Senior Night for Shuler, White as Rebels Face Vanderbilt Saturday

			OLE MISS (14-10, 9-8 SEC) vs. VANDERBILT (8-14, 3-12 SEC) Saturday, March 6 • 6 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss
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GAME 25
Date: March 6, 2021
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Television: SEC Network
   Paul Sunderland, play-by-play
   Joe Kleine, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Sports Network (XM-192, Internet-962)
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Marc Dukes, analyst
Live Video: ESPN.com/ESPN app
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/TuneIn app
Series: Vanderbilt leads 77-47
Last Meeting: Feb. 27, 2021
   Vanderbilt won 75-70
   Nashville, Tenn.

TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Saturday's home finale will be Senior Night, honoring Devontae Shuler and Romello White.
- Ole Miss has won eight of the last 11 matchups vs. Vandy.
- The Rebels and Commodores are facing off for the second consecutive Saturday after the SEC added this matchup in Oxford.
- Devontae Shuler is one of only two players in the SEC to rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring (8th), assists (6th) and steals (8th); 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 and Romello White scored 42 of the team's 70 points in last week's matchup in Nashville.
- The Rebels have won six of their past eight games, including a 70-62 win over Kentucky Tuesday; it was the first victory over the Wildcats in 10 years, snapping an 11-game losing streak in the series.
- Ole Miss can finish anywhere between fifth and eighth in regards to SEC Tournament seeding.
- The Rebels are now 57th in the NET. The Rebels were as far back as 85th in the NET on January 18.
- Ole Miss is 3-0 against ranked teams this season, one of 10 teams in the country to be undefeated against top-25 opponents.
- Two of the ranked wins have been against top-10 teams, giving Ole Miss multiple top-10 victories for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
- The Rebels lead the SEC in scoring defense, surrendering only 66.6 ppg in conference play.
- Ole Miss is shooting 76.0 percent (127 of 167) from the free throw line over the past eight 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.
- Romello White is on pace to break the school record for field goal percentage.
- The Rebels are 10-0 when keeping opponents under 40 percent from the floor.

PAVILION ATTENDANCE
All season ticket holders who were able to select at 25 percent will receive tickets for Saturday's men's basketball finale against Vanderbilt. Additional student tickets are available for purchase as well. Due to an executive order from the Governor of Mississippi, attendance has been limited to 10 percent until that order was dismissed on Tuesday (March 2).

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

SEC LEADERS
- The Rebels led the SEC in scoring defense (66.6) and rebounding defense (32.1) in conference play.
- Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC in rebounding margin (+3.1) during conference games.
- Jarkel Joiner ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage (84.4).
- Devontae Shuler ranks in the SEC's top 10 averages for threes made (6th-2.1), minutes (6th-33.3), assists (6th-3.4), points (8th-16.0), steals (8th-1.6),and assist/turnover ratio (8th-1.4); 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 (180) and career assists (321), while second in points (1,292).

THE ROAD TO NASHVILLE
With two 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. 7 seed and face the current No. 10 seed, Georgia. The Rebels can still end up as high as fifth in the conference standings, while finishing as low as eighth, meaning Ole Miss will play a second round game on Thursday, March 11. Here are the scenarios on how the Rebels can be seeded for the tournament.
- No. 5 Seed: Win + Tennessee loss + Missouri loss
- No. 6 Seed: Win + Tennessee loss + Missouri win OR Win + Tennessee win + Missouri loss OR Loss + Missouri loss
- No. 7 Seed: Win + Tennessee win + Missouri win OR Loss + MSU loss + Missouri win OR Loss + MSU win + Missouri win + Tennessee win
- No. 8 Seed: Loss + MSU win + Missouri win + Tennessee loss

SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
- Vanderbilt enters Saturday's matchup with an 8-14 (3-12 SEC) record following an 82-64 victory at Cincinnati (March 4).
- The Commodores have found success from beyond the arc, making 9.4 three-pointers per game to rank second in the SEC and 27th nationally.
- Scotty Pippen Jr. averages 21.4 ppg to lead the Commodores in scoring, good for second in the conference; Pippen scored a career-high 36 points in Thursday's win at Cincinnati.
- Jerry Stackhouse is in his second season as Vanderbilt head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's matchup will be the 125th meeting between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt on the hardwood. The Commodores hold a 77-47 lead in the series, which began in 1925, but Ole Miss has won eight of the last 11 meetings. Ole Miss has a 33-25 advantage in Oxford, while taking two of the three matchups in The Pavilion (opened January 2016). Last year's win on Craddock Court (86-60) was the Rebels' largest margin of victory in an SEC game since 2017.

