Ole Miss Quickly Prepares for LSU

			OLE MISS (6-3, 1-1 SEC) vs. LSU (7-2, 2-1 SEC) Saturday, Jan. 9 • 7:30 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss
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GAME 10
Date: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021
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
   Mark Wise, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network
   Eli Savoie, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: LSU leads 124-88
Last Meeting: Feb. 1, 2020
   No. 22 LSU won 73-63
   Baton Rouge, La.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels and Tigers game was put together Friday following 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 original matchup between Ole Miss and LSU was scheduled for February 17.
- With games played in Oxford, Ole Miss leads the series 56-36.
- Saturday's matchup will feature the SEC's best defense in terms of field goal percentage (Ole Miss) against the conference's best shooting team (LSU).
- The Rebels are wrapping up a three-game homestand and have a 5-1 record in The Pavilion this season.
- Head coach Kermit Davis spent five seasons (1998-2002) as LSU's associate head coach, helping the Tigers to a Sweet 16 appearance during the 1999-2000 season.
- Devontae Shuler scored a career-high 28 points the last time Ole Miss faced LSU (Feb. 1, 2020 in Baton Rouge).
- The Rebels have outscored opponents by an average of 77.8-57.3 at home (+20.5 scoring margin).
- Ole Miss ranks 12th in the country in turnovers forced per game (18.9); the Rebels have forced at least 15 turnovers in all nine games this season.
- The Rebels are limiting opponents to 38.4 percent shooting, the best field goal percentage defense in the SEC.
- Dating back to the 2019-20 season, 18 of the Rebels' last 21 wins have been by double digits.
- In Wednesday's win over Auburn, Devontae Shuler dished out a career-high 10 assists, the most by a Rebel since Jarvis Summers had 10 in the NCAA Tournament First Four game versus BYU (March 17, 2015).
- Ole Miss has led at the half in eight of its nine games this season.
- Devontae Shuler has 160 career steals to rank fifth in program history.
- Khadim Sy scored a team-high 13 points off the bench in Wednesday's victory over Auburn, matching his season total heading into the game.
- The bench scored 34 of the Rebels' 72 points in the victory over Auburn.
- Over their six victories, the Rebels are outscoring opponents in the paint by an average of 37.7-17.3.

LEADING THE NATION
- Having forced at least 15 turnovers in all nine games this season, Ole Miss ranks 12th nationally in turnovers forced per game (18.9).
- The Rebels are the nation's 17th-best scoring defense, allowing only 60.2 ppg.
- Ole Miss' +5.1 turnover margin ranks 18th in the country.
- The Rebels are 23rd nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.4).

SEC LEADERS
- Ole Miss leads the SEC in turnovers forced (18.9) and field goal percentage defense (38.4).
- The Rebels rank second in scoring defense (60.2) and turnover margin (+5.1).
- Luis Rodriguez ranks second in the SEC in steals (2.1), while Devontae Shuler ranks third (2.0).
- Shuler's 1.8 assist/turnover ratio sits third in the conference.
- Shuler is the SEC's active leader in career points (1,031), career steals (160) and career assists (276).

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- LSU enters Saturday's contest following a 94-92 overtime victory over Georgia (Jan. 6).
- The Tigers lead the SEC in field goal percentage (49.2), free throw percentage (77.6) and steals (9.3).
- Freshman guard Cameron Thomas (24.8 ppg) is the SEC's leading scorer, ranking fifth in the nation.
- Three other Tigers average double figures: Trendon Watford (17.4 ppg), Javonte Smart (15.3 ppg) and Darius Days (13.3 ppg).
- The four Tigers averaging double digits make up 77 percent of LSU's scoring.
- Smart is 22 of 46 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc to lead the conference in three-point shooting.
- Will Wade is in his fourth season as the Tigers' head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
The series with the Tigers, which began in 1909, is the second-longest in Ole Miss Basketball history. LSU leads the all-time series 124-88. The last 16 matchups have been split with each team winning eight times. Ole Miss holds a 56-36 advantage in games played in Oxford.

LAST TIME WE MET
LSU protected its home floor (Feb. 1, 2020), handing the Rebels a 73-63 loss despite Devontae Shuler's big day. Coming off the best game of his career, Shuler led the Rebels in scoring for the second straight game. The guard eclipsed his 26-point night versus No. 16 Auburn by scoring a career-high 28 points against LSU. He went 8 of 17 from the floor, including five three-pointers, while going a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line. Javonte Smart scored 21 points to lead LSU. Marlon Taylor and Trendon Watford added 13 points apiece. As a team, the Tigers shot 47.9 percent (23 of 48) throughout the contest. They also went to the line frequently, going 23 of 34 (67.6 percent) as three different Rebels fouled out.

