Men's Hoops Battles Georgia to Begin SEC Tournament

			OLE MISS (15-16, 6-12 SEC) vs. GEORGIA (15-16, 5-13 SEC) Wednesday, March 11 • 6 PM • Nashville, Tenn. Bridgestone Arena (19,395)
Watch • Listen • Live Stats Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Georgia Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Game Notes (PDF)

GAME 32
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Arena: Bridgestone Arena (19,395)
Television: SEC Network
   Tom Hart, play-by-play
   Andy Kennedy and Jon Sundvold, analysts
   Alyssa Lang, reporter
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: Georgia leads 73-45
Last Meeting: Jan. 25, 2020
   Ole Miss won 70-60; Athens, Ga.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels have won three straight against Georgia, including a 70-60 matchup in Athens this season (Jan. 25); the winning streak is our longest in the series since winning four straight from 1988-90.
- The trio of Breein Tyree (20), Khadim Sy (16) and KJ Buffen (14) combined for 50 points in the win over the Bulldogs in January.
- Breein Tyree has averaged 21.3 ppg the past three matchups against Georgia.
- Ole Miss has beaten every team in its path to the tournament's semifinals this season (Georgia, Florida, MSU).
- Breein Tyree earned First Team All-SEC honors, becoming just the third Rebel to be named First Team All-SEC twice by the conference coaches since that format began in 1993 (Ansu Sesay and Stefan Moody).
- Ole Miss has produced 15 All-SEC guards over the past 14 seasons.
- Breein Tyree averages 22.2 ppg in SEC play to rank second in the conference; he increased his scoring output from non-conference to SEC play in each of his four seasons.
- Ole Miss has won two SEC Tournaments (1981 and 2013); the Rebels defeated Dominique Wilkins and Georgia in the 1981 championsip game, 66-62, behind 22 points from Elston Turner.
- Kermit Davis has won four conference tournament championships as a head coach.
- The Rebels rank 14th nationally in defending the three-point line; opponents are shooting 28.9 percent.
- Breein Tyree is the SEC's leading active scorer with 1,779 career points, ranked seventh on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list; he is also sixth in program history in three-pointers made (204).
- Ole Miss starters have scored 1,089 of the team's 1,219 points in SEC play (89.3 percent).
- Breein Tyree has made 42 of his last 43 free throws (97.7 percent).
- All five starters are averaging double figures in wins: Breein Tyree (20.2 ppg), Blake Hinson (12.8 ppg), Devontae Shuler (11.9 ppg), KJ Buffen (11.5 ppg) and Khadim Sy (10.5 ppg).
- Devontae Shuler is two steals away from cracking the Ole Miss top 10 for steals in a season; he had 56 as a sophomore last year (7th most in a season), and his 141 career steals rank 10th in program history.

SEC LEADERS
- Breein Tyree ranks second in the SEC in scoring in conference play (22.2 ppg) and overall (19.7 ppg).
- Tyree is the SEC's active leader in career points (1,779) and field goals made (597).
- Devontae Shuler ranks third in the SEC in steals (1.8 per game) during conference play and fifth overall (1.7 per game).
- Shuler is one of two SEC guards (Ashton Hagans-Kentucky) to average at least 1.7 steals per game and boast at least a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio; both marks rank top five in the SEC.
- The Rebels are limiting opponents to a 28.9 three-point field goal percentage, including 28.4 percent in conference action to rank second in the SEC.
- Ole Miss ranks third in steals (7.0) during SEC play.

REBELS' SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Ole Miss has an overall record of 31-55 in 57 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 14 SEC Tournament games dating back to 2012. In five of the past nine seasons, the Rebels have won at least one game in the conference tournament.

SCOUTING GEORGIA
Georgia enters the first round game with a 15-16 record, including a 5-13 mark in SEC play. The Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back setbacks to Florida and LSU, but they won three of four prior to the losing week. The Bulldogs are led by SEC Freshman of the Year Anthony Edwards, who averages 19.5 ppg to sit third in the conference in scoring behind Breein Tyree. Edwards has taken more shots than any other player in the SEC (492), while making the second-most as well (201). Junior Rayshaun Hammonds adds 12.6 ppg to go along with a team-high 7.3 rpg. Tom Crean is in his second season as Georgia's head coach. Crean's previous stops include nine seasons at Indiana (2009-17) and nine seasons at Marquette (2000-08).

