Rebels Set to Face Alabama to Begin SEC Tournament Play

			OLE MISS (20-11, 10-8 SEC) vs. ALABAMA (17-14, 8-10 SEC) Thursday, March 14 • 6 PM CT • Nashville, Tenn. Bridgestone Arena (19,395)
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GAME 32 - SEC TOURNAMENT
Matchup: No. 10 seed Alabama (17-14, 8-10 SEC) vs. No. 7 seed Ole Miss (20-11, 10-8 SEC)
Date: Thursday, March 14, 2019
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Arena: Bridgestone Arena (19,395)
Television: SEC Network
   Tom Hart, play-by-play
   Jon Sundvold, analyst
   Laura Rutledge, reporter
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (Sirius-138; XM-190)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: WatchESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: Alabama leads 121-58
Last Meeting: Alabama won 74-53
   Jan. 22, 2019 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- With a eight-game win improvement from last season already, the Rebels have the best turnaround among Power 5 schools (11th nationally).
- Predicted to finish last in the SEC, Ole Miss placed in a tie for sixth; it was the seventh time in the last eight years that the Rebels have finished higher than their preseason projection.
- Ole Miss enters Thursday's game ranked No. 34 in the NET with four Quadrant 1 victories.
- At 10-8 in SEC play, Ole Miss recorded a winning conference record for the fifth time in the last seven years.
- The Rebels lead the SEC and rank third nationally in free throw percentage (78.5); Ole Miss has shot over 85 percent from the free throw line in 12 games this season, including 90 percent-or-better in six games.
- Ole Miss is the only SEC team to play a game at Bridgestone Arena prior to the start of the SEC Tournament this season, defeating Kermit Davis' former team Middle Tennessee 74-56 (Dec. 21, 2018).
- Kermit Davis was named SEC Coach of the Year, the sixth Ole Miss head coach to earn the honor; Davis is the second Rebel head coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year honors in his first season (Andy Kennedy-AP).
- The Rebels' last five games have been decided by a total of 13 points.
- Devontae Shuler scored 18 points in Saturday's win at Missouri, a career high for an SEC game.
- Ole Miss is 3-2 this season when facing teams for the second time.
- Ole Miss has earned at least one victory in five of the last eight SEC Tournaments (seven wins during the span).
- Breein Tyree (First Team All-SEC) and Terence Davis (Second Team All-SEC) account for 44.8 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season.
- Ole Miss has produced 14 All-SEC guards over the past 13 seasons.
- With 34.6 ppg in conference play, Breein Tyree (19.1 ppg) and Terence Davis (15.5 ppg) make up the highest scoring duo in the SEC.
- 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-83.1), field goal percentage (6th-47.6) 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 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 34th with four Quadrant 1 victories and three Quadrant 2 wins. The Rebels have played 14 Quadrant 1 games thus far. CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Rebels as a No. 8 seed in his current NCAA Tournament projections (March 11). According to ESPN Bracketlogoist Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss is a No. 9 seed (March 11). Andy Katz of NCAA.com has Ole Miss projected to be a No. 9 seed (March 5). The Rebels will look to remain on the right side of the bubble as March Madness nears in hopes of making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years and only the ninth time in 109 seasons of Ole Miss Basketball.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in free throw shooting (78.5 percent).
- Breein Tyree ranks second in scoring (18.5 ppg), third in playing time (33.9 minutes per game), fourth in free throw percentage (83.1 percent), sixth in field goal percentage (47.6 percent) and seventh 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 scoring (19.1 ppg).
- Terence Davis ranks sixth in steals (1.7 per game), seventh in scoring (15.5 ppg), ninth in field goal shooting (45.5 percent) as well as 10th in assists (3.4 per game).
- Averaging 34.6 ppg in conference games, Tyree (19.1 ppg) and Davis (15.5 ppg) combine for the highest scoring duo in SEC play.
- Devontae Shuler ranks fourth in steals (1.8 per game) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.7).

SCOUTING ALABAMA
Alabama enters Thursday's matchup with an 17-14 record and an 8-10 mark in SEC play. The Crimson Tide is riding a three-game losing streak, including an 82-70 loss at Arkansas to allow the Razorbacks to claim the tiebreaker for the No. 9 seed. SEC All-Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. leads Alabama in scoring at 13.9 ppg and shoots at an 79.1 percent clip from the charity stripe. John Petty follows at 10.6 ppg with the majority of his scoring coming from three-point land. Leading the team in threes made, 55 of Petty's 111 made field goals have been beyond the arc. Donta Hall's 13 double-doubles lead the SEC. The senior is averaging 10.6 ppg and 8.5 rpg, including a conference-best 8.9 rpg in SEC play. Registering 53 blocks helped land Hall on the SEC All-Defensive Team. Avery Johnson is in his fourth season as Alabama's head coach, making the transition to college hoops after seven seasons as a head coach in the NBA.

