Men's Hoops Travels South to Face Florida Tuesday

			OLE MISS (6-4, 1-2 SEC) at Florida (5-3, 2-2 SEC) Tuesday, Jan. 12 • 6 p.m. • Gainesville, Fla. Exactech Arena
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GAME 11
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Arena: Exactech Arena (10,151)
Television: SEC Network
   Tom Hart, play-by-play
   Jon Sundvold, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (XM-380, Internet-970)
   Eli Savoie, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: Florida leads 67-47
Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2020
   Ole Miss won 68-51
   Oxford, Miss.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Ole Miss and Florida split last season's series with each team winning on its home floor.
- The Rebels won the last meeting 68-51; Florida's 51 points were the fewest surrendered by Ole Miss in an SEC game since a 67-47 win at Missouri (Jan. 31, 2015).
- KJ Buffen is averaging 17.0 ppg against Florida over his career (three games).
- Orlando, Florida native Robert Allen returns to his home state.
- After wrapping up a three-game homestand, four of the Rebels' next six games are on the road.
- Ole Miss is coming off a setback to LSU (Jan. 9), a game that was scheduled on Jan. 8 due to COVID issues within the South Carolina and Missouri programs; Ole Miss was slated to host South Carolina, while LSU was scheduled to travel to Missouri.
- The Rebel bench averaged 34.5 ppg over last week's games, accounting for 51.2 percent of the team's points; the first eight games prior to that, the Ole Miss bench scored only 29.6 percent of the Rebels' points.
- Ole Miss' leading scorer in each of the past two games has been a bench player (Khadim Sy - 13 vs. Auburn, Austin Crowley - 10 vs. LSU).
- Ole Miss ranks 11th in the country in turnovers forced per game (18.6); the Rebels have forced at least 15 turnovers in all 10 games this season.
- Luis Rodriguez leads the SEC with 2.0 steals per game.
- Dating back to the 2019-20 season, 18 of the Rebels' last 21 wins have been by double digits.
- Devontae Shuler has 161 career steals to rank fifth in program history.
- Over their six victories, the Rebels are outscoring opponents in the paint by an average of 37.7-17.3.
- Devontae Shuler (1,033) is four points away from passing Todd Abernethy (1,036) for 40th on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list; Abernethy was an assistant coach at Ole Miss when Shuler was a freshman.
- On this date two years ago (Jan. 12, 2019), Ole Miss went on the road and beat No. 14 Mississippi State 81-77; the Rebels moved to 3-0 in SEC play with the rivalry win and vaulted into the Top 25 in Kermit Davis' first season.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
- Having forced at least 15 turnovers in all 10 games this season, Ole Miss ranks 11th nationally in turnovers forced per game (18.6).
- The Rebels are the nation's 23rd-best scoring defense, allowing only 61.7 ppg.

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in turnovers forced (18.6).
- The Rebels rank second in scoring defense (61.7) and turnover margin (+4.2) and field goal percentage defense (39.4).
- Luis Rodriguez leads the SEC in steals (2.0), while ranking fourth in defensive rebounds per game (5.2).
- Devontae Shuler ranks fourth in steals (1.9) and assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
- Shuler is the SEC's active leader in career points (1,033), career steals (161) and career assists (280).

SCOUTING THE GATORS
- Florida enters Tuesday's matchup with 5-3 record (2-2 SEC) after back-to-back conference losses to Alabama and Kentucky.
- The Gators rank 12th in the nation with 5.4 blocks per game.
- Four Gators are averaging double figures in SEC play: Colin Castleton (15.8 ppg), Anthony Duruji (12.5 ppg), Tre Mann (11.5 ppg) and Tyree Appleby (10.8 ppg).
- Castleton ranks second in the SEC in field goal percentage, shooting 64.3 percent in conference play.
- Ole Miss alum and former assistant coach Mike White is in his sixth season as Florida's head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's game will be the 115th meeting between the Rebels and the Gators. Florida holds a 67-47 lead in the series, which began in 1940. Twelve of the last 17 games in the series have been decided by seven points or less. Last year, the season series was split with each team winning on its home floor.

LAST TIME WE MET
Ole Miss used an all-around performance on both sides of the floor to roll past Florida 68-51 in The Pavilion (Feb. 8, 2020). Holding the Gators to their lowest point total of the season, the Rebels allowed their fewest in an SEC game since 2015. The Ole Miss defense forced 15 turnovers, which led to 16 points on the other end. Florida was limited to a 33.3 percent clip (18 of 54) from the field, including only 21.7 percent (5 of 23) from beyond the arc. The Gators entered the contest averaging 77.2 ppg in SEC play. KJ Buffen continued his strong play against the Gators, falling just one rebound short of a double-double (14 points, nine rebounds). He also added four assists without committing a turnover. Devontae Shuler stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting as well as five assists, three steals and three rebounds. As a team, the Rebels shot 47.3 percent (26 of 55).

