The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Temple
Men's Basketball Set To Host Temple On Saturday
12/16/2022 | Men's Basketball
Rebels look to rebound against Owls at 4 p.m. on SEC Network
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OLE MISS (7-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. TEMPLE (6-5, 0-0 AAC) Saturday, Dec. 17 • 4 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)  |
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Watch • Live Stats • Listen • Gameday Info • Tickets
Ole Miss Game Notes • Temple Game Notes • SEC Game Notes |
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OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss men's basketball team looks to bounce back after a loss to UCF, taking on their second-straight AAC opponent when they host Temple on Saturday, December 17 at 4 p.m. in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (7-3, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Kermit Davis • 5th Season at Ole Miss (71-64) • 540-327 career record (28th Season)
Temple Owls (6-5, 0-0 AAC)
Head Coach: Aaron Mckie • 4th Season at Temple (42-45) • 42-45 career record (4th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Mark Neely
Color: Daymeon Fishback
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. TEMPLE
Despite these two programs not meeting in over two decades, their matchup history is filled with big-time games. First meeting during the 1987-88 season at the Sugar Bowl Classic in the Superdome, the Temple Owls entered the game ranked No. 6 in the nation under eventual Naismith Hall of Fame coach John Chaney. The Rebels would narrowly lose by nine 70-61 to an Owls team that would finish the season ranked No. 1, and reach the Elite Eight of the 1988 NCAA Tournament. Just over 10 years later, the two would meet in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., as nine-seeded Temple once again topped Ole Miss, a No. 8 seed, 62-40. The following fall, the Rebels came out on top as No. 21 Ole Miss welcomed No. 18 Temple to the Tad Smith Coliseum in November of 1997. Junior guard Keith Carter helped lead the way for an 87-74 victory for Ole Miss, as he collected one of two double-doubles in the game with 33 points on seven makes from three, and 15 rebounds. Eventual SEC Player of the Year Ansu Sesay chipped in 23 points with four assists, while Jason Smith scored 10 points to go with 10 boards. A year later, No. 7 Temple defeated Ole Miss 68-52 in Philadelphia.
LAST MEETING: November 18, 1998 (L, 52-68, Philadelphia, Pa., The Apollo of Temple)
• Each team entered the matchup with 2-0 records, as Temple sat at No. 7 in the AP poll.
• The Owls took an early lead, up 36-20 at the half.
• Keith Carter was the leading scorer for Ole Miss with 16 points, adding six rebounds, an assist, and one steal.
• Temple's Rasheed Brokenborough was the game's leading scorer with 21 points, connecting on four three pointers to go with five rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
AN OLE MISS WIN WOULD...
• ...give the Rebels eight wins before the new year on January 1st for the fourth time in Kermit Davis' five seasons at the helm.
• ...keep Ole Miss undefeated against Temple at home in their second matchup in Oxford.
Deep Pockets
The Rebels' depth has been on full display to begin the season, as the Ole Miss bench has accounted for over a third of the team's scoring through their first 10 games (37.6%, 268 of 712 points). The Rebs have topped their opponents in bench points in eight of 10 contests, and are outscoring their foes' benches by 123 on the year (268 to 145). Their 26.8 points per game off the bench rank fourth in the SEC.
Another One
With an average of 13.1 offensive rebounds per game, the Rebels have been among the best in the country in earning second chances on the glass. They currently rank tied for 27th in college basketball in offensive boards per game, and sixth in the SEC. The team is led by senior transfer Myles Burns with 24 offensive rebounds.
LIGHTS OUT
Ole Miss has lit the net on fire, shooting at least 50 percent overall in four games and at least 45 percent in six of 10 games played. The Rebels were especially hot in Orlando for the ESPN Events Invitational, shooting 48.5 percent overall -- thanked greatly by two 50 percent outings against Stanford and Siena, the first two-game stretch at or above 50 percent since the opening of the 2021-22 season against New Orleans (.531) and Charleston Southern (.507). Under head coach Kermit Davis, Ole Miss is 33-5 overall when shooting 50 percent or better.
When It Counts
Ole Miss has been especially strong in the second half this season, shooting 49.1 percent overall in the back half while outscoring opponents 390-329 (39.0 points per second half, +6.1 scoring margin). Additionally, the Rebels have put up a +3.5 rebounding margin in the second half this season, while junior Matthew Murrell is averaging 8.2 points and 1.3 threes per second half this season. At the ESPN Events Invitational, Ole Miss shot a blistering 55 percent overall, led by 14.3 points per second half by Amaree Abram, who was also 5-of-6 from three and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the back half.