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's game will be the 180th meeting between the two schools. The Crimson Tide holds a 121-58 lead in the series, which began in 1921, but the Rebels have won four of the last seven against Alabama. The two teams have met eight times in the SEC Tournament. Alabama leads the series 6-2 in the conference tournament, including wins in the last four matchups. The last time the Rebels and Crimson Tide met in the SEC Tournament, Alabama claimed an 81-73 victory (March 10, 2016).

LAST TIME WE MET
Alabama won the lone matchup of the season, handing the No. 20 Rebels a 74-53 loss in Tuscaloosa (Jan. 22). The Crimson Tide scored 23 points off 16 Ole Miss turnovers to earn another win over a top 20 team on its home floor. John Petty posted a team-high 15 points off the bench, while Donta Hall posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ole Miss held the home team to just a 38.5 percent (25 of 65) clip from the field, including 7 of 22 (31.8 percent) from beyond the arc. Terence Davis scored a team-high 10 points in limited action, fouling out early in the second half. Breein Tyree added nine, while Bruce Stevens tallied seven points and team-high six rebounds. Freshman Luis Rodriguez scored a career-high seven points in 18 minutes off the bench, going 2 for 2 from the floor and 3 of 4 from the charity stripe. As a team, the Rebels shot 40 percent (20 of 50).

REBELS' SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Rebels have an overall record of 31-54 in 56 SEC Tournament appearances. The Rebels have reached five SEC championship contests and have a 2-3 record in those games, taking home tournament titles in 1981 and 2013. Ole Miss has won seven of its last 13 SEC Tournament games dating back to 2012. In five of the past eight seasons, the Rebels have won at least one game in the conference tournament.

SEC COACH OF THE YEAR
Kermit Davis became the sixth Ole Miss men's basketball coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year honors. He joined the winningest coach in program history, Andy Kennedy, as the only two coaches to be named SEC Coach of the Year in his first season guiding the Rebels. Not even a full year into his tenure in Oxford, Davis has Ole Miss knocking on the door of its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons and just the third in the past 17 years. The Leakesville, Mississippi, native has led one of the biggest turnarounds in the country, as the Rebels improved from 12-20 (5-13 SEC) a season ago to 20-11 (10-8 SEC) heading into the conference tournament. The eight-win improvement is ranked 11th in the nation as well as the best among Power 5 schools. While Ole Miss was projected to finish last in the SEC, Davis got the Rebels off to a hot start. Ole Miss began conference play 3-0, helping Davis become the first Rebel head coach to win his first three SEC games. He was the second coach to win 13 of his first 15 games as well as the third coach in program history to win 20 games in his first season. With 20 wins already, Davis became just the third active SEC head coach to win at least 20 games in his first season in the conference (John Calipari – Kentucky, Mike White – Florida).

ALL-SEC DUO
Voted by the conference's coaches, Breein Tyree was named First Team All-SEC, while Terence Davis collected Second Team All-SEC honors. They have become a dynamic duo in the Ole Miss backcourt, averaging 44.8 percent of the Rebels' scoring this season. Tyree leads the way at 18.5 ppg to rank second in the SEC, while Davis' 15.5 ppg rank seventh. Combining for 34.6 ppg in conference games (Tyree-19.1 ppg, Davis-15.5 ppg), the two Rebels are the highest scoring duo in SEC play just ahead of Tennessee's Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield (34.0 ppg). The pair has recorded 26 20-point games so far this season, including five games in which they both reached the 20-point plateau. Last week versus No. 6 Kentucky, both Rebels scored at least 20 points (Davis-25, Tyree-21) and accounted for 46 of the team's 76 points. They 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 47.6 percent, while Davis ranks ninth at 45.5 percent. With both Rebels claiming all-conference accolades for the first time in their respective careers, Ole Miss has now produced 14 All-SEC guards over the past 13 seasons. It's the first time Ole Miss has had two all-league players on the same team since Marshall Henderson and Jarvis Summers were on the second team during the 2013-14 campaign.