REBEL-GATOR CONNECTIONS
- The Gators are led by former Ole Miss letterwinner Mike White. A point guard for the Rebels from 1996-99, White helped Ole Miss to 74 wins, two SEC West titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances in his four years in Oxford. A co-captain as a senior, White ranks seventh in Ole Miss history with 370 career assists. After his playing career, White served as an Ole Miss assistant coach for seven seasons, including five under Andy Kennedy.
- Ole Miss seniors Devontae Shuler and Khadim Sy, as well as Florida forward Keyontae Johnson, played at Oak Hill Academy. However, the two Rebels were never teammates with the Gator.

BIG GAME BUFFEN VS. FLORIDA
A native of Gainesville, Georgia, junior forward KJ Buffen steps up his game when facing the Florida Gators. Averaging 8.3 ppg over his career, his scoring output is 17.0 ppg over three matchups against the Gators. That includes making 20 of 21 (95.2 percent) from the free throw line. He scored 17 points off the bench in Gainesville, Florida as a freshman before scoring a game-high 20 points at Exactech Arena last season. In the last matchup, an Ole Miss victory in The Pavilion, Buffen nearly put together a double-double with 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

ON THIS DATE
- Jan. 12, 2019: In enemy territory, Ole Miss outlasted No. 14 Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum 81-77. It was the Rebels' second win over a top 15 tam in four days after beating No. 10 Auburn earlier in the week. Improving to 3-0 in SEC play in Kermit Davis' first season, Ole Miss earned a spot in the top 25 the following week en route to a trip to the NCAA Tournament at the end of the season.
- Jan. 12, 2013: Murphy Holloway scored a game-high 22 points to lead Ole Miss to a 64-49 victory over No. 10 Missouri. Jarvis Summers added 12 points. He and Holloway helped offset a mediocre night from Marshall Henderson (currently a graduate manager for the Rebels), the SEC's leading scorer who finished with only 11 points on 4 of 11 shooting. Later that season, Henderson led the Ole Miss to an SEC Tournament title and a spot in March Madness.
- Jan. 12, 1980: Ole Miss protected its home court, cruising past the Gators 85-65. The Rebels won at Florida later that year to complete a season sweep.

TOUGH DEFENSE
Head coach Kermit Davis loves a team that plays good defense with toughness. His Rebels have been that team this season, starting off as one of the best defensive squads in college basketball. Ole Miss kept its first four opponents under 60 points, accomplishing the feat for the first time since the 1944-45 season (76 years). The Rebels allowed their fewest points (316) over the first six games of the season since the 1980-81 campaign (307). Overall, Ole Miss is at the top of the SEC and the country in several defensive categories.

Category	Stat	SEC Rank	NCAA Rank
Turnovers Forced	18.6	1st	11th
Scoring Defense	61.7	2nd	23rd
Turnover Margin	+4.2	2nd	28th

BENCH STEPS UP
Over the two games last week, the Ole Miss bench stepped up in a major way. It started with Wednesday's 72-61 victory over Auburn (Jan. 6) in which the Rebels' bench outscored the Tigers' bench 34-9. Khadim Sy scored a team-high 13 points, matching his season total heading into the contest. Austin Crowley brought down a team-high 10 rebounds off the bench, easily passing his previous career high of four, to go along with a career-high four steals. Against LSU Saturday (Jan. 9), Crowley came off the bench to score a team-high 10 points, his most ever in an SEC game. The bench recorded 35 of the Rebels' 61 points with all six bench players appearing in the contest scoring at least two points. Over the first eight games of the season, the Ole Miss bench accounted for 29.6 percent of the team's points. Last week (two games), that production increased to 51.2 percent of the Rebels' scoring.

SHULER STEALS
Senior Devontae Shuler is rising up the program's all-time steals list with 161 career steals. Getting two steals against Auburn (Jan. 6), he passed Gerald Glass (159) to move into fifth in Ole Miss history. After finishing second on the team in steals as a freshman (32), Shuler produced 56 steals his second year in Oxford, the most ever by an Ole Miss sophomore and seventh-most by any Rebel in a single season. He led the team last year as well, compiling 54 (1.7 per game) throughout the season.

