Men's Hoops Heads to Music City to Face Vanderbilt

			OLE MISS (13-9, 8-7 SEC) at VANDERBILT (6-13, 2-11 SEC) Saturday, Feb. 27 • 2:30 p.m. • Nashville, Tenn. Memorial Gymnasium
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GAME 23
Date: Feb. 27, 2021
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Arena: Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Television: SEC Network
   Kevin Fitzgerald, play-by-play
   Dane Bradshaw, 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: Vanderbilt leads 76-47
Last Meeting: Feb. 29, 2020
   Ole Miss won 86-60
   Oxford, Miss.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Ole Miss has won eight of the last 10 matchups vs. Vandy, including the last four meetings in Memorial Gymnasium.
- The Rebels and Commodores will face off each of the next two Saturdays after the SEC added a matchup in Oxford for March 6.
- Devontae Shuler is one of only two players in the SEC to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (9th), assists (8th) and steals (7th); Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr. is the other player.
- Ole Miss' 26-point win over the Commodores last year was the team's largest margin of victory in an SEC game since beating Mississippi State by 27 (88-61, Jan. 31, 2017).
- Devontae Shuler scored a team-high 18 points in last season's matchup.
- The Rebels are 5-1 in the month of February.
- Two of the five wins this month 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 3-0 against ranked teams this season, one of nine teams in the country to be undefeated against top-25 opponents.
- The Rebels are coming off a 60-53 win at No. 24 Missouri, winning their third straight SEC road game for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
- Ole Miss is now 57th in the NET. The Rebels were as far back as 85th in the NET on January 18.
- The Rebels rank 21st nationally in turnovers forced per game (16.8) and total steals (181).
- Ole Miss is shooting 77.9 percent (95 of 122) from the free throw line over the past six games; through the first 16 games of the season, the Rebels were making free throws at a 66.1 percent clip (203 of 307).
- The Rebels have held 10 opponents to less than 60 points, including five SEC foes and all three ranked teams.
- Devontae Shuler (178) is one steal away from moving into third in program history for career steals.
- The Rebels are 9-0 when keeping opponents under 40 percent from the floor.
- Robert Allen celebrated his 21st birthday on Wednesday.

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 (63.4).
- Luis Rodriguez ranks third in steals, averaging 1.8 per game.
- Devontae Shuler ranks in the SEC's top-10 averages for threes made (6th-2.0), minutes (6th-33.0), steals (7th-1.6), assists (8th-3.3), points (9th-15.6) and assist/turnover ratio (10th-1.3); he joins Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr. as the only two SEC players to rank in the top 10 in points, assists and steals.
- Shuler is the SEC's active leader in career steals (178) and career assists (312), while second in points (1,250).

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) and winning five of the past six, Ole Miss has moved up to No. 57 in the NET and into the conversation as a bubble team. An NCAA Tournament berth is now a possibility if the Rebels can keep racking up wins, something that did not seem possible in January.

SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
- Vanderbilt enters Saturday's matchup with a 6-13 (2-11 SEC) record following a setback to No. 25 Tennessee (70-58).
- The Commodores have found success from beyond the arc, making 9.4 three-pointers per game to rank second in the SEC and 28th nationally.
- Scotty Pippen Jr. averages 20.5 ppg to lead the Commodores in scoring, good for second in the conference.
- Dylan Disu (15.0 ppg) is the SEC's leading rebounder, bringing down 9.2 per game to nearly average a double-double.
- Jerry Stackhouse is in his second season as Vanderbilt head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's matchup will be the 124th meeting between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt on the hardwood. The Commodores hold a 76-47 lead in the series, which began in 1925, but Ole Miss has won eight of the last 10 meetings. Vanderbilt has a 47-9 advantage in games played in Nashville. However, the Rebels have won the last four matchups in Memorial Gymnasium, including three double-digit victories (89-79 in 2013, 63-52 in 2014, 81-71 in 2019).

LAST TIME WE MET
Recording season highs in assists (26) and blocks (5), Ole Miss shared the basketball and defended the rim in a dominating 86-60 victory over Vanderbilt at The Pavilion (Feb. 29, 2020). The Rebels controlled the game throughout for its largest margin of victory in SEC play since 2017. All five Ole Miss starters scored in double figures. Devontae Shuler led the way with 18 points, six assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers. KJ Buffen added 17 points and brought down a team-high six rebounds. Not having to carry the workload like usual, Breein Tyree settled for 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting.

THE ROAD TO NASHVILLE
With three conference games left on the schedule, it's time to look at how the Rebels could be seeded for the SEC Tournament (March 10-14). If the season ended today, Ole Miss would be the No. 6 seed and face the current No. 11 seed, South Carolina. The Rebels can still end up as high as second in the conference standings, while finishing as low as 10th. The top four seeds earn a coveted double bye into the quarterfinals.

