Rivalry Weekend: Men's Hoops Battles MSU Saturday

			OLE MISS (12-8, 7-6 SEC) vs. MISSISSIPPI ST. (11-11, 5-8 SEC) Saturday, Feb. 20 • 5 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss
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GAME 21
Date: Feb. 20, 2021
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network
   Dave Neal, play-by-play
   Jon Sundvold, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (XM-190, Internet-961)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: MSU leads 145-118
Last Meeting: Jan. 19, 2021
   Ole Miss won 64-46
   Starkville, Miss.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- The Rebels and the Bulldogs are the SEC's most-played rivalry, having met 263 times.
- Ole Miss has won 11 of the last 15 matchups against MSU, including a 64-46 win in Starkville last month (Jan. 19).
- The 46 points were the fewest allowed by the Rebels in an SEC game since 2004.
- The Rebels were as far back as 85th in the NET on January 18, the day prior to the win over MSU; Ole Miss is now 56th in the NET.
- Ole Miss enters Saturday's contest with the longest active winning streak in the SEC; the Rebels are 4-0 in the month of February.
- Two of the four wins during the streak have been against top-10 teams, giving Ole Miss multiple top-10 victories for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
- Ole Miss is one of nine teams to have a perfect record against ranked teams this season (2-0).
- The Rebels rank 15th nationally in turnovers forced per game (16.9) and 17th with 172 steals.
- Ole Miss is coming off an 81-74 road victory at South Carolina Saturday, its first win in Columbia since 2014.
- In his return to his home state, Devontae Shuler scored a career-high 31 points against the Gamecocks (third-most points by an SEC player in a conference game this season).
- Devontae Shuler is averaging 21.8 ppg during the four-game winning streak.
- Ole Miss has shot at least 50 percent in each of the past three games, averaging 83.3 ppg; the last time the Rebels shot at least 50 percent in three straight SEC games was during the 2006-07 season.
- The Rebels are 8-0 when keeping opponents under 40 percent from the floor.
- Ole Miss is one of only two teams in the country to have four 1,000 point scorers: Dimencio Vaughn (1,266), Devontae Shuler (1,232), Romello White (1,147) and Jarkel Joiner (1,066).
- Dimencio Vaughn celebrated his 24th birthday on Thursday.
- Ole Miss was set to face LSU during the middle of the week before the game was postponed due to inclement weather (snow and ice).

HONORING A TRAILBLAZER: OLE MISS ERECTING STATUE OF COOLIDGE BALL
Fifty years ago, Coolidge Ball broke down walls at the University of Mississippi. On May 15, Ole Miss' first Black student-athlete will be celebrated with a life-size, bronze likeness erected in the north plaza of The Pavilion. On August 6, 1970, Ball signed the Rebels' last available basketball scholarship for that season. The Indianola, Mississippi, native was recruited by other schools such as Arizona State, Northwestern and New Mexico State, but his decision to attend Ole Miss opened the door for future Black student-athletes to make their way to the Oxford campus to wear the Red and Blue, not just in basketball, but other sports as well. Ball's ground-breaking career at Ole Miss saw him earn first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors from the league coaches in 1972 and 1973. He also earned second-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press in 1972 and 1973, was selected to the United Press International third team during all three of his varsity seasons (1972-73-74) and made the All-SEC Freshman team in 1970-71.His first varsity season came his sophomore year when he averaged 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, while leading the team with 42 assists. He scored a career-high 30 points against Vanderbilt and LSU that season and added a career-high 19-rebound performance against Southern Miss. Ball was instrumental in helping Ole Miss defeat SEC rivals Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi State in consecutive games in 1973. He scored 1,072 points during his varsity career, helped lead the Rebels to three straight winning seasons for the first time since 1936-38 and was one of the team's most respected players, earning team captain and MVP honors. A 1975 graduate of the University of Mississippi, Ball was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Ole Miss Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991 and was a member of the SEC Basketball Legends Class of 2005. When the University of Mississippi celebrated its "First 100 Years of Ole Miss Basketball" in 2009, it came as no surprise when Ball was selected to the All-Century Team.