LAST WEEK'S MATCHUP
When Devontae Shuler and Romelllo White are scoring, the Rebels usually win. Shuler averages 17.2 ppg in wins, while White is scoring 12.1 ppg in victories. In losses, the averages drop to 14.4 ppg for Shuler and 9.5 ppg for White. However, the duo combined for 42 of the 70 points in last week's setback to Vanderbilt. Shuler had a game-high 25, his eighth 20-point game of the season, while White added 17 points. However, the Commodores knocked down 11 three-pointers and got 39 points from their bench to get the victory.

LAST TIME WE MET IN THE PAVILION
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.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHTS
Ole Miss will be honoring two seniors on Saturday, Devontae Shuler and Romello White. The duo make up the top two scorers on the team. As their Ole Miss careers near an end, let's take a look at some accomplishments throughout their respective careers.
#2 Devontae Shuler
- Has played in 121 games, making 96 starts over four years
- Ranked top 10 in Ole Miss history in steals (third), threes made (eighth) and assists (10th)
- Has averaged 10.7 ppg over his career, totaling 1,292 points to rank 23rd all-time
- Leads the team in points (16.0 ppg) and assists (3.4 apg) this season
- Led the team in assists (3.3 per game) and steals (1.7 per game) as a junior
- His 56 steals during the 2018-19 season were the most ever by an Ole Miss sophomore
- Scored 14 points, knocking down four three-pointers, in his first game as a Rebel, the most points scored by an Ole Miss freshman in a debut since Trevor Gaskins in 2007

#0 Romello White
- As a graduate transfer, has played in all 24 games this season (21 starts)
- Shooting 66.2 percent from the floor, on pace to set the school record for field goal percentage in a season
- Leads the team in blocks (28) and ranks second in rebounds (5.8 per game)
- Has a team-high three double-doubles this season, giving him 19 for his career
- His 14 made field goals against Auburn (Feb. 6) were the most by an SEC player this season
- Scored a career-high 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds at Auburn, the first Rebel to record a double-double with at least 30 points since Justin Reed (2004)

BEATING KENTUCKY
Behind 17 points and seven assists from Devontae Shuler, double-doubles from KJ Buffen and Romello White and a career night from Sammy Hunter, Ole Miss protected its home floor and beat Kentucky 70-62 Tuesday (March 2).
- Ole Miss defeated Kentucky for the first time since Feb. 11, 2011, snapping an 11-game losing streak in the series.
- The Rebels improved to 10-0 this season when holding an opponent to under 40 percent from the floor.
- Buffen (16 points, 10 rebounds) and White (11 points, 10 rebounds) became the first Ole Miss duo to have a double-double in the same game since Buffen and Shuler last season against Arkansas (Jan. 11, 2020).
- White produced his third double-double of the season and the 19th of his career.
- Buffen recorded his third career double-double and his first of the season.
- Hunter scored a career-high 11 points, his first time in double figures as a Rebel (48 games).
- Hunter entered the game 3 of 20 for his career from beyond the arc, but went 3 for 5 tonight.
- Ole Miss held a 42-28 advantage on the boards.
- The Rebels made 8 of 13 (61.5 percent) from beyond the arc for their best three-point field goal percentage in an SEC game since 2012 (also against Kentucky).

UNDERRATED REBELS
For the eighth time in the past 10 seasons, Ole Miss will finish higher than the media's projections. 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. In 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.

ON THIS DATE
March 6, 2010: Chris Warren scored 31 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, as Ole Miss rallied from 11 down with 5:02 left for a 68-66 road win at Arkansas. With the victory, Ole Miss clinched a share of the SEC Western Division crown.
March 6, 2004: Justin Reed scored 19 points in his final home game as Ole Miss rallied in the second half to defeat Arkansas 55-45. Aaron Harper, the Rebels' other senior, added 11 points. Reed and Harper were honored in pregame ceremonies on senior day at Tad Smith Coliseum.
March 6, 1998: Anthony Boone converted a three-point play with 45 seconds remaining and No. 10 Ole Miss defeated Georgia 72-67 to advance to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. Joezon Darby had a season-high 23 points to lead the Rebels.
March 6, 1981: Ole Miss cruised past Vanderbilt 71-51 to advance to the SEC Tournament championship game. The next day, the Rebels defeated Georgia 66-62 to win their first conference title and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

