Men's Hoops Welcomes Texas A&M to The Pavilion Wednesday

			OLE MISS (14-7, 4-4 SEC) vs. TEXAS A&M (8-12, 1-7 SEC) Wednesday, Feb. 6 • 6 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Ole Miss Fins Up Beanie Giveaway (First 1,000 Fans)/Coaching for Literacy
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GAME 22
Matchup: Texas A&M (8-12, 1-7 SEC) at NR/RV Ole Miss (14-7, 4-4 SEC)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 6, 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
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (Sirius-119; XM-190)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Texas A&M leads 6-2
Last Meeting: Jan. 16, 2018
   Texas A&M won 71-69
   College Station, Texas

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels are receiving votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
- Ole Miss is off to its best start through 21 games in five years (14-7 during the 2013-14 season).
- The Rebels have won at least four of their first eight SEC games for the first time since the 2014-15 season (5-3), the last time they made the NCAA Tournament.
- Ole Miss is 39th in the NET with three Quadrant 1 wins.
- The Rebels and the Aggies are the only two teams in the SEC to play 10 games against Quadrant 1 teams, a conference high.
- Ole Miss has won two of the three matchups against Texas A&M in Oxford.
- Breein Tyree is averaging 22.3 ppg over the last three games.
- The duo of Terence Davis and Breein Tyree account for 43.7 percent of the Rebels' scoring; they combined for 40 of the team's 75 points Saturday versus No. 21 Mississippi State.
- The Rebels rank 18th nationally in free throw percentage (76.1); Ole Miss has shot over 85.0 percent from the free throw line in seven games this season.
- Breein Tyree is one of two SEC players to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (2nd-17.8 ppg), free throw percentage (4th-82.6), field goal percentage (6th-48.3) and three-pointers made (2.1 per game).
- Senior guard Terence Davis ranks ninth in school history in three-pointers made (152) and 18th in scoring (1,353 points); he is also fifth among active SEC players in career points and career steals (115).
- Devontae Shuler is averaging 11.0 ppg and 3.3 spg over the past three contests.
- Freshman KJ Buffen made his first career start in Saturday's game versus the Bulldogs, following a career-high 17 points at Florida last week.
- With 483 career wins, Kermit Davis ranks 135th all-time and 31st among active Division I head coaches.
- 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.

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 39th with three Quadrant 1 victories and two Quadrant 2 wins. CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 9 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections (Feb. 4). 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 (31.7).
- Breein Tyree ranks second in scoring (17.8 ppg), fourth in free throw percentage (83.7 percent) and playing time (33.1 minutes per game), sixth in field goal percentage (48.2 percent) and 10th in three-pointers made (2.1 per game).
- Tyree joins Bryce Brown of Auburn as the only players to rank in the SEC's top 10 in scoring, free throw percentage, field goal percentage and threes made.
- 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 fifth in field goal shooting (48.4 percent), seventh in scoring (16.3 ppg), ninth in defensive rebounds (4.9 rpg) and 10th in assists (3.5 per game).
- Averaging 8.0 rpg in SEC games, Davis ranks fifth in the conference; his 6.6 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 eighth in playing time (31.8 minutes per game).

REBELS RECEIVING VOTES
Ole Miss is receiving votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll for the second 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 TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M enters Wednesday's contest with an 8-12 record, including a 1-7 mark in SEC play. The Aggies are coming off a three-game homestand that included a win over Kansas State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge as well as losses to No. 19 LSU and No. 1 Tennessee. Sophomores TJ Starks (13.2 ppg) and Savion Flagg (12.4 ppg) lead Texas A&M in scoring. Starks is the Aggies' leader in assists (3.9 per game), while Flagg pulls down a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game. Baylor transfer Wendell Mitchell, who played one minute in The Pavilion when the Bears visited Oxford for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge (Jan. 28, 2017), averages 11.6 ppg and has recorded a team-high 28 steals. Billy Kennedy is in his eighth season as head coach of the Aggies. Before arriving in College Station, he spent five seasons as Murray State's head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's game will be only the ninth meeting between the Rebels and Aggies. Texas A&M is Ole Miss' least common SEC opponent after the Aggies joined the SEC prior to the 2012-13 campaign. After playing twice in Texas A&M's inaugural SEC season, the squads have met only once in each of the following five seasons. The Aggies hold a 6-2 advantage, but the Rebels have won two of the three matchups in Oxford. Both wins occurred at Tad Smith Coliseum, and Texas A&M won the lone battle at The Pavilion (Jan. 25, 2017). The two teams first met Dec. 29, 1972 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where Texas A&M claimed a 100-83 victory. Looking to snap a three-game skid in the series, the Rebels' last win over the Aggies occurred in Oxford, 69-59 (Feb. 4, 2015).