ON THIS DATE
- Jan. 9, 2019: Terence Davis scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Ole Miss to an 82-67 victory over No. 10 Auburn. The Rebels controlled the game from the tip, leading throughout to secure their ninth straight win and earn a signature victory in the first SEC home game under head coach Kermit Davis. It was also Ole Miss' first victory over a top 10 team in six years. Freshman KJ Buffen added 16 points off the bench. Devontae Shuler reached double figures as well, tallying 14 points.
- Jan. 9, 2016: The second game ever in The Pavilion came down to the final seconds. Stefan Moody dribbled through Georgia defenders and converted an awkward, rim-rattling layup with 3.8 seconds remaining to give the Rebels a 72-71 comeback win. Moody scored 29 points with seven assists and three steals. Sebastian Saiz and Rasheed Brooks added 14 points and 10 rebounds apiece for the Rebels.

REBEL-TIGER CONNECTIONS
- Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis spent five seasons (1998-2002) at LSU as associate head coach before going to Middle Tennessee and becoming the winningest coach in school history. Davis' time on the bayou was highlighted by a 28-6 record during the 1999-2000 season, which resulted in a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
- The Rebels will also see a familiar face on the opposing sideline Saturday. LSU assistant coach Bill Armstrong spent 11 seasons (2007-17) at Ole Miss alongside former head coach Andy Kennedy. He served five seasons as coordinator of basketball operations before being promoted to assistant coach for six years.
- The leading scorers for both teams, Devontae Shuler (13.8 ppg) of Ole Miss and Cameron Thomas (24.8 ppg) of LSU, both played high school basketball at Oak Hill Academy; however, the two were not teammates since Thomas was a freshman at Oscar Smith HS when Shuler was a senior at Oak Hill.

NUGGETS FROM WEDNESDAY'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).
- Shuler recorded two steals, giving him 160 for his career and moving him past Gerald Glass (159) into fifth on the program's all-time steals list.
- 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.
- Ole Miss forced 16 Auburn turnovers; the Rebels have forced at least 15 turnovers in all nine games this season.
- Freshman Matthew Murrell made his first career start.

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	18.9	1st	12th
Scoring Defense	60.2	2nd	17th
Turnover Margin	+5.1	2nd	18th
FG% Defense	38.4	1st	23rd

HOME COOKIN'
When the Rebels were victorious at home last season, they won in dominating fashion. Eleven of Ole Miss' 12 wins in The Pavilion were by double digits, outscoring the opposition by an average of 18.5 ppg (77.5-59.0). The Rebels finished with a 12-5 record at home last season. That trend continued into the 2020-21 season with five victories by an average of 20.5 points.

Opponent	Final	Margin of Victory
Jackson State	80-45	+35
UNCW	78-58	+20
Central Arkansas	68-54	+14
UT Martin	90-43	+47
Auburn	72-61	+11

PROTECTING CRADDOCK COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark at Ole Miss. Over the past 15 seasons, the Rebels are 171-53 (.763 win pct.) in home games. In five-plus seasons (opened January 2016) playing in the $96.5 million Pavilion at Ole Miss, the Rebels hold a 58-27 (.682) advantage against the opposition. Ole Miss has won 296 of its last 381 games (.777 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign. Under head coach Kermit Davis, the Rebels are 28-11 (.718 win pct.) at home.

PAVILION ATTENDANCE
In accordance with the State of Mississippi's most recent executive order in response to COVID-19, capacity at The Pavilion at Ole Miss has been reduced to 10 percent for Rebel basketball games through at least January 15.

SHULER STEALS
Senior Devontae Shuler is rising up the program's all-time steals list. With 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.

MELLO'S WORLD
Graduate transfer Romello White has brought his toughness and physicality to Oxford, dominating the post. The Arizona State transfer is averaging 12.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg, ranking second on the team in both categories. He has been unstoppable down low, making 43 of his 63 attempts for a 68.3 percent clip. With 13 blocks over the first nine games, White sits seventh 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 but 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 (13.8 ppg) and assists (4.1 per game), while producing three 20-point games so far this season. His 2.0 steals per game rank third in the SEC. The Irmo, South Carolina, native has also found success at the line, going 21 of 25 (84.0 percent) on the young season. In the win over Auburn (Jan. 6), Shuler's career-high 10 assists were the most by a Rebel in six years.

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 (7.7 per game) and steals (2.1 per game), while ranking second in assists (2.9 per game). His 2.1 steals per game rank second in the SEC, while his 7.7 rebounds per game rank sixth. 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 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.

1K REBELS
In the SEC opener at Alabama (Dec. 29), a pair of Rebels went over 1,000 points for their respective careers. Devontae Shuler had a breakaway dunk in the first half to reach 1,000 and now has 1,031 career points, all at Ole Miss. Shuler became the 41st Rebel to score at least 1,000 points in an Ole Miss uniform. Romello White matched his teammate later in the first half before finishing with a team-high 20 points. White has 1,039 points over his career with 927 of them coming at Arizona State.

NEXT ON THE HARDWOOD
With the three-game homestand coming to an end, the Rebels head to the Sunshine State to face Ole Miss alum Mike White and the Florida Gators. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Austin Crowley

Matthew Murrell

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

Romello White

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