NUGGETS FROM LAST WEEK'S WIN OVER AUBURN
- Ole Miss beat Auburn 72-61 in its SEC home opener, beating the Tigers for the 13th time in the past 17 matchups.
- The Rebel bench outscored Auburn's bench 34-9.
- Devontae Shuler dished out 10 assists, the most by a Rebel since Jarvis Summers had 10 in the NCAA Tournament First Four game versus BYU (March 17, 2015).
- Khadim Sy scored a team-high 13 points off the bench; Sy had 13 points on the season entering the game.
- Sy went 3 for 3 from beyond the arc for a new career high in threes made; he went into the game 8 of 29 (27.6 percent) for his career.
- Austin Crowley brought down a team-high 10 rebounds off the bench, easily passing his previous career high of four.; he also added a career-high four steals.
- Freshman Matthew Murrell made his first career start.

MELLO'S WORLD
Graduate transfer Romello White has brought his toughness and physicality to Oxford, dominating the post. The Arizona State transfer is averaging 11.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg, ranking second on the team in both categories. He leads the team in scoring against SEC competition, bumping his average to 12.0 ppg. White has been unstoppable down low, making 45 of his 66 attempts for a 68.2 percent clip. With 13 blocks over the first 10 games, White sits eighth in the SEC in blocks per game. Earning his first start as a Rebel, he made seven of his eight shot attempts on his way to a game-high 20 points versus UNCW (Dec. 12). It was the fourth 20-point game of White's collegiate career and the first since February 4, 2018 (at Washington State) when he was a freshman at Arizona State. In his first SEC Game, at Alabama (Dec. 29), White had his best game as a Rebel with team highs in points (20) and rebounds (11). It marked the 17th double-double of his career, his first in an Ole Miss uniform.

CONTROLLING THE PAINT
Ole Miss has dominated the paint in wins, outscoring opponents by an average of 20.4 points (37.7-17.3). Here's a look at paint points for each victory.

	Ole Miss	Opponent
vs. Jackson State	38	14
vs. UNCW	50	20
vs. Central Arkansas	22	18
at Middle Tennessee	48	16
vs. UT Martin	40	14
vs. Auburn	28	22

SHULER TAKES COMMAND
With All-SEC guards Terence Davis and Breein Tyree graduated and continuing their careers in the professional ranks, Devontae Shuler has become the Rebels' leader. Shuler paces the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and assists (4.1 per game), while producing three 20-point games so far this season. His 1.9 steals per game rank fourth in the SEC. The Irmo, South Carolina, native has also found success at the line, going 23 of 27 (85.2 percent) on the young season. In the win over Auburn (Jan. 6), Shuler's career-high 10 assists were the most by a Rebel since Jarvis Summers dished out 10 in the NCAA Tournament win over BYU (March 17, 2015).

LUIS GOT GAME
After going one full year without playing (season-ending foot injury on November 27, 2019), Luis Rodriguez has returned to become a leader for the Rebels. The Los Angeles, California, native paces the team in rebounds (7.4 per game) and steals (2.0 per game), while ranking second in assists (2.7 per game). His 2.0 steals per game leads the SEC, while his 7.4 rebounds per game rank seventh. In the win over UNCW (Dec. 12), Rodriguez produced his first career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. He pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds at Dayton (Dec. 19), the most by a Rebel since Sebastian Saiz pulled down 15 in the NIT quarterfinals versus Georgia Tech (March 21, 2017).

YEAR THREE OF THE DAVIS ERA
Kermit Davis is in his third 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 444 career wins over 23 seasons, including stints at MT, Idaho and Texas A&M. In 26 seasons as a college basketball head coach, he has amassed 510 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 just the third active coach (Dana Altman, Bob Huggins) to be named coach of the year in four different conferences.

LATE START
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the college basketball season was pushed back to November 25. Then, the virus hit the Rebels, forcing the cancellation of the Justin Reed Ole Miss Classic (Nov. 25-27) as well as a matchup against Memphis (Dec. 5). The program paused team activities until December 7. When the Rebels tipped off their season Dec. 10, Ole Miss was the final Power 5 team (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) to start its season. Ole Miss wasted no time in getting games in, playing four over a one-week span. The Rebels' first six games were over 13 days.

UNDERRATED REBELS
For the SEC's annual preseason poll, a panel consisting of SEC and national media members picked the Rebels to finish ninth in the conference standings this season. That shouldn't worry Ole Miss fans, as the Rebels have placed higher than the media's projection in seven of the last nine seasons since the SEC went away from the divisional format. That includes the 2018-19 campaign when Ole Miss was predicted to finish last in the SEC, only to tie for sixth and return to the NCAA Tournament under first year head coach and 2019 SEC Coach of the Year Kermit Davis.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
After the quick trip to Florida, the Rebels return home to host Georgia for a Saturday morning matchup (Jan. 16). Tipoff from The Pavilion is slated for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.

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Players Mentioned

Robert Allen

KJ Buffen

Austin Crowley

Matthew Murrell

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

Romello White

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