MM11
Junior Matthew Murrell has wasted no time lighting the net on fire this season, picking up right where he left off last season as one of the most feared three-point shooters nationwide. Murrell ranks tied for eighth in the SEC in threes per game (2.5) and tied for sixth in total threes made (25). His 15.0 points per game average ranks ninth in the conference, and he has eclipssed 20 points in three games this season. Against the Mocs, Murrell drained a career-high six three-pointers -- the most by a Rebel since Devontae Shuler nailed six threes against Wichita State on Jan. 2, 2021. His 25-point game against Chattanooga marked his sixth career 20-point outing, which all came within his last 25 games played dating back to last season. In his career, Murrell has hit five or more threes four times, while also notching eight games with at least four, 13 with at least three, 25 with multiple threes, and he had a 25-consecutive game streak with at least one three made snapped against Stanford on Nov. 24. Murrell has been a legit scoring threat since he stepped foot on campus as Ole Miss' highest-rated signee of the Davis era, but he has been especially lights-out since the start of last conference season. Late last year, Murrell eclipsed 20 points in consecutive games for the first time in his career over his last three regular season games, averaging 22.5 points and 3.5 threes made across two strong outings vs. Texas A&M (20 points) and at No. 6 Kentucky (25 points) -- a stretch in which he shot 57.7 percent overall and 53.8 percent from beyond the arc. All four of Murrell's 20-point games came in SEC play last season, topped by a superb 31-point outing vs. Mississippi State on Jan. 8.
Renaissance Man
Senior transfer Myles Burns has made an immediate impact for the Rebels on both ends of the floor with a unique talent blend as a defensive force and a go-getter on the offensive glass. Burns is currently tied for the lead in the SEC and No. 8 in the NCAA at 2.7 steals per game, while also ranking ninth in the conference at 2.4 offensive boards per game.
Prior to Ole Miss, Burns had an extraordinary career at Loyola New Orleans, where he was a four-time NAIA All-American and three-time SSAC Defensive Player of the Year. With the Wolf Pack, Burns played in 120 career games with 111 starts, while setting career averages of 15.3 points (1,852), 8.8 rebounds (1,069), 3.0 steals (358), 2.5 assists (298) and 1.0 blocks (116). In Loyola's record book, Burns ranks No. 1 in steals (358), No. 2 all-time in points (1,852), No. 2 in rebounds (1,069), No. 4 in blocks (116) and No. 7 in assists (298), with his 358 steals resting 163 more than any other player in Loyola history. Burns helped lead Loyola to the 2022 NAIA National Championship title, the first in school history since 1945, as the tournament MVP at 19.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.2 steals with four double-doubles in six tournament games.
Burns is no stranger to dominating these two distinct statistical categories, as his 151 offensive rebounds and 152 steals in 2021-22 had no rival in all of college basketball, with the nearest Division I comparison being defending national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky, who had 179 offensive rebounds and 60 steals last season. Furthermore, Burns' 152 steals last season earned him the 2022 Marques Haynes Award, which is given annually to the player with the most steals in all of college basketball, regardless of division.
Best of the Best
Ole Miss' four senior transfers are among some of the best returning big men in all of college basketball. Jayveous McKinnis stands as one of the best returners in the nation this year, currently third in total rebounds (1,042), fifth in total blocks (239), fifth in career double-doubles (38), ninth in rebounds per game (9.2), 11th in blocks per game (2.1) and 21st in field goal shooting (.608). McKinnis is one of just four active players in all of college basketball with 1,000 career rebounds alongside South Alabama's Kevin Samuel (1,139), North Carolina's Armando Bacot (1,114) and Nicholls' Manny Littles (1,040). He is also just one of three, alongside Samuel and Bacot, with 1,000 career points (1,116) and 1,000 career rebounds.
Ole Miss is one of two schools with multiple top-20 rebounders on the active career list alongside Texas Tech. McKinnis (1,042) and Josh Mballa (822; No. 19) combine for 1,864 career rebounds, the most among teammates ahead of Texas Tech's 1,863 from Fardaws Almaq (918) and Kevin Obanor (945).