NEW MONTH, NEW REBELS
Ever since the calendar flipped to February, Ole Miss has looked like an entirely different basketball team by winning five of six games this month. 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). After a setback at home to MSU (Feb. 20), the Rebels bounced back with a Quadrant 1 win at No. 24 Missouri. A win over Vanderbilt Saturday would give Ole Miss six victories in the month of February for the first time since 2000-01, a team that advanced to the Sweet 16.

ON THIS DATE
Feb. 27, 2013: Marshall Henderson hit five of his six 3-pointers in the second half to help the Rebels pull away from Texas A&M 82-73 in Tad Smith Coliseum. Murphy Holloway posted 16 points and nine rebounds, making 7 of 8 shots from the field. The victory was part of a streak in which Ole Miss won 7 of 8 games, including all three in the SEC Tournament to capture the conference title and NCAA Tournament berth.

SWEEPING NATIONALLY-RANKED MISSOURI
Ole Miss continued to dominate the series against the No. 24 Missouri Tigers. Two weeks ago, Ole Miss upset then-No. 10 Missouri 80-59 (Feb. 10). Making the trip to Columbia (Feb. 23), the Rebels led for most of the night before holding off a Tiger comeback for a 60-53 win. Here are several notes from the season sweep.
- Ole Miss improved to 3-0 against ranked teams this season, two of those wins against the Tigers.
- The Rebels beat the same ranked team twice in a season for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign (Arkansas).
- Ole Miss swept the season series and improved to 15-3 all-time against Missouri.
- Winning the first matchup, the Rebels collected their 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 in the opener was the largest margin of victory over a top-10 team since an 84-56 win over No. 6 Alabama (March 3, 2002).
- The Rebels shot 56.9 percent from the floor in the first game, their best field goal percentage in an SEC game since Feb. 7, 2015 (57.8 percent vs. Auburn).

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 21st in turnovers forced (16.6 per game) and total steals (181).
- Kept 10 opponents under 60 points, including five SEC foes and all three ranked teams
- 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)

WINS OVER TOP-10 TEAMS
Ole Miss has 20 victories over top-10 teams throughout its history with two of them coming this season. 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.

RISING UP THE CAREER CHARTS
Playing in 119 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 seven assists away from cracking his fourth top 10.

Career Record	Shuler	Rank	Next Up	Record Holder
Steals	178	4th	3rd - Eric Laird (179)	Jason Smith (211)
3FG Attempted	498	8th	7th - Terence Davis (519)	Chris Warren (900)
3FG Made	170	9th	8th - Terence Davis (176)	Chris Warren (334)
Assists	312	--	10th - Eniel Polynice (319)	Sean Tuohy (830)
Points	1,250	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 (15.6 ppg) and assists (3.3 per game), while producing seven 20-point games so far this season. He ranks in the SEC's top 10 in threes made (6th), steals (7th), assists (8th), points (9th) and assist/turnover ratio (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 10.7 ppg and 5.5 rpg. White has been a force down low, making 92 of his 138 attempts for a 66.7 percent clip. With 25 blocks over 22 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.

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.

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 (1,082) was the latest Rebel to join the club with one of his first half jumpers at Arkansas (Jan. 27). Devontae Shuler (1,250) and Romello White (1,163) 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.

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 11.9 ppg during conference games, second only to fellow guard Devontae Shuler (15.6 ppg). He leads the team in free throw shooting, making 85.5 percent of his attempts to rank second in the SEC. In Tuesday's win over No. 24 Missouri, Joiner went 8 for 8 at the free throw line which included a perfect 6 for 6 in the final minute to ice the game. 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. He added 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 team-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 178 career steals. Getting two steals against Auburn (Feb. 6), he passed Jason Harrison (172) to move into fifth in Ole Miss history. Averaging 1.6 steals per game, Shuler ranks seventh in the SEC. He is one steal 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 (6.0 per game) and steals (1.8 per game) to go along with 7.9 ppg. He is third in the SEC in steals with the help of 14 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 the win over No. 10 Missouri (Feb. 10), Rodriguez scored a career-high 15 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds.

WINNING BIG
When the Rebels win, they usually win big.
- Nine of the team's 13 victories this season have been by double digits, including six by at least 18 points.
- Dating back to last season, 21 of the 28 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 451 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 517 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 a week on the road, the Rebels return home to finish up conference play in The Pavilion. First, Kentucky makes the trip to Oxford (March 2), the only SEC team Ole Miss has yet to face this season. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT. Then, the Rebels host Vanderbilt (March 6) before heading to Nashville for the conference tournament.

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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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