Men's Hoops Begins Road Week Wednesday at Arkansas

			OLE MISS (8-6, 3-4 SEC) at Arkansas (12-4, 4-4 SEC) Wednesday, Jan. 27 • 7:30 p.m. • Fayetteville, Ark. Bud Walton Arena

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GAME 15
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Fayetteville, Ark.
Arena: Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Television: SEC Network
   Roy Philpott, play-by-play
   Mark Wise, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (XM-384, Internet-974)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: Arkansas leads 49-33
Last Meeting: Jan. 11, 2020
   Arkansas won 76-72
   Oxford, Miss.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Ole Miss begins a stretch with three of the next four games on the road.
- KJ Buffen (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Devontae Shuler (10 points, 11 rebounds) recorded double-doubles in last year's matchup against Arkansas.
- The Rebels are coming off back-to-back wins over Mississippi State (64-46) and Texas A&M (61-50), holding SEC opponents to 50 points or less in consecutive games for the first time since 1982.
- Ole Miss is 7-0 when holding opponents under 40 percent from the floor.
- The Rebels have held four opponents to 50 points or less this season, accomplishing the feat for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
- All eight of Ole Miss' wins this season have been by double digits (average margin of victory: 21.9); three of the Rebels' six losses have been by four points or less.
- Dating back to the 2019-20 season, 20 of the Rebels' last 23 wins have been by double digits.
- The Rebels rank 17th in the country in scoring defense (61.6).
- Jarkel Joiner is three points away from becoming the fourth Rebel on the team to have 1,000 points over their Division I careers, joining Dimencio Vaughn (1,264), Devontae Shuler (1,115) and Romello White (1,072).
- After scoring just 17 points total (5.7 ppg) in the first three SEC games, Devontae Shuler has scored at least 17 points in each of the past three conference contests (20.5 ppg).
- The duo of Jarkel Joiner and Devontae Shuler accounted for 72 of the team's 125 points (57.6 percent) last week; Shuler averaged 19.5 ppg and Joiner recorded 16.5 ppg over the two victories.
- Ole Miss ranks 19th nationally in turnovers forced per game (17.3), forcing at least 15 turnovers in 12 games.
- Devontae Shuler (156) is two made three-pointers away from tying Todd Abernethy (158) for 10th in program history; Abernethy was an assistant coach at Ole Miss during Shuler's freshman season.
- Ole Miss has recorded at least 10 steals in four of the past six games.
- Kermit Davis is one of three active coaches to be named coach of the year in four different conferences.

SEC LEADERS
- The Rebels rank second in scoring defense (61.6), turnover margin (+3.6) and turnovers forced per game (17.3).
- Ole Miss is the only SEC team to have two players ranked in the conference's top five in steals; Devontae Shuler (1.9 per game) ranks second, while Luis Rodriguez (1.7 per game) is fifth.
- Shuler ranks second with a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio.
- Shuler also ranks fifth in threes made per game (2.2).
- Shuler is the SEC's active leader in career points (1,115), career steals (168) and career assists (296).

SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS
- Arkansas enters Wednesday's matchup with a 12-4 record, including a 4-4 mark in SEC play after back-to-back victories over Auburn (75-73) and Vanderbilt (92-71).
- The Razorbacks lead the SEC in scoring, averaging 85.0 ppg to also rank ninth nationally.
- Through eight games of SEC play, Arkansas has scored 640 points (80.0 ppg) while also giving up 640 points (80.0 ppg).
- Five Razorbacks average double figures led by freshman guard Moses Moody (17.3 ppg).
- JD Notae (13.7 ppg) comes off the bench to rank second on the team in scoring, while Desi Sills (11.7 ppg), Jalen Tate (11.5 ppg) and Justin Smith (10.9 ppg) crack double digits as well.
- Eric Musselman is in his second season as Arkansas head coach after spending four years as the head coach of Nevada.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's game will be the 83rd meeting between the two schools, with the Razorbacks holding an all-time series lead of 49-33. The series began in 1937 and Arkansas won 32 of the first 38 meetings, but Ole Miss has won 27 of the last 44 meetings and 12 of the last 21. The Razorbacks have won the past four meetings in Fayetteville, while a 96-82 victory was the Rebels' last win in Bud Walton Arena (Jan. 17, 2015).

LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
Ole Miss got double-doubles from KJ Buffen and Devontae Shuler along with 27 points from Breein Tyree, but it wasn't enough as the Rebels dropped a back-and-forth battle to Arkansas (Jan. 11, 2020). A career-high 34 points from Isaiah Joe allowed the Razorbacks to rally from a halftime deficit and escape The Pavilion with a 76-72 win. Tyree broke the 20-point plateau against Arkansas for the third straight time. Buffen and Shuler tallied career highs in rebounds to produce the first double-doubles of their careers. Buffen had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Shuler added 10 points and a team-high 11 boards. As a team, the Rebels dominated the glass 40-28. Both teams made their free throws, combining for 47 of 53 (88.7 percent) at the line. Ole Miss set a Pavilion record by making 25 of 26 (96.2 percent), the third-best free throw percentage in school history and the best in 12 years.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
Head coach Kermit Davis loves a team that plays good defense with toughness. The Rebels have put up some historical defensive numbers so far this season, while ranking 17th nationally in scoring defense (61.6) and 19th in turnovers forced (17.3 per game).
- With wins over Mississippi State (64-46) and Texas A&M (61-50), held SEC opponents to 50 points or less in back-to-back games for the first time since 1980
- Four games surrendering 50 points or less (first time since 2011-12 season)
- Kept first four opponents under 60 points, accomplishing the feat for the first time since the 1944-45 season (76 years)
- Fewest points allowed (316) over the first six games of the season since the 1980-81 campaign (307)

DYNAMIC DUO
The backcourt led the Rebels to a pair of victories last week. The dynamic duo of Jarkel Joiner and Devontae Shuler scored 72 of the team's 125 points (57.6 percent) to go along with eight steals on the defensive end of the floor. Shuler's game-high 22 points, along with Joiner's 12 points, allowed Ole Miss to cruise to a 64-46 victory over Mississippi State (Jan. 19). The roles were reversed against Texas A&M (Jan. 23) with Joiner leading the way. The Oxford, Mississippi, native tallied 21 points, while Shuler was close behind with 17 points in the 61-50 win. The two were the only Rebels to reach double figures in both victorious contests.

DEVONTAE DOING DAMAGE
After getting off to a slow start in SEC play, scoring a total of 17 points (5.7 ppg) over the first three games, Devontae Shuler has exploded to return to the player that the Rebels have relied on all season long. The senior guard has scored at least 17 points in each of the past four conference games, averaging a whopping 20.5 ppg over the stretch.

	Points	FG	FG%	3FG	3FG%	FT	FT%
Jan. 12 at Florida	19	7-14	50.0	2-5	40.0	3-3	100
Jan. 16 vs. Georgia	24	9-19	47.4	3-5	60.0	2-3	66.7
Jan. 19 at MSU	22	8-13	61.5	4-8	50.0	3-4	75.0
Jan. 23 vs. Texas A&M	17	6-15	40.0	3-8	37.5	2-2	100
TOTAL	82	30-61	49.2	12-26	46.2	10-12	83.3

ON THIS DATE
- Jan. 27, 2016: Stefan Moody scored 24 points, including 19 in an explosive second half, and Marcanvis Hymon added 19 points and 10 boards as Ole Miss routed Auburn 80-63. Hymon posted his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Rebels, rallying from a 30-29 halftime deficit. The Rebels were 28 of 62 (45 percent) from the field, including 19 of 34 (56 percent) in the second half.
- Jan. 27, 2009: Terrico White and David Huertas each scored 21 points, and Ole Miss upset No. 24 Kentucky 85-80. Neither Kentucky's Jodie Meeks nor Huertas - the SEC's Nos. 1 and 3 scorers - managed a field goal in the first half. But Huertas hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds gone in the second half, and the injury-ravaged Rebels managed to overcome 24 points from Patrick Patterson for a rare win over the Wildcats.

WINNING BIG
When the Rebels win, they win big.
- All eight victories this season have been by double digits with an average margin of victory 21.9 points.
- Dating back to last season, 20 of the 23 wins are double-digit victories.
- Every SEC win over the past two seasons (2019-20, 2020-21) has been by at least eight points with eight of them being double-digit victories; the average margin of victory in the conference games is 15.4 points.