SEC LEADERS
- The Rebels rank second in the SEC in scoring defense (63.8), turnover margin (+2.9) and turnovers forced (16.9).
- Jarkel Joiner is the conference's second-best free throw shooter, knocking down 83.6 percent from the line.
- Luis Rodriguez ranks third in steals, averaging 1.8 per game, Devontae Shuler is seventh (1.7 per game); the 69 steals between the two are the most by an SEC duo.
- Shuler also ranks in the SEC' top-10 averages for threes made (6th-2.2), minutes (6th-32.5), points (6th-16.3)assist/turnover ratio (6th-1.4), assists (7th-3.6) and free throw percentage (10th-80.0).
- Shuler is the SEC's active leader in career steals (176) and career assists (310), while second in points (1,232).

JOINING THE CONVERSATION
One month ago (Jan. 18), the Rebels found themselves 6-6 (3-4 SEC) and ranked 85th in the NET. However, Ole Miss went on the road and dominated rival MSU 64-46 before picking up another win over Texas A&M. After back-to-back road losses sent them back to .500, the Rebels reeled off four straight victories. With two of those wins coming over top-10 teams (Tennessee and Missouri), Ole Miss has moved up to No. 56 in the NET and into the conversation as a bubble team. An NCAA Tournament berth is now a possibility if the Rebels can keep the momentum going, something that did not look possible in January.

THROWBACK UNIFORMS
Ole Miss will don some special throwback uniforms for Saturday's game, 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. The Rebels debuted the throwback uniforms in a victory over Texas A&M (Jan. 23).

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
- MSU enters Saturday's rivalry game with an 11-11 record, including a 5-8 mark in SEC play following home losses to LSU and Vanderbilt last week.
- The Bulldogs boast a +6.9 rebound margin, leading the SEC and ranking 26th nationally.
- Iverson Molinar (16.9 ppg) and D.J. Stewart Jr. (16.7) pace MSU in scoring, while Tolu Smith adds 12.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg.
- Ben Howland is in his sixth season as MSU head coach, holding a 4-7 record against the Rebels.

SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs are Ole Miss' most-played opponent, having met 263 times on the hardwood, which is also the SEC's most-played rivalry. Mississippi State holds a 145-118 lead in the series, which began in 1914, but the Rebels have won 11 of the past 15 matchups, the best streak against the Bulldogs since winning 11 of 14 from 1929-33. Ole Miss holds an 85-44 advantage in Oxford, winning eight of the past nine at home that includes a 4-1 mark in The Pavilion (opened 2016). The first meeting of the season took place in Starkville (Jan. 19), and the Rebels controlled the contest for a 64-46 win.

INSIDE THE RIVALRY VICTORY
Ole Miss had a big road win over rival Mississippi State in the first matchup of the season (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).
- At the time, 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 a game-high 22 points.
- Oxford, Mississippi, native Jarkel Joiner added 12 points in his first taste of the rivalry.
- Dimencio Vaughn scored seven points off the bench, his most as a Rebel.

RIVALRY CONNECTION
His alma mater is now his rival. Now in the Red and Blue, Kermit Davis is 3-2 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.

MIDWEEK GAME POSTPONEMENT
In this ever-changing season unlike any other, Ole Miss had a midweek game added to its schedule before Mother Nature forced the game to be postponed. Here is a timeline of how the schedule changed throughout the week.
Feb. 14: With Ole Miss and LSU being the only two teams without a midweek game, having moved their original matchup to Jan. 9, the SEC decides to bring the Tigers back to Oxford in an effort for all 14 SEC teams to each play 18 conference games with a balance of home and away games during the 2021 season. The game is set back to its original date, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m. CT.
Feb. 15: Due to winter weather in the south, the conference pushes the game back to Feb. 18 with a 4 p.m. CT tipoff.
Feb. 17: With snow and ice still in the area, the SEC postpones seven men's and women's basketball games, including the Ole Miss-LSU matchup.