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's game will be the 119th meeting between the two schools as Georgia holds a 73-45 lead in the series. The series has been close as of late with Ole Miss winning 11 times over the past 21 matchups, including victories in the last three contests. The winning streak is Ole Miss' longest in the series since taking four straight from 1988-90. Ole Miss claimed a 70-60 victory in Athens (Jan. 25), the only meeting this season. The Bulldogs have won 8 of the 10 SEC Tournament matchups between the two, but Ole Miss has the biggest victory. Despite Dominique Wilkins scoring 20 points to help Georgia jump out to a 38-30 lead, the Rebels rallied back to beat the Bulldogs 66-62 in the 1981 SEC Tournament championship game. Elston Turner scored 22 points to lead Ole Miss to its first SEC Tournament crown in program history.

THIS SEASON'S MEETING
In front of a sold-out crowd at Stegeman Coliseum, Ole Miss shook off a hostile environment and earned a hard-fought 70-60 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs (Jan. 25). The Rebels shot 52.0 percent from the field while holding Georgia's leading scorer, Anthony Edwards, to just 13 points on 3 of 12 shooting to control the game and pick up the road win. Breein Tyree scored 20 points to pace Ole Miss offensively, his 10th game this season with 20 or more. The frontcourt duo of Khadim Sy and KJ Buffen combined for 30 points as well. Sy battled down low, scoring 16 points for his best SEC game as a Rebel on 6 of 12 shooting. In a return to his home state, Buffen added 14 points. The Gainesville, Georgia, native made 5 of 6 from the field, while making all four of his free throws. The Rebels dominated points in the paint, 38-20. Ole Miss held Georgia to a 30.9 field goal percentage (17 of 55). Edwards' 13 points led the way, although it was seven points below his season average.

LAST SEASON'S SWEEP
Game 1 (Athens, Ga.) - Ole Miss 80, Georgia 64: Breein Tyree broke the 1,000-point threshold en route to 31 points, a career high at the time, leading Ole Miss to an 80-64 victory over Georgia (Feb. 9, 2019). 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. Terence Davis was all over the stat sheet, scoring 12 points with five rebounds, four assists and four steals. 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.

Game 2 (Oxford, Miss.) - Ole Miss 72, Georgia 71: Behind a strong second half from Tyree, Ole Miss got back to its winning ways with a 72-71 victory over Georgia at The Pavilion (Feb. 23, 2019). 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. Devontae Shuler added 16 points. The Irmo, South Carolina, native knocked down four three-pointers, including the go-ahead long ball with 1:22 to go. 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. Rayshaun Hammonds scored 16 points, and Jordan Harris tallied 15 points for Georgia. Nicolas Claxton also reached double figures with 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting.

TYREE NAMED FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
For the second time in his career, Ole Miss guard Breein Tyree was named First Team All-SEC as the league office announced the honors Tuesday morning (March 10). The senior became just the third Rebel to be named First Team All-SEC twice by the conference coaches since that format of distinguishing first and second teams began in 1993, joining Ansu Sesay (1996-97, 1997-98) and Stefan Moody (2014-15, 2015-16). In his final year as a Rebel on the hardwood, Tyree is having the best season of his career. The Somerset, New Jersey, native averages 19.7 ppg to rank 33rd in the country. For the fourth straight season, Tyree increased his scoring average in SEC play by ranking second in the conference with 22.2 ppg. He is the third Rebel to average more than 20 points per game in SEC action since the 1998-99 season when stats started to be collected electronically. Only Moody averaged more, scoring 23.4 ppg during the 2015-16 season. Marshall Henderson averaged 20.4 ppg before leading the Rebels to the 2013 SEC Tournament title. While Tyree ranks eighth in the SEC in free throw percentage (82.3) and three-pointers made per game (2.1), those numbers were even better during conference play. The senior guard shot 85.8 percent from the line in SEC contests, ranking fourth, while draining 2.2 threes per conference game to sit seventh. Also in SEC games, Tyree shot 45.0 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from beyond the arc.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP COACH
Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis knows what it takes to win a conference tournament to lock up an NCAA Tournament berth, having accomplished the feat four times throughout his career. In both of his seasons as Idaho's head coach, 1988-89 and 1989-90, he led the Vandals to Big Sky Tournament titles along with their regular season crowns those years. Davis also captured back-to-back Conference USA Tournament championships while at Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders won the 2016 conference tournament before upsetting Michigan State as a No. 15 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, one of this biggest upsets in March Madness history. One year later (2017), Davis coached Middle Tennessee to another Conference USA title. As a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Raiders knocked off a Big Ten opponent once again by beating No. 5 seed Minnesota.

BREEIN LOVES SEC PLAY
Ole Miss senior Breein Tyree thrives against conference opponents. Not only is he the leading active scorer in the SEC (1,779 points), but he is the conference's second-leading scorer during league games (22.2 ppg). This isn't new to Tyree as his scoring output increased from non-conference action to SEC play in each of his four seasons. He 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. 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	22.2 ppg

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 14th nationally as opponents have shot just 28.9 percent from long distance. Ole Miss has kept opponents under 25 percent in 12 games this season.