JOINER NAMED TO SEC COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM
Ole Miss guard Jarkel Joiner landed on the SEC Men's Basketball Community Service Team for his efforts in his hometown. As a native of Oxford, it makes sense that Joiner wants to make an impact on the community. The junior is involved in several community service projects in his hometown. Joiner regularly reads to students across his home state of Mississippi as a part of our Reading with the Rebels Program. He has been able to share stories selected by teachers to promote reading and good behavior in elementary schools. Joiner is passionate about this activity and encourages students to read frequently and to others. He joined this program as a part of the Stronger Together MS initiative that focuses on promoting reading by students in Pre-K through 3rd grades. Joiner also led efforts for Adopt A Basket, feeding local families during the holiday season. He helped spearhead the project, giving back to the local community to ensure those in need have food during this time. Finally, since student-athletes have not been allowed into local schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Joiner and his teammates have found opportunities to engage with elementary students virtually to encourage hard work in the classroom.

SUCCESS WITH SHULER
The Rebels usually go how their fourth-year senior goes. See how Devontae Shuler's stats compare between Ole Miss wins and losses.

	PPG	FG	FG%	3FG	3FG%	FT	FT%	APG	SPG
Wins	17.2	85-185	45.9	34-78	43.6	37-43	86.0	3.9	1.9
Losses	14.4	53-149	35.6	16-64	25.0	22-32	68.8	2.7	1.1

PROTECTING CRADDOCK COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark at Ole Miss. Over the past 15 seasons, the Rebels are 175-56 (.758 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 62-30 (.674) advantage against the opposition. Ole Miss has won 300 of its last 388 games (.773 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign. Under head coach Kermit Davis, the Rebels are 32-14 (.696 win pct.) at home.

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.

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 30th in turnovers forced (16.0 per game) and 27th in total steals (190).
- Holds a 10-0 record when limiting opponents to under 40 percent from the floor
- Has 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)

RISING UP THE CAREER CHARTS
Playing in 121 games as a Rebel, senior guard Devontae Shuler continues to climb his way up the program record books. He is ranked top 10 all-time in four categories, while also passing some Ole Miss greats on the scoring list. Shuler is two points away from passing Marshall Henderson and just three from passing Stefan Moody. He is also just one three-pointer away from tying former teammate Terence Davis.

Career Record	Shuler	Rank	Next Up	Record Holder
Steals	180	3rd	2nd - Murphy Holloway (194)	Jason Smith (211)
3FG Attempted	508	8th	7th - Terence Davis (519)	Chris Warren (900)
3FG Made	175	9th	8th - Terence Davis (176)	Chris Warren (334)
Assists	321	10th	9th - Bob Mahoney (362)	Sean Tuohy (830)
Points	1,292	23rd	22nd - Marshall Henderson (1,293)	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 (16.0 ppg) and assists (3.4 per game), while producing eight 20-point games so far this season. He ranks in the SEC's top 10 in threes made (6th), assists (6th), assist/turnover ratio (8th), steals (8th) and points (9th). 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 5.8 rpg. White has been a force down low, making 102 of his 154 attempts for a 66.2 percent clip. That field goal percentage is on pace to break Marcus Hicks' school record (63.8 percent) set in 1999 (minimum 150 attempts). With 28 blocks over 24 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). His 14 made field goals are the most by an SEC player this season. He became the first Rebel to record a double-double with at least 30 points since Justin Reed accomplished the feat in 2004. In Tuesday's win over Kentucky, White tallied 11 points and 10 boards to help the Rebels to victory. The performance marked the 19th double-double of White's career, his third 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.

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 11.5 ppg during conference games, second only to fellow guard Devontae Shuler (16.2 ppg). He leads the team in free throw shooting, making 84.4 percent of his attempts to rank second in the SEC. In last week'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 180 career steals. Getting one steal in the win over Kentucky (March 2), he passed Eric Laird to move to third in Ole Miss history. Averaging 1.6 steals per game, Shuler ranks eighth in the SEC. 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 (1.7 per game) to go along with 7.6 ppg. He is sixth 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 14 victories this season have been by double digits, including six by at least 18 points.
- Dating back to last season, 21 of the 29 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 452 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 518 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
Ole Miss can be seeded anywhere from fifth to eighth for the SEC Tournament, meaning the Rebels will play in a second round matchup on March 11. The Rebels won't know who they will play or what time until the conclusion of the Tennessee-Florida game on Sunday.

RebelsCalendar

Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Sammy Hunter

Jarkel Joiner

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Breein Tyree

Romello White

The University of Mississippi Athletics