NEW MONTH, NEW REBELS
Ever since the calendar flipped to February, Ole Miss has looked like an entirely different basketball team. After back-to-back road losses to Arkansas and Georgia to end the first month of the year, the Rebels bounced back with a big victory over No. 10 Tennessee (Feb. 2). The narrow win provided a spark that Ole Miss took to the road, rallying from 14 down in the second half to beat Auburn 86-84 (Feb. 6) in overtime thanks to 30 points from Romello White and a buzzer-beater by Devontae Shuler. Ole Miss kept the momentum going when another top-10 team came into The Pavilion. The Rebels throttled No. 10 Missouri 80-59 (Feb. 10) for their second top-10 victory in eight days. Ole Miss then went on the road and took care of business, beating South Carolina 81-74 (Feb. 13) to move to 4-0 in the month of February.

WINNING STREAK NOTES
The Rebels have won four straight games, the longest active winning streak in the SEC. How have the Rebels become the hottest team in the conference?
- Ole Miss is shooting 49.1 percent from the field, including three straight games of 50 percent or better; the last time the Rebels made at least half of their buckets in three consecutive SEC games was during the 2006-07 season (Jan. 27-Feb. 3, 2007).
- During those three games of shooting at least 50 percent, Ole Miss scored at least 80 points in each contest.
- The Rebels are shooting 77.2 percent (71 of 92) from the free throw line; Prior to the winning streak, Ole Miss was making free throws at a 66.1 percent clip (203 of 307).
- Devontae Shuler is averaging 21.8 ppg over the four games, which includes shooting 40 percent (12 of 30) from beyond the arc.
- Romello White is averaging 16.0 ppg during the stretch, up from the 9.8 ppg before the streak began.
- Moving into the starting lineup for all four games, Robert Allen has scored 7.0 ppg; prior to the winning streak, he was averaging 3.6 ppg off the bench.
- Ole Miss has averaged 9.3 steals per game with three Rebels recording seven steals apiece: Shuler, Jarkel Joiner and Luis Rodriguez.

RETURNING HOME
Reigning SEC Co-Player of the Week Devontae Shuler returned home and put on one of his best performances in a Rebel uniform. The Ole Miss Rebels held on late and earned their fourth straight victory, knocking off South Carolina 81-74 behind a career-high 31 points (8 of 13 FG) for the Irmo, South Carolina, native Shuler. He also added a team-high seven rebounds, while Romello White (14) and KJ Buffen (12) also scored in double figures. Here are some additional notes from the win over the Gamecocks.
- Ole Miss increased its winning streak to four games, the longest active streak in the SEC; it's the second four-game SEC winning streak in three seasons under Kermit Davis.
- In his return to his home state, Shuler scored a career-high 31 points; Shuler's scoring output was the most by a Rebel this season.
- It was the 10th consecutive game that Shuler reached double figures as well as his first 30-point game of his career.
- Ole Miss knocked down a season-high 34 free throws, going 34 of 44 from the line.
- It was the most free throws the Rebels made in a game since making 40 versus Georgia Southern (Nov. 17, 2015).
- Buffen's 12 points off the bench were his most since scoring 18 versus Wichita State (Jan. 2).
- The Rebels had 11 steals, recording at least 10 steals for the seventh time this season.

30-POINT REBELS
Devontae Shuler and Romello White have put together 30-point games this season. Shuler got his career-high 31 points in a homecoming victory at South Carolina (Feb. 13), while White recorded a career-high 30 points in an overtime win at Auburn one week earlier (Feb. 6). The duo joined a select group of Rebels who have produced 30-point games over the past decade: Deandre Burnett, Terence Davis, Zach Graham, Marshall Henderson, Stefan Moody, Dundrecous Nelson, Breein Tyree and Chris Warren.

