From the Ole Miss Sports Info Dept:
TIPOFF TIDBITS
- Tuesday's matchup will be a battle between the two best scoring defenses in the SEC; Tennessee leads the conference, allowing only 59.4 ppg, while the Rebels rank second at 63.0 ppg.
- Ole Miss is in the midst of a stretch playing three of four games on the road; this is the lone home game.
- The Rebels have beaten two top-15 teams under
Kermit Davis, both during the 2018-19 season.
- To kick off Black History Month, Ole Miss announced that a statue of Coolidge Ball will be built outside The Pavilion; fifty years ago, Ball broke the color barrier by becoming Ole Miss' first Black student-athlete.
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Jarkel Joiner (1,022) scored 11 points at Arkansas last week and became the fourth Rebel on the team to have 1,000 points over his Division I career, joining
Dimencio Vaughn (1,266),
Devontae Shuler (1,145) and
Romello White (1,083).
- Ole Miss is 7-0 when holding opponents under 40 percent from the floor.
- The Rebels recorded a season-high 12 steals at Georgia Saturday, moving to 27th nationally in steals this season.
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Jarkel Joiner had a career-high six steals on Saturday, the most by a Rebel since Terence Davis (Toronto Raptors) had seven against Texas A&M two seasons ago (Feb. 6, 2019).
- Ole Miss' 23 offensive rebounds at Georgia were the most in a game since pulling down 23 versus LSU in 2015.
- The Rebels have limited four opponents to 50 points or less this season, accomplishing the feat for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
- All eight of Ole Miss' wins this season have been by double digits (average margin of victory: 21.9).
- Dating back to the 2019-20 season, 20 of the Rebels' last 23 wins have been by double digits.
- The duo of
Jarkel Joiner and
Devontae Shuler has accounted for 173 of the team's 319 points (54.2 percent) over the past five games; Shuler has averaged 18.6 ppg, while Joiner has recorded 16.0 ppg during the span.
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Luis Rodriguez has 11 multi-steal games this season.
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Devontae Shuler (156) is two made three-pointers away from tying
Todd Abernethy(158) for 10th in program history; Abernethy was an assistant coach at Ole Miss during Shuler's freshman season.
SEC LEADERS
- The Rebels rank second in scoring defense (63.0), turnover margin (+3.5) and turnovers forced per game (17.1).
- Ole Miss is allowing 67.7 ppg in conference games, which also ranks second in the SEC.
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Jarkel Joiner is the conference's second-best free throw shooter, making 85.1 percent of his attempts.
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Devontae Shuler ranks third in the SEC with a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio.
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Luis Rodriguez ranks fourth in steals, averaging 1.8 per game.
- Shuler is the SEC's active leader in career points (1,145), career steals (169) and career assists (299).
SCOUTING THE VOLS
- Tennessee enters Tuesday's contest ranked No. 11 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the Coaches poll.
- The Volunteers are coming off victories over Mississippi State and No. 15 Kansas last week.
- Tennessee leads the SEC in several categories: assist/turnover ratio (1.4), field goal percentage defense (39.3), scoring defense (59.4), scoring margin (+13.8) and turnover margin (+4.8); the scoring defense ranks sixth nationally.
- John Fulkerson leads the Volunteers in scoring (11.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.0 rpg), while Santiago Vescovi is the conference leader in assist/turnover ratio (1.7).
- Rick Barnes is in his sixth season as Tennessee head coach; it's Barnes' 34th season as a head coach.
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss and Tennessee have met 119 times, with the Volunteers holding a 75-44 lead in a series that began in 1924. Each team has won six of the last 12 matchups. The home team has won 14 of the last 20 regular season meetings dating back to 2004.
LAST TIME WE MET
In last season's matchup (Jan. 21, 2020), Tennessee protected its home court with a convincing 73-48 victory. As a team, the Rebels controlled the glass 38-33 with the help of 14 offensive rebounds.
Breein Tyreescored 18 points to lead Ole Miss, becoming the 14th Rebel in school history to score at least 1,500 points.
Devontae Shuler added 11 points and five rebounds, making five of his 10 shot attempts. John Fulkerson's double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) paced the Volunteers. Tennessee shot 49.0 percent throughout the night, while connecting on 20 of 24 attempts (83.3 percent) from the free throw line.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Ole Miss is no stranger to upsetting a ranked Tennessee team at home. Twenty years ago, the Rebels took down the No. 10 Volunteers 87-71 at Tad Smith Coliseum (Feb. 20, 2001). Freshman Aaron Harper scored 23 points to lead the way, while Justin Reed added 15. Rahim Lockhart nearly had a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. The 2000-01 Rebels were a special team, collecting a school-record 27 victories on their way to an appearance in the Sweet 16.
WINS OVER TOP 15 TEAMS
The Rebels have beaten top 15 teams twice under
Kermit Davis. The upsets happened in back-to-back games during the 2018-19 season. Ole Miss first knocked off No. 10 Auburn at home, 82-67 (Jan. 9, 2019), before going on the road to upset No. 14 Mississippi State 81-77 (Jan. 12, 2019). The two top 15 victories in Davis' first season vaulted Ole Miss into the top 25 for the first time in six years.
STEALS STATS AGAINST GEORGIA
- Ole Miss recorded a season-high 12 steals against Georgia on Saturday, the sixth time this season reaching double digits.
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Jarkel Joiner's six steals Saturday were the most by a Rebel since Terence Davis had seven against Texas A&M two seasons ago (Feb. 6, 2019).