THROWBACK UNIFORMS
Ole Miss donned some special throwback uniforms in the win over Texas A&M (Jan. 23), honoring the 2000-01 team and its 20th anniversary of a run to the Sweet 16. Led by SEC Coach of the Year Rod Barnes along with All-SEC honorees Jason Harrison, Rahim Lockhart and Justin Reed, the Rebels went 27-8 to set a school record for wins in a single season. That mark included an 11-5 record in conference play for an SEC Western Division title. In the Big Dance, Ole Miss narrowly escaped past Iona 72-70 before upsetting No. 19 Notre Dame 59-56. Trailing to the Fighting Irish with 48 seconds to go and the shot clock winding down, Harrison nailed a three to give the Rebels the lead for good to put them in the Sweet 16 for the first time ever. The team's run ended with a loss to Arizona, the eventual national runner-up.

SHULER TAKES COMMAND
With All-SEC guards Terence Davis and Breein Tyree graduated and both continuing their careers in the Toronto Raptors organization, Devontae Shuler has become the Rebels' leader. Shuler paces the team in scoring (14.9 ppg), assists (4.1 per game) and steals (1.9 per game), while producing five 20-point games so far this season. His 1.8 assist/turnover ratio ranks second in the SEC. 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). He scored a season-high 24 points against Georgia (Jan. 16) and followed up that performance with 22 points to lead the Rebels to a rivalry victory over MSU (Jan. 19).

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 has bumped his scoring average to 13.4 ppg during conference games, second only to fellow guard Devontae Shuler (14.1 ppg). He came off the bench in the first four SEC contests before starting against Georgia (Jan. 16), 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. In last week's win over MSU (Jan. 19), his first game in the rivalry, Joiner helped lead Ole Miss to victory with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a career-high two blocks. He followed that performance with a game-high 21 points in a win over Texas A&M (Jan. 23), his second 20-point night over a three-game stretch.

SHULER STEALS
Senior Devontae Shuler is rising up the program's all-time steals list with 168 career steals. Getting two steals against Auburn (Jan. 6), he passed Gerald Glass (159) to move into fifth in Ole Miss history. Averaging 1.9 steals per game, Shuler ranks second in the SEC. He is four 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 10.4 ppg and 5.4 rpg. White has been unstoppable down low, making 53 of his 78 attempts for a 67.9 percent clip. With 17 blocks over the first 14 games, White leads Ole Miss in blocks and ranks ninth in the SEC. 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.

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 (6.8 per game), while ranking second in assists (2.1 per game) and steals (1.7 per game). He is fifth in the SEC in steals, while his rebounding ranks 10th. 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).

INSIDE THE RIVALRY VICTORY
Ole Miss had a big road win over rival Mississippi State last week (Jan. 19). Here are some other notable nuggets from the 64-46 victory.
- Ole Miss beat MSU for the 11th time in the past 15 matchups.
- The 46 points were the fewest the Rebels have allowed in the rivalry since Feb. 25, 1995.
- It was also the fewest Ole Miss has allowed in an SEC game since Feb. 6, 2004 (55-45 win over Arkansas).
- It was just the 12th time over the past 20 seasons that the Rebels kept an SEC opponent under 50 points, including just the third time it happened on the road.
- Devontae Shuler scored 22 points, his 11th career 20-point game and fifth of the season.
- Dimencio Vaughn scored seven points off the bench, his most as a Rebel.
- Shuler recorded three steals, his fourth game this season with at least three steals.
- Luis Rodriguez recorded his ninth multi-steal game of the season.
- The win marked the sixth time since 2010 the Rebels won an SEC road game by at least 15 points, including the second under Kermit Davis.

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 446 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 512 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
Up next, Ole Miss remains on the road by traveling to Georgia (Jan. 30). The Rebels and Bulldogs will meet for the second time in two weeks, and Ole Miss will look to avenge a loss from the first matchup. Tipoff from Athens, Georgia is set for 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Jarkel Joiner

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Breein Tyree

Dimencio Vaughn

Romello White

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