BUFFEN OFF THE BENCH
Coming off the bench last week, KJ Buffen looked more like himself as he contributed to a pair of victories. First, he stuffed the box score to help the Rebels to a victory over No. 10 Missouri (Feb. 10). The junior forward scored nine points to go along with team highs in rebounds (6) assists (4), steals (3) and blocks (2). He followed that performance with a 12-point output in the win at South Carolina (Feb. 13), reaching double figures for the first time since scoring a team-high 18 points versus Wichita State (Jan. 2). Buffen made all three of his shots, including one from long distance, while adding 5 of 8 from the free throw line.

ON THIS DATE
Throughout history, Ole Miss has had success against MSU on February 20. The Rebels have collected four rivalry victories on the date.
Feb. 20, 2008: Ole Miss used a suffocating defense and took advantage of a loud Tad Smith Coliseum in a 74-63 win over Mississippi State. Chris Warren scored 22 points, Dwayne Curtis had 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, and Ole Miss held the Bulldogs to 38.3 percent shooting.
Feb. 20, 1985: Ole Miss snapped a three-game losing streak to MSU with a 53-50 win in Oxford.
Feb. 20, 1982: The Rebel defense was strong all night long, limiting the Bulldogs to 30 points in a 24-point win. The victory was part of an eight-game winning streak for Ole Miss in the rivalry.
Feb. 20, 1932: Going to Starkville, Ole Miss took down Mississippi State 38-26 to wrap up a four-game season sweep over the rivals.

WINS OVER TOP-10 TEAMS
Ole Miss has 20 victories over top-10 teams throughout its history with two of them coming over the past four games. Earning wins over No. 10 Tennessee (Feb. 2) and No. 10 Missouri (Feb. 10), the Rebels now have three top-10 victories in three seasons under Kermit Davis. Only Rod Barnes (5) and Bob Weltlich (4) have more top-10 wins as Ole Miss head coach.

ANOTHER TOP-10 VICTORY
Ole Miss brought down another top-10 opponent in The Pavilion and upset No. 10 ranked Missouri 80-59 (Feb. 10). The Rebels put on one of their best offensive performances of the season, shooting 57 percent (29 of 51) from the floor with three Rebels in double figures. Jarkel Joiner led the way with 21 points (8 of 14), while Luis Rodriguez had a career-high 15 points. Devontae Shuler, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, also had 15 points, all of which came by going 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.
- Ole Miss earned its second victory over a top-10 team this season, earning multiple wins over top-10 teams for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign.
- The 21-point win was the largest margin of victory over a top-10 team since an 84-56 win over No. 6 Alabama (March 3, 2002).
- It was the third victory over a top-10 team in three seasons under Kermit Davis.
- The Rebels shot 56.9 percent from the floor, their best field goal percentage in an SEC game since Feb. 7, 2015 (57.8 percent vs. Auburn).
- Joiner scored a game-high 21 points, his third 20-point game of the season.
- Shuler recorded all 15 of his points from beyond the arc; his five three-pointers helped move him into ninth in program history for threes made (166), passing Jason Harrison (163).
- Rodriguez scored a career-high 15 points.
- It was the first time this season that three Rebels scored at least 15 points in the same game.
- Ole Miss held a 34-19 (+15) advantage on the boards.

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 15th in turnovers forced (16.9 per game) and 17th in total steals (172).
- 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
- Five games surrendering 50 points or less (first time since 2003-04 season)
- Has limited three SEC foes to 50 points or less, the first Ole Miss team since the 2000-01 Rebels that set a school record for wins (27) and advanced to the Sweet 16
- 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)

1K REBELS
Ole Miss is one of two teams (Oregon) in the country to have four 1,000-point scorers on its roster. Jarkel Joiner (1,064) was the latest Rebel to join the club with one of his first half jumpers at Arkansas (Jan. 27). Devontae Shuler (1,232) and Romello White (1,147) both cracked four digits in the SEC opener at Alabama (Dec. 29). Dimencio Vaughn (1,266) is the team's active leader in career points after recording 1,239 during his time at Rider.