- The Rebels moved to 27th nationally with 135 steals on the season.
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Luis Rodriguez put together his 11th multi-steal game of the season.
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Robert Allen had at least two steals for the third straight game, giving him seven over the past three contests.
DYNAMIC DUO
The dynamic duo of
Jarkel Joiner and
Devontae Shuler has scored 173 of the team's 319 points (54.2 percent) over the past five games. Both Rebels have reached double figures in each contest with Shuler averaging 18.6 ppg and Joiner adding 16.0 ppg during the stretch. The pair put together 20-point games against Georgia (Jan. 16), season highs for both guards. Shuler led the way with 24 points, while Joiner added 22. In a rivalry road contest, Shuler's game-high 22 points, along with Joiner's 12 points, allowed Ole Miss to cruise to a 64-46 victory over Mississippi State (Jan. 19). The roles were reversed against Texas A&M (Jan. 23) with Joiner leading the way. The Oxford, Mississippi, native tallied 21 points, while Shuler was close behind with 17 points in the 61-50 win. The two were the only Rebels to reach double figures in both victorious contests. Against Arkansas (Jan. 27), Shuler's 19 points were a team high with Joiner adding 11 as he passed the 1,000-point mark for his career.
1K REBELS
Four Rebels have scored at least 1,000 points over their Division I careers.
Jarkel Joiner (1,022) was the latest Rebel to join the club with one of his first half jumpers at Arkansas (Jan. 27).
Devontae Shuler (1,145) and
Romello White (1,083) 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.
ALLEN STEPS UP
Making his first start in an SEC game,
Robert Allen took advantage of the opportunity against Georgia (Jan. 30). The Samford transfer scored 10 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds. It was the second time Allen scored in double figures, while tying a season high in rebounds. The Orlando, Florida, native also added two steals for his third consecutive multi-steal game.
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 22nd in turnovers forced (17.1 per game) and 27th nationally in scoring defense (63.0).
- 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
- Four games surrendering 50 points or less (first time since 2011-12 season)
- 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)
WINNING BIG
When the Rebels win, they win big.
- All eight victories this season have been by double digits with an average margin of victory 21.9 points.
- Dating back to last season, 20 of the 23 wins are double-digit victories.
- Every SEC win over the past two seasons (2019-20, 2020-21) has been by at least eight points with eight of them being double-digit victories; the average margin of victory in the conference games is 15.4 points.
HOME COOKIN'
When the Rebels were victorious at home last season, they won in dominating fashion. Eleven of Ole Miss' 12 wins in The Pavilion were by double digits, outscoring the opposition by an average of 18.5 ppg (77.5-59.0). The Rebels finished with a 12-5 record at home last season. That trend continued into the 2020-21 season with six victories by an average of 23 points.
OpponentFinalMargin of Victory
Jackson State80-45+35
UNCW78-58+20
Central Arkansas68-54+14
UT Martin90-43+47
Auburn72-61+11
Texas A&M 61-50+11
PROTECTING CRADDOCK COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark at Ole Miss. Over the past 15 seasons, the Rebels are 172-55 (.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 59-29 (.670) advantage against the opposition. Ole Miss has won 297 of its last 384 games (.773 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1996-97 campaign. Under head coach
Kermit Davis, the Rebels are 29-13 (.690 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.
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 (14.9 ppg) and assists (3.8 per game), while producing five 20-point games so far this season. His 1.6 assist/turnover ratio ranks third in the SEC. In the 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 a season-high 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).
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 13.2 ppg during conference games, second only to fellow guard
Devontae Shuler (14.3 ppg). He ranks second in the SEC in free throw shooting, making 85.1 percent of his attempts. 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 helped lead a second half comeback that ultimately fell short. His effort concluded with 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. Last week at Arkansas, Joiner knocked down a jumper with eight minutes left in the first half to put him over 1,000 points for his career.
SHULER STEALS
Senior
Devontae Shuler is rising up the program's all-time steals list with 169 career steals. Getting two steals against Auburn (Jan. 6), he passed Gerald Glass (159) to move into fifth in Ole Miss history. Averaging 1.7 steals per game, Shuler ranks seventh in the SEC. He is three steals away from tying Jason Harrison for fourth 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.
MELLO'S WORLD
Graduate transfer
Romello White has brought his toughness and physicality to Oxford, dominating the post. The Arizona State transfer is averaging 9.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg. White has been a force down low, making 58 of his 88 attempts for a 65.9 percent clip. With 19 blocks over 16 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 had his best game as a Rebel with team highs in points (20) and rebounds (11). It marked the 17th double-double of his career, his first in an Ole Miss uniform.
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). He is fourth in the SEC in steals with the help of 11 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).
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 446 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 512 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.
PLAYERS MENTIONED
#4 Breein Tyree
Guard 6' 2" 195 lbs Senior 3L
#24 Jarkel Joiner
Guard 6' 1" 180 lbs Junior TR
#15 Luis Rodriguez
Guard/Forward 6' 6" 210 lbs Sophomore 2L
#2 Devontae Shuler
Guard 6' 2" 185 lbs Senior 3L
#0 Romello White
Forward 6' 8" 235 lbs Graduate Student
#21 Robert Allen
Forward 6' 8" 230 lbs Junior
#14 Dimencio Vaughn
Guard/Forward 6' 5" 215 lbs Graduate Student
