From UM Media Relations:
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Ole Miss men’s basketball will head into a hostile environment when it hits the road to take on nearby rival Memphis on Saturday evening. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2 inside FedExForum.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (6-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Kermit Davis • 5th Season at Ole Miss (70-62) • 539-325 career record (28th Season)
Memphis Tigers (5-2, 0-0 American)
Head Coach: Penny Hardaway • 5th Season at Memphis (89-45) • 89-45 career record (5th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Mike Corey
Color: Mark Adams
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
RIVALRY RENEWED
Memphis is the closest Division I school to Ole Miss, as only 85 miles separate the two universities. The Tigers lead the all-time series 28-15, but the Rebels have won four of the last five meetings and eight of the previous 13. Memphis earned a 23-11 victory in 1910 to tip off the series, and after another win in 1923, Ole Miss rattled off six consecutive wins. The Tigers took command of the series from there, though, winning 13 straight from 1952 to 1977, with the Rebels snapping the streak with a 92-89 neutral site win in New Orleans on Dec. 26, 1978. Memphis bounced back with eight more in a row from 1979 to 1998 -- including three overtime contests -- but Ole Miss holds the series edge since its 74-64 win in Oxford in 1999 with an 8-5 advantage since. Included in that 23-year stretch are two three-game Rebel winning streaks from 1999-2001 and 2010-16. Sparking that last three-game streak was the lone postseason meeting between the Rebels and Tigers in the NIT, with the Rebels winning 90-81 in Oxford on March 19, 2010. Each of the last five games in the series have all been decided by single digits, with Ole Miss standing tall at 4-1 -- the lone loss a narrow 87-86 heartbreaker at No. 16 Memphis on Nov. 23, 2019.
LAST MEETING: DEC. 4, 2021 (W, 67-63, IN OXFORD)
• Ole Miss win over No. 18 Memphis; tied school record as fourth consecutive AP Top-25 victory
• Ole Miss: 23-of-29 free throw shooting
• Both teams shot a combined 37 percent; Memphis entered ranked No. 1 NCAA in blocks and No. 19 in field goal defense
• 22-9 Ole Miss run in second half; Memphis 10-2 run pulled within three with 44 seconds to play (64-61)
• Matthew Murrell: then career-high 19 points, 4-9 3PT, 7-9 FT
LAST TIME IN MEMPHIS: Nov. 23, 2019 (L, 87-86)
• No. 16 Memphis held on after Ole Miss nearly erased a 16-point second half deficit
• Breein Tyree: 24 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
• Memphis’ Precious Achiuwa (25), D.J. Jeffries (23) combined for 48 points
• Ole Miss: 12 threes made
• Memphis won points in paint, 52-20
LAST WIN IN MEMPHIS: Dec. 18, 2015 (W, 85-79)
• Start of the game was delayed an hour due to a power outage in downtown Memphis
• Ole Miss led by as many as 18 in the first half
• Five Rebels in double-digit scoring
• Stefan Moody: 21 points
• Martavious Newby: 12 points, 12 rebounds
• Rasheed Brooks: 11 points
• Sebastian Saiz: 11 points, 11 rebounds
• Tomasz Gielo: 10 points
• Memphis’ Ricky Tarrant: 29 points, 8-14 FG, 5-7 3PT
• Memphis’ Dedric Lawson: 21 points, 14 rebounds
ESPN EVENTS INVITATIONAL RECAP
Game 1 (First Round) • vs. Stanford • Nov. 24 • W, 72-68
• Ole Miss never trailed, led by 37:36
• Rebels shot 50 percent overall, 60.7 percent in the second half
• Amaree Abram: career-high, team season-high 26 points, 12-18 FG, 2-2 3PT
• Most points by Rebel freshman since Jan. 12, 2019 (26, Blake Hinson, at MSU)
• Abram three-pointer with 27 seconds to go helped keep Cardinal at bay
• Jaemyn Brakefield: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 5-6 FG, 2-2 3PT
• Jayveous McKinnis: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 7-10 FG
Game 2 (Semifinal) • vs. Siena • Nov. 25 • W, 74-62
• Improved to 6-0 for first time since 2013-14 season
• Trailed at half, 27-26; outscored Saints in second half, 48-35
• First half featured 10 of 11 total lead changes, as well as both ties
• Ole Miss shot season-high 62.5 percent in the second half; ended at 50 percent for second straight game
• Amaree Abram: 19 points (16 2H), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 6-8 FG, 3-3 3PT, 4-4 FT
• Jaemyn Brakefield: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 8-14 FG