Ole Miss also ranks highly on the career blocks list with two top-10 entries. McKinnis ranks fifth at 239 swats, while Theo Akwuba is 10th at 191. Ole Miss stands as one of just two schools with multiple top-25 active blockers alongside Gardner-Webb, but the Rebels are the only school with two within the top-10. The Rebel trio of McKinnis (38, No. 5), Mballa (29, No. 14) and Akwuba (17, t-No. 50) combine for 84 career double-doubles, with McKinnis and Mballa owning the second-most by a pair of teammates at 67 behind Texas Tech's Almaq (41) and Obanor (36) at 77.
* Note: Myles Burns' 1,069 career rebounds while at NAIA Loyola New Orleans do not transfer over to the NCAA records lists, but he would rank second in the nation at 1,126 if they did and give Ole Miss a combined 4,322 boards between Burns (1,126), McKinnis (1,042), Mballa (822), Robert Allen (668) and Akwuba (664). Burns' combined career total of 1,923 points would also rank No. 16 among all NCAA divisions.
Ain't Wasting Time No More
With eight new faces for Ole Miss this season, the Rebel newcomers are already seeing serious minutes and have contributed to the team's 7-3 start.
Newcomer Splits:
Minutes: 53.4% (1067 of 2000)
Scoring: 49.7% (354 of 712)
Rebounding: 50.9% (190 of 373)
Assists: 49.6% (68 of 137)
Steals: 61.4% (54 of 88)
Blocks: 79.1% (34 of 43)
Newcomer Scoring:
vs. Alcorn State: 29 of 73 (39.7%)
vs. Florida Atlantic: 36 of 80 (45.0%)
vs. Chattanooga: 33 of 70 (47.1%)
vs. UT Martin: 35 of 72 (48.6%)
vs. Stanford: 48 of 72 (66.7%)
vs. Siena: 37 of 74 (50.0%)
vs. Stanford: 39 of 55 (70.1%)
at Memphis: 32 of 57 (56.1%)
vs. Valparaiso: 27 of 98 (27.6%)
vs. UCF: 38 of 61 (62.3%)
A Taste of Revenge
The Ole Miss Rebels took on Valparaiso for the first time since the 1998 NCAA Tournament upset, defeating them 98-61 and setting a new program record for points scored in the SJB Pavilion. The Rebels never trailed in the game and dominated the secondary stats such as points off turnovers (36 to 0), points in the paint (64 to 26), fast break points (20 to 2), and points off the bench (54 to 25).
Guess who's Back?
After missing the final month of the season last year and first seven games of the 2022-23 season, Daeshun Ruffin returned to action on Dec. 3 against Memphis, coming off the bench and playing 14 minutes. Tearing his ACL at No. 25 LSU on Feb. 1 last season following an incredible effort to help the Rebels earn their second AP Top-25 win of the year, Ruffin's return this season was delayed due to a minor bone bruise. Against the Tigers of LSU, Ruffin led Ole Miss with 19 points, three assists and two steals alongside a 6-of-11 line from the field, a 2-of-4 clip from three and a perfect 5-of-5 streak from the free throw line in 20 minutes of game action. Ruffin had been electric since returning to the team following an eight-game absence due to a broken right hand suffered in last year's season opener against New Orleans on Nov. 9. On the season, Ruffin averaged a team-high 2.3 steals per game and led the Rebels with a 52-of-69 (.754) clip from the charity stripe, to go along with 12.6 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game. In SEC season he was just as impressive against some of the best teams in the nation, ranking at the time of his injury second in the conference in SEC-only action in steals (2.7/game), ninth in free throw shooting (.833) and 10th in assists (3.9/game).
Ruffin was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 31 – the first such honor by a Rebel since Jarvis Summers on Dec. 5, 2011. His honor came courtesy of an excellent three-game stretch from Jan. 24-29, during which he averaged 16.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals with a 19-of-24 (.792) mark from the free throw line – at one point hitting 14 in a row during those three games. Included in there is a career-high 21 points vs. Florida on Jan. 24, with 15 of those points coming in the second half. In just 14 career games played, Ruffin had scored in double-digits in 10, scored 15 or more in six contests, and had multiple steals in nine games. Ruffin was on pace to break Elston Turner's 1978 record for steals by a freshman of 47, but will ended his season at 32 swipes. Ruffin came to Ole Miss following a superb high school career at Callaway High School in Jackson, Mississippi, joining as the first McDonald's All-American signee in program history.