TERENCE DAVIS NAMED TO SEC COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM
Ole Miss senior guard Terence Davis was named to the 2019 SEC Men's Basketball Community Service Team, the league office announced March 11. Actively involved in the Oxford community, Davis earned the recognition for the second time in his career. Since arriving on campus in 2015, Davis has participated in Adopt-a-Basket, which gives food items to families in need during the Thanksgiving season. As part of Reading with the Rebels, he has visited several local schools to promote the importance of reading while sharing some of his favorite books. Davis also went to the local Oxford Boys and Girls Club, where he spoke to the middle school boys about behavior and reading before joining them for a pick-up game of basketball. During the month of December, the Ole Miss men's basketball team visited Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital to spread holiday cheer. Davis interacted with the kids there, which included giving a child a wagon ride around the hospital. Finally, Davis hosted a patient from LeBonheur Children's Hospital as a "Rebel for a Day" at the team's practice facility. He spent time sharing information about his daily schedule and favorite things about being an Ole Miss Rebel.

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 20-11, the Rebels' eight-game improvement to this point is the best among the Power 5 schools and tied for the 11th-best turnaround nationwide. Ole Miss finished tied for sixth in the conference. The Rebels have finished above their preseason projection in seven of the last eight seasons since the league moved away from a divisional format, the outlier being the 2017-18 campaign.

20 AND 10
With the win at Missouri, Ole Miss secured its 10th 20-win season over the past 13 years. The Rebels also closed out SEC play at 10-8, earning a winning conference record for the fifth time in seven seasons. Ole Miss went 5-4 in conference road games. The last time the Rebels had a winning SEC road record was the last time they made the NCAA Tournament, going 6-3 during the 2014-15 campaign.

SECOND TIME AROUND
Ole Miss is 3-2 this season when facing a team for the second time. The Rebels produced season sweeps over Auburn, Georgia and Missouri, while splitting series with Mississippi State and Arkansas. Ole Miss won the first matchup of all five conference home-and-home series this season.

STEVENS STEPPING UP
As his senior year winds down, forward Bruce Stevens is playing some of his best basketball of the season. The Louin, Mississippi, native has scored double figures in each of the last four games to average 10.5 ppg. He is also pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game, up from 4.3 rpg prior to this trio of SEC contests. Stevens produced a double-double against No. 6 Tennessee (Feb. 27) with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He added 12 points at Arkansas (March 2) before tallying 11 points and seven rebounds versus No. 6 Kentucky (March 5).

DOWN TO THE WIRE
The Rebels' last five games have been decided by a total of 13 points. Ole Miss held off Georgia 72-71 (Feb. 23), forcing a Bulldog miss just before the buzzer. However, the Rebels suffered three straight heartbreaking losses. Grant Williams drove the lane and got a bucket to fall with 4.3 seconds left, allowing No. 7 Tennessee to escape Oxford with a 73-71 victory (Feb. 27). In Fayetteville (March 2), Ole Miss led by one before Jalen Harris' circus layup with 5.4 seconds on the clock fell high off the glass, flipping the game in favor of Arkansas. No. 6 Kentucky rallied to sneak by Ole Miss 80-76 last week (March 5) before the Rebels snapped the skid with a comeback win (73-68) at Missouri (March 9). On the season, the Rebels are 5-5 in games decided by five points or less.

REBELS RALLY TO BEAT MISSOURI, EARN 20TH VICTORY
A steal and a finger roll by Devontae Shuler broke a 66-66 tie with 1:28 to go, and the sophomore helped lead Ole Miss to a 73-68 comeback victory at Missouri Saturday afternoon (March 9). The Rebels rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half to earn their 20th victory of the season and secured a winning conference record heading into the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss was led by elite guard play from Shuler and Breein Tyree, who accounted for 39 of the Rebels' 73 points. Tyree poured in a game-high 21 points, his 17th game with 20 or more this season, going 3 of 4 from beyond the arc all while playing a team-high 38 minutes. Shuler added 18 points (career best in an SEC game) of his own on 7 of 9 shooting, matching Tyree's mark of three made from long range. The Rebels showed why they lead the conference in free throw percentage, going 19 of 21 at the line (90.5 percent). The defense showed up late in crunch time, as Ole Miss held Missouri without a field goal for the last three plus minutes.

CONVERTING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Shooting 78.5 percent as a team, Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks third nationally in free throw percentage. Five of the 11 Rebels that have attempted free throws this season are shooting over 83 percent from the stripe. Ole Miss has shot over 85 percent in 12 different games this season, including six games of 90 percent-or-better. Throughout the last 13 games, Ole Miss is 84.8 percent (190 of 224) 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. Against No. 6 Kentucky (March 5), the Rebels made 20 of 22 attempts (90.9 percent) before going 19 of 21 (90.5 percent) in the win at Missouri (March 9). Breein Tyree is an 83.1 percent free throw shooter (128 of 154) to rank fourth in the SEC among qualifiers. Bruce Stevens shoots 86.0 percent (37 of 43), and Devontae Shuler boasts an 83.3 percent clip (50 of 60) at the line.

