Ole Miss Rebels
2019-2020 Overall Rank: #41
Conference Rank: #9 SEC
Kermit Davis’ first year with at Mississippi was a big-time success as he led the school to their first NCAA Tournament since 2015 and won Coach of the Year in the SEC. Picked to finish last in the conference, Ole Miss started the year 13-2 and were ranked as high as 18 in the AP Poll. The Rebels would earn an 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament and should be in a similar position this year. Despite Terence Davis’ departure, Ole Miss returns three full-time starters and has a strong group of newcomers for 2019-20.
2018-19 Record: 20-13, 10-8
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Kermit Davis
Coach Record: 20-13 at Mississippi, 423-251 overall
Key Departed Players:
Terence Davis, Guard, 15.2 ppg
Bruce Stevens, Forward, 8.5 ppg
Dominik Olejniczak, Center, 5.3 ppg
DC Davis, Guard, 2.2 ppg
Terence Davis, Guard, 15.2 ppg
Bruce Stevens, Forward, 8.5 ppg
Dominik Olejniczak, Center, 5.3 ppg
DC Davis, Guard, 2.2 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Breein Tyree, Senior, Guard, 17.9 ppg
Devontae Shuler, Junior, Guard, 10.3 ppg
Blake Hinson, Sophomore, Forward, 8.3 ppg
KJ Buffen, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 ppg
Luis Rodriguez, Sophomore, Forward, 1.1 ppg
Breein Tyree, Senior, Guard, 17.9 ppg
Devontae Shuler, Junior, Guard, 10.3 ppg
Blake Hinson, Sophomore, Forward, 8.3 ppg
KJ Buffen, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 ppg
Luis Rodriguez, Sophomore, Forward, 1.1 ppg
Key New Players:
Antavion Collum, Freshman, Forward
Austin Crowley, Freshman, Guard
Carlos Curry, RS Freshman, Forward
Sammy Hunter, Freshman, Forward
Franco Miller, RS Freshman, Guard
Shon Robinson, Freshman, Forward
Khadim Sy, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Junior College
Bryce Williams, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Junior College
Shon Robinson, Freshman, Forward
Khadim Sy, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Junior College
Bryce Williams, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Junior College
Projection:
The core of the excitement around Ole Miss basketball this season is the return of Breein Tyree for his senior season. As a junior, Tyree earned First Team All-SEC honors and ranked third in the conference in points per game. Tyree averaged 17.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. With his running mate Terence Davis gone, Tyree could be in line for an even bigger senior campaign. Devontae Shuler’s return should help ease the burden for Tyree. Shuler looks like a star in the making as he averaged 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a team-high 1.7 steals as a sophomore. Shuler also shot 40.2% from three and could be one of the top second options in the SEC. Blake Hinson had a strong freshman season, starting 31 games and playing 24 minutes per outing. Hinson averaged 8.3 points and 2.9 rebounds and should have a bigger role as a sophomore. KJ Buffen wasn’t a starter as a freshman, but he showed impressive flashes in his 21 minutes per game. With Bruce Stevens and Dominik Olejniczak gone, Buffen should see a full-time role in the frontcourt. Luis Rodriguez is also back after playing sparingly as a freshman. Ole Miss has a big group of newcomers joining the team this season. Khadim Sy and Bryce Williams are both junior college transfers with two years of eligibility remaining. Sy started his career at Virginia Tech where he started 28 games and averaged 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds before spending a season in the JuCo ranks. Williams is a 6-foot-3 guard that should seamlessly fit Ole Miss’ style of play. The Rebels also add six freshmen, two of which redshirted a year ago. The headliner of the group is four-star guard Austin Crowley. Crowley is a 6-foot-5 guard who is another player that should easily find a role in Kermit Davis’ system. Sammy Hunter and Antavion Collum are both three-star true freshmen while Carlos Curry and Franco Miller both redshirted last year. Shon Robinson was a 2020 recruit but decided to reclassify to this year’s class. Kermit Davis and Mississippi shocked the SEC last season, but that won’t be the case this year. The Rebels return a strong roster that is primed to make consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.3 (102nd in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.1 (171, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.0 (78, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.5 (224, 14)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (118, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.8 (106, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 78.3 (4, 1)
Rebound Margin: 1.5 (130, 8)
Assists Per Game: 14.4 (90, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (146, 5)
Madness 2019 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#119 Austin Crowley
