Rivalry Renews Between Rebels and Bulldogs Tuesday

			OLE MISS (6-6, 1-4 SEC) at MSU (9-5, 4-2 SEC) Tuesday, Jan. 19 • 8 p.m. • Starkville, Miss. Humphrey Coliseum
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GAME 13
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Arena: Humphrey Coliseum (10,575)
Television: SEC Network
   Dave Neal, play-by-play
   Daymeon Fishback, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (XM-380, Internet-970)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: MSU leads 145-117
Last Meeting: March 7, 2020
   MSU won 69-44
   Starkville, Miss.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels and the Bulldogs are the SEC's most-played rivalry, having met 262 times.
- Ole Miss has won 10 of the last 14 matchups against MSU, including an 83-58 win in Oxford last year.
- The 25-point win was the Rebels' fifth-largest margin of victory in the 262-game history of the rivalry.
- Devontae Shuler scored 16 points in both games versus MSU last season; his 16 points in Starkville led the Rebels.
- The Rebels and Bulldogs have alternated wins in the last six rivalry matchups.
- Against Georgia on Saturday, Devontae Shuler (24) and Jarkel Joiner (22) gave Ole Miss a pair of 20-point scorers for the first time since Shuler had 21 points and Breein Tyree scored 28 against Alabama last season (Feb. 22, 2020).
- Jarkel Joiner's 22 points versus the Bulldogs Saturday gave him his first 20-point game as a Rebel.
- The Rebels shot 50.8 percent against Georgia, their best shooting percentage in an SEC game this season.
- After averaging 5.7 ppg over the first three SEC games, Devontae Shuler has averaged 22.5 ppg the past two conference contests.
- Ole Miss ranks 17th in the country in turnovers forced per game (17.7); the Rebels have forced at least 15 turnovers in 11 games this season.
- Entering his first rivalry matchup, Mississippi native Jarkel Joiner leads the Rebels in scoring during SEC play (12.2 ppg); Joiner has come off the bench in four of the five conference games.
- Luis Rodriguez leads the SEC with 22 steals on the season.
- Devontae Shuler has 163 career steals to rank fifth in program history.
- Ole Miss has gone with six different starting lineups over the first 12 games.
- All six of Ole Miss' wins this season have been by double digits (average margin of victory: 24.3); three of the Rebels' six losses have been by four points or less.
- Dating back to the 2019-20 season, 18 of the Rebels' last 21 wins have been by double digits.

SEC LEADERS
- The Rebels rank second in scoring defense (63.9) and turnover margin (+3.8).
- Luis Rodriguez leads the SEC in steals (22), while ranking fourth in steals per game (1.8).
- Devontae Shuler ranks second in the SEC with a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio.
- Shuler also ranks fourth in assists per game (4.3).
- Shuler is the SEC's active leader in career points (1,076), career steals (163) and career assists (291).

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
- MSU enters Tuesday's rivalry game with a 9-5 record, including a 4-2 mark in SEC play.
- The Bulldogs split their two home games last week, falling to Texas A&M before knocking off Florida.
- MSU boasts a +9.9 rebound margin, leading the SEC and ranking ninth nationally.
- Tolu Smith leads the rebounding effort, pulling down a conference-best 9.0 boards per game to go along with 13.8 ppg.
- Iverson Molinar (18.4 ppg) and D.J. Stewart Jr. (17.4) pace MSU in scoring as well as assists; both Bulldogs are dishing out 2.6 apg.
- Ben Howland is in his sixth season as MSU head coach, holding a 4-6 record against the Rebels.

SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs are Ole Miss' most-played opponent, having met 262 times on the hardwood, which is also the SEC's most-played rivalry. Mississippi State holds a 145-117 lead in the series, which began in 1914, but the Rebels have won 10 of the past 14 matchups, the best streak against the Bulldogs since winning 10 of 14 from 1980-86. Included in that stretch were eight straight wins from 1980-83. Ole Miss has won three of the past six meetings in Starkville. The two rivals have alternated victories the last six times the two have faced one another. MSU won the last matchup, protecting its home court.

INSIDE LAST YEAR'S RIVALRY VICTORY
Ole Miss had a special rivalry win over Mississippi State (Feb. 11, 2020). Here are some other notable nuggets from the 83-58 victory.
- The 25-point win was the Rebels' fifth-largest margin of victory in the 262-game history of the SEC's most-played rivalry.
- At the time, before the Rebels beat Vanderbilt by 26 later on last season, the 25-point win was Ole Miss' largest margin of victory in any SEC game since beating MSU by 27 (88-61, Jan. 31, 2017).
- Ole Miss trailed by 13 twice in the first half. It was the Rebels' largest deficit overcome in SEC play since rallying from down 13 to beat Mississippi State 64-58 (Jan. 6, 2018).
- Breein Tyree became the first Rebel to score 40 points in an SEC game since Stefan Moody dropped 43 against MSU (March 3, 2016).