TYREE'S BIG GAMES
Breein Tyree has 15 20-point games on the season, producing three such contests in November and three in December to go along with nine in SEC play. He has 37 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.

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 (20.2 ppg), Blake Hinson (12.8 ppg), Devontae Shuler (11.9 ppg), KJ Buffen (11.5 ppg) and Khadim Sy (10.5 ppg). In losses, Tyree (19.3 ppg) and Shuler (11.6 ppg) are the only Rebels scoring in double digits.

BLOWOUT WINS
Ole Miss' 26-point win over Vanderbilt (Feb. 29) was the team's largest margin of victory in conference play since an 88-61 win over Mississippi State (Jan. 31, 2017). The Rebels defeated the Bulldogs earlier this season (Feb. 11), 83-58, to give them a pair of SEC wins over 25 points-or-more. The last time Ole Miss won two conference games in a season by at least 25 points was during the 1951-52 campaign. The Rebels destroyed Georgia 103-52 (Jan. 7, 1952) before beating Georgia Tech 94-64 on the road (Jan. 14, 1952). The Yellow Jackets are now a member of the ACC.

CLOSE HEARTBREAKERS
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. Four of the Rebels' five 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.

CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
In his final year as a Rebel, senior guard Breein Tyree ranks seventh on the all-time scoring list with 1,779 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) and Elston Turner (1,805). Through 129 games in an Ole Miss uniform, Tyree has knocked down 204 three-pointers. Hitting a pair of treys at Auburn (Feb. 25), he became just the third Rebel in history to score at least 1,700 points and make at least 200 three-pointers over a career, joining Joe Harvell and Chris Warren.

VETERANS LEAD THE WAY
The Rebels are led by a veteran cast. Senior guard Breein Tyree (19.7 ppg), junior Devontae Shuler (11.5 ppg), sophomore Blake Hinson (10.2 ppg) and sophomore forward KJ Buffen (10.1 ppg) have accounted for 71.7 percent of the team's scoring this season. Tyree ranks second in the league in scoring, while Buffen paces the team in rebounding (6.1 per game) and blocks (0.9 per game). Shuler also leads the Rebels in assists (3.3 per game) and steals (1.7 per game), while ranking fifth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.8). After missing four games due to injury, Hinson has put together 14 double-digit scoring performances, starting 26 games following the injury to Luis Rodriguez.

SHULER STATS
Junior guard Devontae Shuler leads the Rebels in assists (3.3) and steals (1.7). The Irmo, South Carolina, native is one of two players in the SEC to record at least 1.7 steals per game and a 1.8 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 12 of the last 19 games. With a steal against Mississippi State (March 7), Shuler increased his career total to 141 to pass former teammate Terence Davis for 10th on the Ole Miss career steals list. 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 has six 20-point games over his career, including five this season.

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 31 games, one of only two Rebels to start each game, Buffen is averaging 10.1 ppg along with a team-best 6.1 rpg. His rebounding average is 17th 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 last week's victory over Missouri, Buffen produced his second career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. His play factors into the outcome of games. Buffen averages 11.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg in wins, while tallying 8.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg in losses.

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 504 wins over 796 games (.633 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 438 wins. He ranks 38th in victories among active Division I head coaches.

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). Averaging 7.9 ppg, he is only Raptor to play in all 64 of the team's games. Davis is the first Rebel to play in the NBA since Justin Reed (2005-07).

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 438 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 504 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.

ERIC LAIRD NAMED 2020 SEC LEGEND
The late Eric Laird, a Rebel who earned All-SEC accolades twice during the 1980s, will be honored along with the rest of the 2020 SEC Legends at the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, March 11-15, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. A four-year letterwinner from 1982-85, Laird ranks 16th on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list with 1,421 points. He ranks third in school history with 179 career steals. Laird became an Honorable Mention All-America pick as a junior (1984-85), finishing fourth in the SEC in both scoring (17.3 ppg) and steals (55). He scored in double figures in 25 of 28 games that year and was named SEC Player of the Week after combining for 47 points in wins over Georgia and Tennessee. As a sophomore, Laird helped the Rebels reach the NIT, where he recorded a school-record eight steals in the third round encounter at DePaul. Sadly, Laird passed away February 15, 2007 at the age of 43, but his legacy will live on as an SEC Legend.

RebelsCalendar

Next Event

Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Terence Davis

Blake Hinson

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

The University of Mississippi Athletics