Men's Hoops Returns Home to Face Alabama

			OLE MISS (13-13, 4-9 SEC) vs. ALABAMA (14-12, 6-7 SEC) Saturday, February 22 • 7:30 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
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GAME 27
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network
   Mike Morgan, play-by-play
   Pat Bradley, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (XM - 374, Sirius/XM Internet - 374)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: Alabama leads 122-58
Last Meeting: March 14, 2019
   Alabama won 62-57
   Nashville, Tenn. (SEC Tournament)

PROMOTIONS
Space Jam Night: Commemorative poster to the first 1,000 fans

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels have beaten Alabama six straight times in Oxford, holding a 44-38 all-time series advantage at home.
- Seventy years ago (Feb. 22, 1950), Ole Miss took down the Crimson Tide 61-52 in Oxford.
- All 10 of Ole Miss' home victories this season have been by double digits; all four home losses have been by single digits with the three SEC games by four points or less.
- Breein Tyree is averaging 29.8 ppg over the past five games; the 149 points are the most by an SEC player in any five-game span over the past 10 seasons.
- Ole Miss has won its last three home games by an average of 18.7 points, all conference contests.
- The Rebels rank sixth nationally in defending the three-point line; opponents are shooting 28.1 percent; Ole Miss has limited the opposition to 18.1 percent (15 of 83) from beyond the arc over the past four games.
- Kermit Davis has coached 700 games as a Division I head coach (436-264 record).
- The Rebels are coming off back-to-back road losses by a combined eight points.
- Eleven of Ole Miss' 13 victories have been by double digits, including all four in SEC play; the Rebels are 1-6 in games decided by five points or less, including an 0-5 mark in conference contests.
- Breein Tyree is averaging 24.4 ppg in SEC play to lead the conference; he increased his scoring output from non-conference to SEC play in each of his first three seasons as well.
- Ole Miss starters have scored 796 of the team's 878 points in SEC play (90.7 percent).
- All five starters are averaging double figures in wins: Breein Tyree (21.0 ppg), Blake Hinson (12.1 ppg), Devontae Shuler (11.5 ppg), KJ Buffen (11.5 ppg) and Khadim Sy (10.3 ppg).
- En route to scoring 29 points Tuesday at Missouri, Breein Tyree (1,694 points) passed Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter (1,682 points) for seventh on the program's all-time scoring list; Tyree is one 3-pointer away from becoming the sixth Rebel in history to make 200 threes over a career.
- With 136 career steals, Devontae Shuler is four steals away from tying NBA Rebel/Toronto Raptor Terence Davis for 10th in Ole Miss history.

SEC LEADERS
- Breein Tyree leads the SEC in scoring in conference play (24.4 ppg) and ranks second overall (20.3 ppg); he is the SEC's active leader in career points (1,694) and field goals made (572).
- Tyree is the only SEC player to rank in the top 10 in all three shooting categories during conference play: three-point percentage (2nd-43.2), field goal percentage (6th-46.4), free throw percentage (9th-81.7)
- Devontae Shuler ranks second in the SEC in steals (2.1 per game) during conference play and fifth overall (1.8 per game).
- Shuler is one of two SEC guards (Ashton Hagans-Kentucky) to average at least 1.8 steals per game and boast at least a 1.7 assist/turnover ratio; both marks rank top five in the SEC.
- The Rebels are limiting opponents to 28.1 percent from beyond the arc, including just 26.8 percent in SEC play; both marks rank second in the conference.
- Ole Miss ranks third in steals (7.1) and scoring defense (68.5 ppg) during SEC play.

