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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
LSU
Men's Basketball Set to Host LSU Saturday Night
2/24/2023 | Men's Basketball
The oldest SEC rivalry for the Rebels continues in the SJB Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network
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OLE MISS (10-18, 2-13 SEC) vs. LSU (13-15, 2-13 SEC) Saturday, Feb. 25 • 7:30 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. SJB Pavilion (9,500)  |
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Watch • Live Stats • Listen
Ole Miss Game Notes • LSU Game Notes • SEC Game Notes |
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OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss men's basketball will host the LSU Tigers on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in the SJB Pavilion and on the SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (10-18, 2-13 SEC)
Acting Head Coach: Win Case • 1st Season at Ole Miss (0-0) • 392-169 career record as head coach across all NCAA divisions, NAIA, and NJCAA (17th Season)
LSU Tigers (13-15, 2-13 SEC)
Head Coach: Matt McMahon • 1st Season at LSU (13-15) • 167-82 career record (8th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Paul Sunderland
Color: Joe Kleine
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. LSU
The oldest series for the Ole Miss men's basketball program in the SEC, the two teams first met on the court in back-to-back days on February 4th and 5th in 1910, with the Tigers winning both matchups. Just over 113 years later, the two teams will face off for the 216th time, with LSU leading the all-time series 125-90. While the Tigers lead the series in Baton Rouge, at neutral sites, and in the postseason, the Rebels lead when playing at home in Oxford 56-37. LSU holds the advantage over the last 10 meetings 8-2.
LAST MEETING: FEBRUARY 1, 2022 (W, 76-72, BATON ROUGE, LA.)
• Ole Miss took an early lead, up by 13 at halftime, before winning 76-72, their first win at LSU since 2013 and the most recent win over a ranked opponent for the Rebels.
• Coming off an SEC Freshman of the Week honor, Daeshun Ruffin led the Rebels with 19 points before suffering a knee injury in the game.
• Luis Rodriguez added 15 points off the bench and Nysier Brooks scored 10.
• LSU was led by Darius Days with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
LSU enters this matchup with an overall record of 13-15, having gone 2-13 in conference play. Beginning the season under first-year head coach Matt McMahon with five-straight wins, they fell to Kansas State in the title game at the Cayman Islands Classic. The Tigers then won six in a row before entering their conference schedule, coming up with a huge upset over No. 9 Arkansas to open SEC play. LSU then dropped 14 games in a row, most recently ending their skid with an 84-77 win over Vanderbilt on February 22.
The team is led in scoring by KJ Williams, who averages 16.7 points per game and ranks second in the conference. Williams also ranks highly in rebounds per game (7.4, No. 7 SEC), and double-doubles (seven, No. 4 SEC). Williams is one of just 12 active players alongside Jayveous McKinnis of Ole Miss with over 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds in NCAA Division-I action. He is also one of just two among all NCAA divisions with over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 steals, and 100 blocks in their career, and would be joined by Ole Miss' Myles Burns in that category counting his NAIA stats. LSU's Adam Miller is one of the top three-point shooters in the conference as well, with the second-most attempts in the SEC from deep at 203, and an average of 2.2 three-point field goals made per game.
As a team, LSU ranks sixth in the SEC in three-point attempts per game (22.0), three-point field goal percentage (33.3%), and made threes per game (7.3).
IT'S MISTER STEAL-YOUR-PASS
Fifth-year transfer Myles Burns has been a defensive powerhouse this season for the Rebels, collecting 66 steals. He stepped into the top-10 for most in a single season at Ole Miss in style on February 18, recording seven steals to tie for the third-most in a single game in school history. Combined with six steals at Auburn, his 13 steals in back-to-back games are the most ever in school history in a two-game stretch.
Entering Saturday's game against LSU, Burns currently ranks fourth in program history for the most steals in a single season at Ole Miss.
Ole Miss Basketball - Most Steals in a Single Season
1. 89 Gerald Glass (30 games, 1989)
2. 73 Jason Smith (33 games, 1999)
3. 70 Gerald Glass (30 games, 1990)
4. 66 Myles Burns (28 games, 2023)
5. 58 Murphy Holloway (36 games, 2013)
Rod Barnes (29 games, 1988)
7. 57 Stefan Moody (34 games, 2015)
8. 56 Devontae Shuler (33 games, 2019)
9. 55 Rahim Lockhart (33 games, 2000)
Ervin Garnes (27 games, 1994)
Eric Laird (28 games, 1984)
A DEFENSIVE GOAT
Recording a steal in the closing moments of the first half against Missouri, senior transfer Myles Burns collected the 400th steal of his collegiate career. Joining the Ole Miss program from Loyola New Orleans of the NAIA, Burns brought 358 steals from his four-time NAIA All-American career and has collected 66 since coming to Oxford. Counting his stats from the NAIA, Burns would become just the sixth person in NCAA men's basketball history across all divisions to collect 400 career steals, and would rank fourth all time.
400 Career NCAA Steals List
1. Calvin Cheek, New England Col. (III), 2017-22: 580 steals
2. Jacob Gilyard, Richmond (I), 2017-22: 466 steals
3. Tennyson Whitted, Ramapo (III), 1999-2003: 448 steals
4. Jonte Flowers, Winona St. (II), 2004-08: 414 steals
5. John Gallogly, Salve Regina (III), 1994-98: 413 steals
*Myles Burns - 424 steals (including stats from NAIA)
BLOCK PARTY
The Ole Miss defense currently averages 68.9 points allowed per game, only letting their opponents top 70 points 10 times this year. A major part of their defensive identity has been enforcing the paint, as the Rebels rank 58th in the country in blocks per game (4.2). They are led down low by senior transfers Theo Akwuba (30 total blocks, 1.1 per game) and Jayveous McKinnis (30 total blocks, 1.1 per game).