LAST TIME WE MET
Last season in College Station (Jan. 16, 2018), the Rebels lost to the Aggies 71-69 in heartbreaking fashion. A buzzer-beating three by Breein Tyree rolled around the rim three times before coming out of the cylinder to give Texas A&M the victory. Bruce Stevens scored 20 points and pulled down nine boards to pace the Rebels. Terence Davis added 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a rare appearance off the bench. On 4 of 7 shooting with a pair of free throws, Tyree tallied 11 points. Texas A&M was led by the frontcourt pair of Tyler Davis and Robert Williams. Davis produced a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Williams was just shy of his own (18 points, nine rebounds).

TYREE NEARS 1,000
With 969 points in 87 games, junior guard Breein Tyree is only 31 points away from becoming the 40th Rebel to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss. Teammate Terence Davis has already reached the historical mark, ranking 18th all-time with 1,353 points. Tyree and Davis could become 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.

THE GAUNTLET
Ole Miss and Texas A&M are the only two SEC schools to play double-digit games against Quadrant 1 teams. Both teams have played 10 games versus Quadrant 1 teams. The Rebels don't have any bad losses as all seven have come against Quadrant 1 teams, while they have beaten three teams in the top quadrant.

STEALS BY SHULER
As the team leader in steals, sophomore Devontae Shuler has increased his swipes lately. The Irmo, South Carolina, native is averaging 3.3 steals per game over the last three contests. He tallied his personal best of four steals for the fourth time while pulling down a career-high nine rebounds at Florida (Jan. 30). In games against ranked opponents No. 24 Iowa State and No. 21 Mississippi State (Feb. 2), Shuler recorded three steals in each.

PAVILION PACKED
With three sellouts this season, The Pavilion now has seven 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. Saturday's rivalry game against MSU was a sellout, and the matchup against No. 1 Tennessee later this month (Feb. 27) is already sold out.

RIVALS RALLY TO DOWN REBELS
A sold out crowd showed up at The Pavilion to cheer on the Ole Miss men's basketball team Saturday afternoon (Feb. 2), but No. 21 Mississippi State claimed the rivalry matchup 81-75 thanks to a second half rally. The Rebels lost their first game when leading at halftime, going into the locker room ahead 43-39 after shooting 56.0 percent over the first 20 minutes. For the entire game, Ole Miss found most of its success from beyond the arc, going 11 of 21 (52.4 percent), and at the free throw line (12 of 14). Junior guard Breein Tyree tallied a team-high 25 points in the Rebels' setback. Terence Davis added 15 points and team-high eight rebounds, while sophomore Devontae Shuler recorded all 14 of his points in the first half to go along with team highs in assists (5) and steals (3) throughout the game. Senior Bruce Stevens added 13 points off the bench, going 5 of 10 from the floor.

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 14-7, the Rebels are off to their best start in five seasons. The 2013-14 team also posted a 14-7 mark through the first 21 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 43.6 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 17.8 ppg to rank second in the SEC, while Davis' 16.3 ppg rank seventh. The pair have combined for 19 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). 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. Davis leads Ole Miss and is fifth in the conference at 48.4 percent, while Tyree ranks sixth at 48.2 percent.

STEPPING UP IN SEC PLAY
Several Rebels have stepped up their games at the beginning of conference action. Four 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	17.9 ppg	17.8 ppg
Terence Davis	15.5 ppg	17.5 ppg	16.3 ppg
KJ Buffen	5.6 ppg	7.1 ppg	6.2 ppg
Dominik Olejniczak	5.9 ppg	6.9 ppg	6.3 ppg

Tyree has played better in SEC 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 fifth-ranked SEC output (17.9 ppg), Davis ranks sixth in scoring (17.5 ppg). Pulling down 6.6 defensive boards per SEC game, the senior ranks second in the conference and is fifth in the SEC with 8.0 rpg.

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 17.8 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 (83.7 percent) and sixth in field goal percentage (48.2 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 11 games. Over the past three games, Tyree has broken the 20-point plateau each time and is averaging 22.3 ppg. 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.

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.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Through 109 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,353 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 16.3 ppg to rank seventh in the conference and shooting at a 48.4 percent clip (fifth 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 points against Florida (Jan. 30), 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 (450) and ninth in three-pointers made (152), tied with David Huertas.

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Shooting 76.1 percent as a team, Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC and 18th 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 seven different games this season, going 86.0 percent in the last three contests. 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. Breein Tyree is an 83.7 percent free throw shooter (76 of 92) to rank fourth in the SEC among qualifiers, while Devontae Shuler boasts an 84.4 percent clip (38 of 45).

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 20 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 eighth in playing time (31.8 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).

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 7.1 ppg over the last 15 contests with 13 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 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 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.

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.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
Following back-to-back home games, the Rebels hit the conference trail for a pair of matchups east of Mississippi. First, Ole Miss battles Georgia (Feb. 9) in the first of two games against the Bulldogs over a two-week span. The Saturday afternoon contest is slated for 12 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Then, the Rebels head to Auburn (Feb. 13), looking to sweep the season series. Tipoff with the Tigers is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Markel Crawford

Terence Davis

Dominik Olejniczak

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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