SCOUTING ALABAMA
Alabama enters Saturday's matchup with a 14-12 record, including a 6-7 mark in SEC play. The Crimson Tide is coming off a 74-68 home loss to Texas A&M (Feb. 19). Alabama is the one of the country's highest scoring teams, averaging 82.6 ppg to rank second nationally. The Crimson Tide uses the long ball for its scoring success, making 11 three-pointers per game. That output also ranks second in the nation. Kira Lewis Jr., the reigning SEC Player of the Week, leads Alabama in scoring (17.5 ppg), assists (5.0 per game) and steals (1.9 per game). He ranks second in the SEC in steals and third in assists, while leading the conference in playing time (37.7 mpg). John Petty Jr. adds 15.0 ppg and a team-high 7.0 rpg. SEC Freshman of the Week Jaden Shackelford averages 14.7 ppg. The duo of Petty and Shackelford have combined for 150 made threes this season. Nate Oats is in his first season as Alabama head coach following the departure of Avery Johnson. Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa after spending four seasons as the head coach at Buffalo, where he led the Bulls to three NCAA Tournament appearances.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the 181st meeting between the two schools. The Crimson Tide holds a 122-58 lead in the series, which began in 1921, but the Rebels have a 44-38 advantage in Oxford. Ole Miss has won six straight home games against Alabama, including a perfect 2-0 in The Pavilion. The Crimson Tide competed in the first game in the history of The Pavilion (Jan. 7, 2016), when the Rebels protected their new home court with a 74-66 victory. Alabama last won in Oxford 12 years ago (Feb. 28, 2008).

LAST TIME WE MET
It was a tale of two halves in an SEC Tournament matchup (March 14, 2019), as Ole Miss jumped out to a 14-point lead at the break. However, Alabama used second chance points and control of the glass to upset the Rebels 62-57 at Bridgestone Arena. Devontae Shuler scored 14 points, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and produced a career-best two blocks to pace Ole Miss. The Rebels saw their big men have success, including 12 points from Bruce Stevens on 5 of 6 shooting. The senior forward showed his range by knocking down both of this three-point attempts, while Blake Hinson made a pair of his own en route to nine points and six rebounds. KJ Buffen added eight points off the bench. As a team, Ole Miss forced 16 turnovers on the night, turning them into 16 points. Alabama was led by 21 bench points from Tevin Mack. Kira Lewis Jr. added 13 points, while Galin Smith recorded 11 of his own. Donta Hall pulled down 15 rebounds to help the Crimson Tide control the boards 50-30 and tally 23 second chance points.

OLE MISS-ALABAMA CONNECTION
Ole Miss assistant coach Levi Watkins and Alabama head coach Nate Oats were assistants under Bobby Hurley at Buffalo (2014-15). In two seasons, the pair helped guide the Bulls to a 42-20 record that included two MAC titles (one tournament, one regular season) and the school's first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

ON THIS DATE
- Feb. 22, 1950: Ole Miss beat Alabama at home 61-52.
- Feb. 22, 1958: B.L. "Country Graham" collected his 100th win as head coach, making him the first Ole Miss coach to reach the century mark, as the Rebel defeated Tulane 83-68.
- Feb. 22, 1992: Ole Miss protected Tad Smith Coliseum with an 86-78 win over rival Mississippi State; the victory was the last for Ed Murphy as the Rebels' head coach, whose six-year tenure ended following the season. Murphy passed away Sunday (Feb. 16, 2020) at the age of 78, and a moment of silence will be held prior to Saturday's game in remembrance of the former coach.

DEFENDING THE LONG BALL
Ole Miss has become one of the best teams in defending the new three-point line this season. The Rebels rank sixth nationally as opponents have shot just 28.1 percent from long distance. Ole Miss has kept opponents under 25 percent in 10 games this season, including three of the past four contests. Over the past four games, the opposition has shot a combined 15 for 83 (18.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

HOME COOKIN'
When the Rebels are victorious at home, they win in dominating fashion. All 10 of Ole Miss' wins in The Pavilion have been by double digits, outscoring the opposition by an average of 18.8 ppg (76.9-58.1). The Rebels are shooting 49.8 percent in home victories. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has held the opposition to 37.2 percent, including just 23.5 percent from three-point range.