TYREE ON A TEAR
Junior guard Breein Tyree is one the veteran leaders on the floor for Ole Miss, leading the Rebels to exceed preseason expectations. His consistency has allowed him to become the team's leading scorer, averaging 18.5 ppg to rank second in the SEC. Tyree is also second in scoring during conference play (19.1 ppg). He ranks fourth in the conference in free throw percentage (83.1 percent) as well as sixth in field goal percentage (47.6 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 17 games. Over the past 13 games, Tyree has broken the 20-point plateau in nine of them to average 20.6 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.

SINGLE-SEASON STEALS
Averaging 1.8 steals per game, sophomore Devontae Shuler ranks fourth in the SEC. He has recorded at least three steals in 10 different games this season, helping bring his total to 55. Shuler already ranks sixth at Ole Miss for steals in a single season. Senior Terence Davis is not too far behind with 52 steals, averaging 1.7 per game to sit sixth in the conference.

Ole Miss Single-Season Steals
   1. 89 - Gerald Glass (1989)
   2. 73 - Jason Smith (1999)
   3. 70 - Gerald Glass (1990)
   4. 58 - Murphy Holloway (2013); Rod Barnes (1988)
   6. 55 - Devontae Shuler (2019); Rahim Lockhart (2000); Ervin Garnes (1994); Eric Laird (1984)
   10. 54 - Eniel Polynice (2008)

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 1,170 career points through 97 games. He passed Ken Turner (1,159) and Rahim Lockhart (1,160) with 21 points at Missouri (March 9) to rank 29th on the all-time list. Teammate Terence Davis has already reached the historical mark, ranking 13th all-time with 1,492 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.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Through 119 career games, senior Terence Davis has 1,492 points to rank 13th in Ole Miss history. With 72 more points, he will find himself in the top 10 to end his Rebel career. In his final year on campus, Davis is averaging 15.5 ppg to rank seventh in the conference and shooting at a 45.5 percent clip (ninth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.4 per game) and rebounding (5.8 per game). With 25 points against No. 6 Kentucky on Senior Night (March 5), Davis passed Murphy Holloway (1,476). Next on his chase up the Ole Miss scoring chart is Aaron Harper (1,505). John Stroud is the Rebels' all-time scoring leader with 2,328 points. Davis also ranks sixth all-time in three-pointers attempted (504), seventh in three-pointers made (171) and 10th in steals (138).

CONFERENCE PLAY BRINGS OUT BEST IN TYREE
Breein Tyree has played better in SEC games in all three seasons as a Rebel. This year, he ranked second in the SEC in scoring during conference play, averaging 19.1 ppg after recording 17.7 ppg in non-conference games. 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.

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 29 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 two categories, sitting at fourth in steals as well as seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.7) . In the Emerald Coast Classic versus Cincinnati (Nov. 24), he tallied a career-high 24 points. 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. Shuler followed that up with a career-high five steals in the win over Missouri (Feb. 16). In the second go-round against the Tigers, he sparked a comeback with 18 points and three steals, his most points in an SEC game through this point of his career.

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 489 career wins (423 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 20 of his first 25 games. The Mississippi native joined the likes of former Ole Miss coach Homer Hazel (1926-30), who won 20 of his first 22 games and 23 of his first 25 games. Hazel's run extended into his second season as head coach after going 16-2 during the entire 1925-26 campaign.

PAVILION PACKED
With the home finale against No. 6 Kentucky selling out, a new average attendance record was set for The Pavilion. This season's home attendance mark was 7,816 per game, a 13 percent increase from last season. In the first full season in The Pavilion, the average attendance was 7,396. Moreover, the Rebels have the highest increased home attendance in the SEC for conference games (23.75 percent) this year. For SEC games, the 8,791 average attendance is up significantly from the 7,104 average last season. The Kentucky game was the fifth sellout of the season, another Pavilion record. The Pavilion has nine 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 (Feb. 2) and matchup versus No. 7 Tennessee (Feb. 27) were also sellouts.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
A win will keep the Rebels alive in the SEC Tournament. No. 2 seed Kentucky, ranked fourth in the nation, awaits either Ole Miss or Alabama in the quarterfinals. The second round winner will face the Wildcats Friday (March 15) at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. If the Crimson Tide becomes the first team to beat Ole Miss twice this season, the Rebels will head to Oxford and hope to hear their name called on Selection Sunday.

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Players Mentioned

Markel Crawford

Terence Davis

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

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