On January 3 at No. 7 Alabama, Akwuba and McKinnis combined for seven blocks, with Akwuba's four bringing his collegiate career total to 200 (now at 212). He and McKinnis (262 career blocks) are the only two teammates in college basketball with over 200 swats in their careers, and each rank among the top-25 in active career leaders.
MB2K
Myles Burns scored 1,852 points during his career at Loyola New Orleans, and surpassed the 2,000-career points mark on February 4 at Vanderbilt with a dunk on an alley-oop. If his NAIA stats transferred to the NCAA, he would be one of just five active players across all divisions in college basketball with at least 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Other active student-athletes with at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds are Jayden Gardner (Virginia), KJ Williams (LSU), Kevin Obanor (Texas Tech), and Jordan Janssen (Wayne St. (NE)).
Burns would also be just one of three active players across all divisions with at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 steals, and 100 blocks in their career. Janssen of Wayne St. (NE) and Williams of LSU would be the only other active members of that club.
Myles Burns Collegiate Career Totals
Games Played: 148
Games Started: 136
Points: 2,065 (14.0/game)
Rebounds: 1,241 (8.4/game)
Steals: 424 (2.9/game)
Assists: 331 (2.2/game)
Blocks: 129 (0.9/game)
THROUGH THE FIRE
Ole Miss has faced off with some of the best competition college basketball has to offer, as the Rebels current strength of schedule ranks 29th in the nation. With a combined opponent record of 441-308 (0.589), they have played against foes with a current NET ranking in the top-100 16 times, including 11 games against a foe in the top-50 and two in the top-five.
ANOTHER ONE
With an average of 12.4 offensive rebounds per game, the Rebels have been among the best in the country in earning second chances on the glass, currently ranking 26th in the nation. The team is led by senior Myles Burns with 67 offensive rebounds (2.4 per game). On the season, Ole Miss is outscoring their opponents by 55 in second chance points 351 to 296.
THEM REBS MOVE FAST
Ole Miss has been quick to react on defensive rebounds and turnovers, outscoring their opponents on fast-break opportunities by 99 this season (287-188). The Rebels have recorded more fast-break points than the other team in 20 of their 28 games.
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 in the nation this year, currently fifth in total rebounds (1,121), fifth in total blocks (262), eighth in career double-doubles (39), 13th in blocks per game (2.0), 15th in rebounds per game (8.6), and 30th in field goal shooting (.607). McKinnis is one of just 14 active players in all of college basketball with 1,000 career rebounds alongside South Alabama's Kevin Samuel, North Carolina's Armando Bacot, Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe, Nicholls' Manny Littles, Lipscomb's Ahsan Asadullah, LSU's KJ Williams, Iowa's Filip Rebraca, San Diego's Eric Williams Jr., Texas Tech's Kevin Obanor, Virginia's Jayden Gardner, Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, Youngstown St.'s Adrian Nelson and Iowa State's Osun Osunniyi. He is also just one of 12, alongside Samuel, Bacot, Tshiebwe, Asadullah, Williams, Rebraca, Obanor, Williams Jr., Gardner, Nelson and Osunniyi with 1,000 career points (1,222) and 1,000 career rebounds.
Ole Miss ranks highly on the career blocks list with two top-25 entries. McKinnis ranks fifth at 262 swats, while Theo Akwuba is 11th at 212. Ole Miss stands as the only school with multiple top-25 active blockers. The Rebel trio of McKinnis (39, No. 8), Josh Mballa (29, No. 24) and Akwuba (17) combine for 85 career double-doubles, with McKinnis and Mballa owning the second-most by a pair of teammates at 68 behind Texas Tech's Almaq (41) and Obanor (37) at 78.
* 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 third in the nation at 1,241 if they did and give Ole Miss a combined 4,620 boards between Burns (1,241), McKinnis (1,121), Mballa (827), Robert Allen (722), and Akwuba (709). Burns' combined career total of 2,065 points would also rank No. 35 among all NCAA divisions.
DEEP POCKETS
The Rebels' depth has been on full display this season, as the Ole Miss bench has accounted for just under a third of the team's scoring through 28 games (32.9%, 620 of 1,885 points) and rank in the top-200 in bench points per game. The Rebs have topped their opponents in bench points in 18 contests, and are outscoring their foes' reserves by 129 on the year (620 to 491).
AIN'T WASTING TIME NO MORE
With eight new faces for Ole Miss this season, the Rebel newcomers have been seeing serious minutes and contributing in all major stat categories.
Newcomer Splits:
Minutes: 51.0% (2,869 of 5,625)
Scoring: 45.2% (852 of 1,885)
Rebounding: 49.8% (507 of 1,019)
Assists: 43.4% (154 of 355)
Steals: 60.5% (121 of 200)
Blocks: 78.0% (92 of 118)
They've also accounted for at least half the scoring in eight games this season.
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. UCF: 38 of 61 (62.3%)
vs. Georgia: 31 of 58 (53.5%)
vs. Kentucky: 48 of 66 (72.7%)
at Vanderbilt: 39 of 71 (54.9%)
EXPERIENCE FROM THE PORTAL
Ole Miss went into the portal looking for experienced big men, and came away with four of the most well-seasoned options available. Those four senior transfers -- F Theo Akwuba, F Myles Burns, F Josh Mballa and F Jayveous McKinnis -- hold an incredible combined career stat lines across their respective careers prior to Ole Miss:
Combined Career Stats (NAIA included for Burns):
• 525 games played
• 389 games started
• 5,183 points
• 3,898 rebounds
• 700 steals (424 from Burns alone)
• 678 blocks