CLOSE HEARTBREAKERS
Ole Miss enters Saturday's matchup following back-to-back narrow, road losses by a combined eight points. Close games have gone against the Rebels all season long. Ole Miss is 1-6 in games decided by five points or less, including 0-5 in SEC play. All four of the Rebels' losses at home have been by single digits with three SEC games decided by four points or less. Had some of the close games gone in favor of the Red and Blue, Ole Miss would be looking at a chance to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

TYREE THE TERROR
Breein Tyree has been unstoppable over the past five games. Leading Ole Miss to three victories during that stretch, the senior has averaged an astounding 29.8 ppg. The 149 points are the most by an SEC player over any five-game span in the past 10 years. Tyree has shot 50.5 percent (48 of 95) from the floor, including 47.1 percent (16 of 34) from beyond the arc. Getting to the charity stripe, he is shooting 84.1 percent (37 of 44) through the five contests.

BALANCED SCORING LEADS TO VICTORIES
It's no secret that a balanced offense helps in seeking victories. When Ole Miss finds that balance, it usually leads to positive outcomes. In wins, all five Rebel starters average double figures: Breein Tyree (21.0 ppg), Blake Hinson (12.1 ppg), Devontae Shuler (11.5 ppg), KJ Buffen (11.5 ppg) and Khadim Sy (10.3 ppg). In losses, Tyree (19.5 ppg) and Shuler (10.8 ppg) are the only Rebels scoring in double digits.

BREEIN LOVES SEC PLAY
Ole Miss senior Breein Tyree thrives during conference play. Not only is he the leading active scorer in the SEC (1,694 points), but he paces the conference in scoring during league games. This isn't new to Tyree as his scoring output increased from non-conference action to SEC play in each of his first three seasons. He has kept the trend going as a senior, scoring 26 points against Texas A&M (Jan. 7) in the conference opener before tallying 27 versus Arkansas (Jan. 11). After missing the Florida game due to a back injury, Tyree returned better than ever and scored 36 points versus LSU (Jan. 18). With those performances, Tyree became the first Rebel to score at least 25 points in each of the first three SEC games of the season since Joe Harvell (1992). During the 1991-92 campaign, Harvell started conference play with four consecutive 30-point games. Since then, Tyree added a 38-point performance against South Carolina (Feb. 5) and a 40-point night versus Mississippi State (Feb. 11).

Tyree's Seasons	Non-Conference	SEC
2016-17 (Freshman)	5.1 ppg	9.3 ppg
2017-18 (Sophomore)	9.0 ppg	12.3 ppg
2018-19 (Junior)	16.5 ppg	19.1 ppg
2019-20 (Senior)	16.5 ppg	24.4 ppg

OLE MISS DROPS ANOTHER CLOSE BATTLE AT MISSOURI
Another game coming down to the wire went against Ole Miss Tuesday night, as Missouri protected its home court with a 71-68 victory. The Rebels rallied from a 10-point second half deficit, but clutch free throw shooting lifted the Tigers to the win. Breein Tyree, the SEC's leading scorer in conference play, continued his production with 29 points. The game was a battle between two guards as Missouri's Xavier Pinson scored 32 points, including going 10 of 11 from the line. Khadim Sy added 14 points and seven rebounds, shooting a perfect 5 for 5 from the floor and 3 of 3 from the line. KJ Buffen pulled down a team-high eight boards to go along with 13 points. Missouri made 23 of 27 (85.2 percent) from the line, while pulling down 15 offensive rebounds that led to 12 points. Once again, the Rebels defended the long ball well by holding the Tigers to 6 of 22 (27.3 percent) from behind the arc.

A PERFECT HOMESTAND
The Rebels had a perfect homestand (Feb. 5-11), earning double-digit victories over South Carolina (Feb. 5), Florida (Feb. 8) and Mississippi State (Feb. 11). Here are some key stats to the three victories.
- Ole Miss won by an average of 18.7 points.
- Defensively, the Rebels limited the opposition to 59.7 ppg; the 179 points are their fewest allowed in a three-game conference stretch since surrendering 179 points through three victories in 2015 (Jan. 28-Feb. 4).
- The Rebels shot 43.8 percent (21 of 48) from beyond the arc, while holding the opposition to 22.0 percent (13 of 59) from three-point land.
- Starters recorded 224 of the team's 235 points (95.3 percent).
- Ole Miss scored 63 points off turnovers.
- Breein Tyree led the team in scoring in all three games, averaging 33.7 ppg.
- Freshman Antavion Collum averaged 21.3 minutes per game to lead the bench in playing time; prior to the winning streak, Collum was averaging 7.5 minutes per game.