RISING UP THE CAREER CHARTS
Playing in 117 games as a Rebel, senior guard Devontae Shuler continues to climb his way up the program record books. He already ranks top 10 in three categories and is nine assists away from cracking his fourth top 10.

Career Record	Shuler	Rank	Next Up	Record Holder
Steals	176	4th	3rd - Eric Laird (179)	Jason Smith (211)
3FG Attempted	487	9th	8th - Stefan Moody (494)	Chris Warren (900)
3FG Made	168	9th	8th - Terence Davis (176)	Chris Warren (334)
Assists	310	--	10th - Eniel Polynice (319)	Sean Tuohy (830)
Points	1,232	27th	26th - B.L. "Country" Graham (1,259)	John Stroud (2,328)

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 (16.3 ppg)and assists (3.6 per game), while producing seven 20-point games so far this season. He ranks in the SEC's top 10 in points (6th), assist/turnover ratio (6th), threes made (6th), assists (7th), steals (7th), and free throw percentage (10th). In the first 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 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). Coming through in the clutch, Shuler nailed a buzzer-beater, part of 26 points on the day, to lead Ole Miss to another win at Auburn (Feb. 6). He saved his best game as a Rebel when he returned to his home state of South Carolina, scoring a career-high 31 points in a victory over the Gamecocks (Feb. 13).

MELLO'S WORLD
Graduate transfer Romello White has brought his toughness and physicality to Oxford, dominating the post. The Arizona State transfer is averaging 11.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg. White has been a force down low, making 85 of his 128 attempts for a 66.4 percent clip. With 23 blocks over 20 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 led Ole Miss with team highs in points (20) and rebounds (11). He saved his best game for the other SEC team from Alabama, exploding for a career-high 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds in the overtime victory at Auburn (Feb. 6). He became the first Rebel to record a double-double with at least 30 points since Justin Reed accomplished the feat in 2004. The performance marked the 18th double-double of White's career, his second in an Ole Miss uniform.

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 12.4 ppg during conference games, second only to fellow guard Devontae Shuler (16.6 ppg). He leads the team in free throw shooting, making 83.6 percent of his attempts to rank second in the SEC. Joiner 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 scored a season-high 22 points. In the 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. Joiner led the Rebels to another top-10 victory with a game-high 21 points versus No. 10 Missouri (Feb. 10).

SHULER STEALS
Senior Devontae Shuler is rising up the program's all-time steals list with 176 career steals. Getting two steals against Auburn (Feb. 6), he passed Jason Harrison (172) to move into fifth in Ole Miss history. Averaging 1.7 steals per game, Shuler ranks fifth in the SEC. He is three steals away from tying Eric Laird for third 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.

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 (6.4 per game) and steals (1.8 per game) to go along with 7.8 ppg. He is third in the SEC in steals with the help of 13 multi-steal games. 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). In last week's win over No. 10 Missouri, Rodriguez scored a career-high 15 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds.

PROTECTING CRADDOCK COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark at Ole Miss. Over the past 15 seasons, the Rebels are 174-55 (.760 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 61-29 (.678) advantage against the opposition. Ole Miss has won 299 of its last 386 games (.775 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign. Under head coach Kermit Davis, the Rebels are 31-13 (.705 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.

WINNING BIG
When the Rebels win, they usually win big.
- Nine of the team's 12 victories this season have been by double digits, including six by at least 18 points.
- Dating back to last season, 21 of the 27 wins are double-digit victories.

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 449 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 516 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 matchup, the Rebels will look to sweep the season series with Missouri by heading to Columbia (Feb. 23). Ole Miss took down the then-No. 10 Tigers 80-59 earlier this month in The Pavilion (Feb. 10). Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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Players Mentioned

Robert Allen

KJ Buffen

Jarkel Joiner

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Breein Tyree

Dimencio Vaughn

Romello White

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