the Volunteers.
- Ole Miss would improve to 7-1 versus Tennessee in the last eight games in Oxford.
- The Rebels would post their 10th 20-win season through the past 13 years.
- Ole Miss would secure a winning conference record for the fifth time in the last seven years.

DEFENDING HOME COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark at Ole Miss. Over the past 13 seasons, the Rebels are 154-45 (.774 win pct.) in home games. In three-plus seasons playing in the $96.5 million Pavilion at Ole Miss, the Rebels hold a 41-19 (.683) advantage against the opposition. Ole Miss has won 279 of its last 356 games (.784 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign.

OLE MISS BEATS GEORGIA TO SWEEP SEASON SERIES
Behind a strong second half from junior guard Breein Tyree, Ole Miss got back to its winning ways with a 72-71 victory over Georgia at The Pavilion (Feb. 23). Tyree scored 14 of his game-high 17 points in the final 20 minutes, including his own 7-0 run that turned a one-point deficit into a six-point lead for the Rebels. The pressure of the Ole Miss 1-3-1 zone defense forced a missed three pointer by the Bulldogs at the buzzer to secure the win. Sophomore guard Devontae Shuler added 16 points. The Irmo, South Carolina, native knocked down four three-pointers, including a game-tying long ball with 1:22 to go. Terence Davis added 13 points with a team-high three steals, helping cause 19 Georgia turnovers throughout the game. KJ Buffen added eight points off the bench, while D.C. Davis also came in to add a career-high five rebounds and steal that led to a dunk.

TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE
Perhaps the biggest key to Ole Miss winning five of its last six games is the team's pressure defense that has forced a plethora of turnovers. Throughout the five victories, the Rebels forced 19.2 turnovers per game. They converted them into an average of 22.6 points off turnovers per game. Ole Miss began the winning streak by turning 12 Texas A&M miscues into 31 points. The Rebels forced 20 turnovers at Georgia (Feb. 9) and 14 more at Auburn (Feb. 13) to earn back-to-back road victories. In the win over Missouri, Ole Miss scored 32 points off 25 Tiger turnovers. It was the most turnovers forced by Ole Miss in a game since causing 25 turnovers in win over Bradley (Nov. 28, 2015). The last time the Rebels forced 25 turnovers in an SEC game was 12 years ago in an 82-59 win at Auburn (Feb. 3, 2007). Ole Miss forced 19 turnovers in Saturday's win versus Georgia, turning them into 19 points on the other end.

STEALS STAT
The Rebels have averaged 10.6 steals per game in their five victories through the last six games, well above their average of 7.3 spg through the first 21 games. 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. At Georgia (Feb. 9), 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. After tallying eight steals at Auburn (Feb. 13), the Rebels recorded 13 steals behind a career-high five from Devontae Shuler. Shuler sits fourth in the SEC with 1.8 steals per game, while Davis (1.7 steals per game) ranks fifth.

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 18.4 ppg to rank third in the SEC. Tyree is also second in scoring during conference play (19.0 ppg). He also ranks third in the conference in free throw percentage (83.1 percent) as well as sixth in field goal percentage (48.0 percent) and 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 14 games. Over the past nine games, Tyree has broken the 20-point plateau in six of them to average 21.1 ppg. He was 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 the win at Georgia (Feb. 9) to eclipse 1,000 points for his career.

ANOTHER 1,000-POINT SCORER
Although he didn't need all of his career-high 31 points to reach the milestone, Breein Tyree became the 40th Rebel to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss over Georgia (Feb. 9). Tyree now has 1,092 career points through 93 games. He passed Jason Harrison (1,066) and Coolidge Ball (1,072) with 17 points at South Carolina (Feb. 19) to rank 35th on the all-time list. Teammate Terence Davis has already reached the historical mark, ranking 14th all-time with 1,432 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.

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Shooting 77.0 percent as a team, Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks 11th 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 nine different games this season, including three games of 93 percent-or-better. Throughout the last nine games, Ole Miss is 82.6 percent (128 of 155) 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 83.1 percent free throw shooter (108 of 130) to rank third in the SEC among qualifiers, while Devontae Shuler boasts an 83.3 percent clip (45 of 54).

DYNAMIC DUO
Senior Terence Davis and junior Breein Tyree have become a dynamic duo in the Ole Miss backcourt, averaging 44.4 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 18.4 ppg to rank third in the SEC, while Davis' 15.6 ppg rank eighth. Combining for 34.6 ppg in conference games, the two Rebels are the highest scoring duo in SEC play just ahead of Tennessee's Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield (34.2 ppg). The pair has recorded 22 20-point games so far this season, including four games in which they both reached the 20-point plateau. 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 48.0 percent, while Davis ranks eighth at 46.1 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 19-8, the Rebels are off to their best start in four seasons. The 2014-15 team, the last Ole Miss team to make the NCAA Tournament, went 19-8 through the first 29 games. With a 9-5 mark, Ole Miss has its best record through 14 SEC games since the 2014-15 squad started 10-4. 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 115 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,432 points to rank 14th 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 15.6 ppg to rank eighth in the conference and shooting at a 46.1 percent clip (eighth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.4 per game) and rebounding (5.9 per game). With 13 points in the win over Georgia Saturday (Feb. 23), Davis passed Eric Laird (1,421) and Ansu Sesay (1,428). Next on his chase up the Ole Miss scoring chart is Murphy Holloway (1,476). John Stroud, one of the analysts 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 (480) and eighth in three-pointers made (162). He moved into a tie for 10th on the Rebels' all-time steals list after recording three steals in Saturday's win. With 133 career steals, Davis joined Keith Carter and Aaron Harper.

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
Breein Tyree	17.7 ppg	19.0 ppg	18.4 ppg
Terence Davis	15.5 ppg	15.6 ppg	15.6 ppg
KJ Buffen	5.6 ppg	6.6 ppg	6.1 ppg

Tyree has played better in SEC games in all three seasons as a Rebel. This year, he ranks second in the SEC in scoring during conference play, averaging 19.0 ppg. 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.

With Tyree at the top, Davis ranks ninth in scoring during SEC play (15.6 ppg). He is also fourth with 2.0 steals per conference game, while teammate Devontae Shuler ranks sixth (1.9 spg).

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 26 games at point guard, he has stuffed box scores by leading the Rebels in steals (1.8 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 (32.3 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). At Auburn (Feb. 13), he tied a career high by making four three-pointers en route to a 17-point night, his most points in an SEC game through this point of his career. Shuler followed that up with a career-high five steals in the win over Missouri (Feb. 16). Over the past four games, he is averaging 12.8 ppg.

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 488 career wins (422 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 and 19 of his first 27 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 and 24 of his first 27 games. Hazel's run extended into his second season as head coach after going 16-2 during the entire 1925-26 campaign.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
The Rebels hit the road Saturday (March 2), heading west to face Arkansas for the second time this season. In the first matchup, Ole Miss cruised to an 84-67 victory at The Pavilion (Jan. 19). Tipoff for round two between the Rebels and Razorbacks is set for at 12 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Markel Crawford

D.C. Davis

Terence Davis

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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