TYREE'S BIG GAMES
Breein Tyree has 14 20-point games on the season, producing three such contests in November and three in December to go along with eight in SEC play. He has 36 20-point games over his Ole Miss career. His biggest game as a Rebel was a career-high 40 points to lead Ole Miss to a blowout win over rival Mississippi State (Feb. 11), the most points by a Rebel since Deandre Burnett scored 41 points against Oral Roberts (Nov. 18, 2016). It was the most scored by an Ole Miss player in an SEC game since Stefan Moody dropped 43 to lead the Rebels over MSU on his senior night (March 3, 2016). Tyree also had 34 against Middle Tennessee (Dec. 14), 36 versus LSU (Jan. 18) and 38 against South Carolina to give him six 30-point games for his career.

VETERANS LEAD THE WAY
The Rebels are led by a veteran cast. Senior guard Breein Tyree (20.3 ppg), junior Devontae Shuler (11.2 ppg), sophomore Blake Hinson (10.3 ppg) and sophomore forward KJ Buffen (9.9 ppg) have accounted for 71.1 percent of the team's scoring this season. Tyree ranks second in the league in scoring, while Buffen leads the team in rebounding (6.1 per game) and blocks (0.9 per game). Shuler also paces the Rebels in assists (3.5 per game) and steals (1.8 per game), both top 10 in the SEC, while ranking fifth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.7). After missing four games due to injury, Hinson has put together 11 double-digit scoring performances, starting 21 games following the injury to Luis Rodriguez.

SHULER STATS
Junior guard Devontae Shuler leads the Rebels in assists (3.5) and steals (1.8). The Irmo, South Carolina, native is one of two players in the SEC to record at least 1.8 steals per game and a 1.7 assist/turnover ratio, joining Kentucky's Ashton Hagans in the conference's top five of each category. He has recorded at least two steals in 11 of the last 14 games, sitting just four steals away from cracking the top 10 on the Ole Miss career steals list. Shuler has provided some consistency offensively, reaching double figures in 13 of the past 18 games which include the best two games of his career. Over the past seven games, Shuler is averaging 14.7 ppg. Against No. 16 Auburn (Jan. 28), he took over after Breein Tyree fouled out and finished with 26 points in 48 minutes of the double overtime battle. Shuler followed that performance with a career-high 28 points at No. 22 LSU (Feb. 1). He now has five 20-point games over his career, including four this season.

DAVIS EARNS 500TH CAREER WIN
Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis picked up his 500th win as the Rebels defeated South Carolina at home (Feb. 5). In his 25th season as a college basketball head coach, Davis has collected 502 wins over 791 games (.635 winning percentage). His head coaching career started as a 24-year old at Southwest Mississippi Community College in 1984, the youngest junior college coach in the country, and he earned 66 victories over three season in the junior college ranks. Four years later at the age of 28, Davis became Idaho's head coach and was the youngest Division I head coach in the nation. Through 22 seasons as a Division I head coach, which includes becoming the winningest coach in Middle Tennessee and Sun Belt Conference history, Davis has 436 wins. He ranks 38th in victories among active Division I head coaches.

NEEDING BUFFEN
KJ Buffen was a primary bench player during his freshman campaign, but the 6-foot-7 forward is an important piece of the Ole Miss lineup as a sophomore. Starting all 26 games, one of only two Rebels to start each game, Buffen is averaging 9.9 ppg along with a team-best 6.1 rpg. His rebounding average is 19th in the conference. The Gainesville, Georgia, native is also leading the team in blocks (0.9). Buffen tallied a career-high 23 points in a win over Norfolk State (Nov. 12) before producing his second career 20-point game to close out the calendar year against Tennessee Tech (Dec. 29). In the return to his home state, Buffen was 5 of 6 from the field and made all four of his free throws, tallying 14 points to help Ole Miss beat Georgia (Jan. 25). His play factors into the outcome of games. Buffen averages 11.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg in wins, while tallying 9.1 ppg and 4.8 rpg in losses.

CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
In his final year as a Rebel, senior guard Breein Tyree ranks seventh on the all-time scoring list with 1,694 points. That career output leads all active players in the SEC. The Somerset, New Jersey, native scored 29 points at Missouri (Feb. 18) to pass current Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter (1,682). Next on Tyree's climb up the charts is Justin Reed (1,785). Through 124 games in an Ole Miss uniform, Tyree has knocked down 199 three-pointers to sit one shy from becoming the sixth Rebel in history to make 200 threes over a career.

YEAR TWO OF THE DAVIS ERA
Kermit Davis is in his second season at the helm of Ole Miss Basketball. A nine-time conference coach of the year, Davis is 38th among active Division I head coaches with 436 career wins over 22 seasons, including stints at MT, Idaho and Texas A&M. In 25 seasons as a college basketball head coach, he has amassed 502 wins. Davis wasted no time making an impact in Oxford. With the Rebels coming off a last-place finish in 2017-18, the media picked Ole Miss to land at the bottom of the SEC standings again in 2018-19. However, the Rebels posted a 20-13 record to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. With a return to March Madness for the sixth time in his career, Davis joined a list of 63 coaches in college basketball history to take three different schools to the NCAA Tournament. Davis was named SEC Coach of the Year by his peers and the Associated Press, earning conference coach of the year accolades for the ninth time in his career. He became the sixth Ole Miss coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year honors, while joining Andy Kennedy as the only Rebel coaches to collect the award in their first year in Oxford.

TD IN THE NBA
The Rebels are without 2018-19 Second Team All-SEC guard Terence Davis, who ranks 13th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,512 points. After going undrafted, Davis turned heads in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and quickly earned a multi-year deal with the reigning champion Toronto Raptors. Davis has become a regular in the Raptors' rotation to start the NBA season. The Southaven, Mississippi, native matched LeBron James with 13 points in the Raptors' win over the Lakers (Nov. 10). Last month (Jan. 8), Davis was called upon to make his first career start, and boy did he deliver. The NBA Rebel scored 23 points and pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds, both team highs, to record his first double-double and lead the Raptors to a victory over the Hornets. Kicking off February, Davis tallied a career-high 31 points off the bench to help the Raptors beat the Bulls (Feb. 2). He made his second career start Feb. 8, tallying 20 points in the franchise's record-breaking 14th straight win. Averaging 7.9 ppg, he is only Raptor to play in all 55 of the team's games. Davis is the first Rebel to play in the NBA since Justin Reed (2005-07).

DEFENDING HOME COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark at Ole Miss. Over the past 14 seasons, the Rebels are 164-51 (.763 win pct.) in home games. In four-plus seasons (opened January 2016) playing in the $96.5 million Pavilion at Ole Miss, the Rebels hold a 51-25 (.671) advantage against the opposition. Ole Miss has won 289 of its last 372 games (.777 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign. Under second year head coach Kermit Davis, the Rebels are 21-9 (.700 win pct.) at home.

PACK THE PAVILION
After a new average attendance record (7,816) was broken during the 2018-19 campaign, a 13 percent increase from the previous season, another record was set this season with 5,100 season ticket holders and counting. Last season, the Rebels had the highest increased home attendance in the SEC for conference games (23.75 percent). For SEC games, the 8,791 average attendance was up significantly from the 7,104 average during the 2017-18 campaign. Five sellouts in 2018-19 also broke another Pavilion record. The Pavilion has nine sellouts in its history (opened in January 2016). Against No. 16 Auburn (Jan. 28), over 2,000 students showed up to cheer on the Rebels. It was the highest student attendance in Pavilion history.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
After the home contest, the Rebels return to the road for the third time in four games. Ole Miss continues its stretch of battling teams from the state of Alabama, heading to Auburn to face the Tigers for the second time this season (Feb. 25). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Auburn escaped with an 83-82 double overtime win in Oxford last month (Jan. 28).

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Antavion Collum

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

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