RIVALRY CONNECTION
His alma mater is now his rival. Now in the Red and Blue, Kermit Davis is 2-2 against MSU. Davis earned a varsity letter playing basketball for the Bulldogs in 1982, completing his bachelor's degree in the same year. Two years later, he finished up school with a master's degree at MSU. Davis' father, Kermit Davis Sr., was MSU's head coach from 1971-77.

TAKING OVER FOR TYREE
Ole Miss will have to find someone else to lead in the rivalry following the graduation of Breein Tyree. Through eight games against MSU over his career, he averaged 19.6 ppg that included some clutch scoring down the stretch. In his first game in Starkville, Tyree exploded for 24 points to lead the Rebels to an 87-82 overtime victory at Humphrey Coliseum (Feb. 21, 2017). As a sophomore, Tyree scored all 16 of his points in the second half to rally the Rebels to another win in the rivalry (Jan. 6, 2018). In the first matchup with Kermit Davis on the Ole Miss sidelines (Jan. 12, 2019), Tyree scored the final four points of the game. His layup with one minute to go broke a 77-77 tie, and he converted two free throws with nine seconds remaining to finish with 19 points and lead the Rebels to an upset road victory. One month later in Oxford, he scored 25 points that included shooting 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Tyree saved his best game when he faced the rivals one final time in The Pavilion, scoring a career-high 40 points in an 83-58 blowout victory (Feb. 11, 2020).

ON THIS DATE: TWO SELLOUTS, TWO DIFFERENT BUILDINGS, TWO VICTORIES OVER ARKANSAS
- Jan. 19, 2019: No. 18 Ole Miss jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back, cruising to an 84-67 wire-to-wire win over Arkansas in front of a sellout crowd at The Pavilion. Ole Miss caused havoc on defense, converting 17 turnovers (13 steals) into 22 points. The Rebels also controlled the paint 44-28, holding Arkansas leading scorer Daniel Gafford to a season-low nine points. Breein Tyree tallied a game-high 22 points, scoring 11 in each half. Terence Davis stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and a career-high five steals.
- Jan. 19, 2013: A 30-minute power outage at a sold out Tad Smith Coliseum didn't stop the Rebels from getting off to their best start in SEC play (4-0) since the 1936-37 season. Marshall Henderson scored 16 points, Murphy Holloway added 15 and Ole Miss slowly pulled away late in the second half for a 76-64 victory over Arkansas.

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 (14.1 ppg) and assists (4.3 per game), while producing four 20-point games so far this season. His 2.1 assist/turnover ratio ranks second in the SEC. The Irmo, South Carolina, native has also found success at the line, going 28 of 33 (84.8 percent) on the 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). Last time out, he scored a season-high 24 points against Georgia.

HOMETOWN REB
No matter what his role is, starting in the backcourt or providing a spark off the bench, Jarkel Joiner makes an impact for his hometown team. In his first season in an Ole Miss uniform, the Oxford, Mississippi native leads the team in scoring during conference games (12.2 ppg). He came off the bench in the first four SEC contests before starting against Georgia on Saturday, leading to his best game as a Rebel. Knocking down 9 of 17 from the floor, Joiner helped lead a second half comeback that ultimately fell short. His effort concluded with a season-high 22 points.

SHULER STEALS
Senior Devontae Shuler is rising up the program's all-time steals list with 163 career steals. Getting two steals against Auburn (Jan. 6), he passed Gerald Glass (159) to move into fifth in Ole Miss history. Averaging 1.8 steals per game, Shuler ranks sixth in the SEC. He is nine steals away from tying Jason Harrison for fourth 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 2019-20 campaign.

MELLO'S WORLD
Graduate transfer Romello White has brought his toughness and physicality to Oxford, dominating the post. The Arizona State transfer is averaging 11.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg, ranking second on the team in both categories. White has been unstoppable down low, making 51 of his 76 attempts for a 67.1 percent clip. With 13 blocks over the first 12 games, White leads Ole Miss in blocks. 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 controlled 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

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 (6.9 per game) and steals (1.8 per game), while ranking second in assists (2.3 per game). His 22 steals lead the SEC, while his 6.9 rebounds per game rank ninth. 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.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
After the rivalry game, Ole Miss returns home to host Texas A&M (Jan. 23). Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network. It will be the fifth Saturday in a row that the Rebels play in The Pavilion.

RebelsCalendar

Players Mentioned

Jarkel Joiner

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Breein Tyree

Romello White

The University of Mississippi Athletics