• Matthew Murrell: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
• Myles Burns: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists
• Abram, Brakefield, Murrell: combined for 50 points, 37 in the second half
Game 3 (Final) • vs. Oklahoma • Nov. 27 • L, 59-55
• Ole Miss: shot 50 percent in first half, but Oklahoma shut down Rebels to 39 percent overall
• Rebels led at halftime, but 10-0 Sooner run in second half stole momentum
• Amaree Abram: 17 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 7-13 FG
• TJ Caldwell: 10 points, 2-3 3PT
• Jaemyn Brakefield: career-high 10 rebounds
BY THE NUMBERS: OLE MISS IN THE ESPN EVENTS INVITATIONAL
• 63.0 PPG defense
• FG%: 81-of-167 (.485)
• 3PT%: 16-of-47 (.340) / 3PM/Game: 5.3
• FT%: 23-of-32 (.719) / FTM/Game: 7.7 / FTA/Game: 10.7
• Rebounds/Game: 31.7 / Rebounding Margin: +4.0
• Assists/Game: 12.3
• Turnovers Forced/Game: 12.7 / Steals/Game: 9.7 / Blocks/Game: 3.7
• Average Time Led: 29:29
BY THE NUMBERS: OLE MISS INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS IN THE ESPN EVENTS INVITATIONAL
• Amaree Abram: 20.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, .641 FG (25-39), .750 3PT (6-8), 1.000 FT (6-6)
• Jaemyn Brakefield: 13.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, .556 FG (15-27), .444 3PT (4-9), .714 FT (5-7)
• Matthew Murrell: 9.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, .714 FT (5-7)
• Jayveous McKinnis: 8.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.0 SPG, .706 FG (12-17)
• Myles Burns: 4.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.0 SPG, 2.3 APG
AN OLE MISS WIN WOULD...
•...be the first Rebel win at Memphis since Dec. 18, 2015 (85-79).
• ...be the fifth win in the last six games of the series dating back to 2010, as well as the ninth win in the last 14 back to 1999.
DIAPER DANDY!
Amaree Abram came into the ESPN Events Invitational as a skilled but inexperienced freshman point guard filling in for the injured Daeshun Ruffin, but came out of it as a serious scoring threat for the Rebels. Abram was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for his efforts in Orlando, leading the Rebels to a 2-1 record and a trip to the title game against Oklahoma. All told, Abram accounted for 30.1 percent of all Rebel scoring in the tournament, averaging 20.7 points per game across three contests against Stanford (26 points; W, 72-68), Siena (19 points; W, 74-62) and Oklahoma (17 points; L, 59-55). He also averaged 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals, while shooting .641 overall (25-39), .750 from three (6-8) and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Abram scored a career and Ole Miss team season-high 26 points against Stanford in the opener, the most points scored by a Rebel freshman since 2018-19 (26, Blake Hinson, at Mississippi State, Jan. 12, 2019) and the most by a Rebel freshman in a non-conference game since 2011-12 (27, Jarvis Summers, at Penn State, Dec. 4, 2011). He scored 43 of his 62 total points in the second halves of games at the Invitational, averaging 14.3 points in the back half while shooting .696 overall (16-23), .833 from three (5-6) and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Abram entered play averaging just 7.0 points per game with a career-high eight points vs. Florida Atlantic on Nov. 11, but scored at least 17 points in all three games this past week.
Abram -- a native of Port Arthur, Texas -- came to Ole Miss from Southern California Academy, where he was a four-star ESPN Top-100 prospect (No. 98 overall).
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 currently leads the SEC and ranks No. 5 in the NCAA at 3.1 steals per game, while also ranking tied for sixth in the conference at 2.6 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, though, 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.
CONSISTENCY KEY FOR BRAKEFIELD
Junior Jaemyn Brakefield has been a rock for the Rebels throughout their 6-1 start, currently leading the team with a 61.9 percent clip from the field (min. 40 attempts) and ranking third on the team at 10.1 points per game. Brakefield was even more steady in Orlando for the ESPN Events Invitational, averaging 13.0 points and leading the team with 8.3 rebounds, while also shooting 55.6 percent overall and 44.4 percent from three. Brakefield is one of three players in the SEC this season to go at least 6-of-6 from the field, tallying a 6-of-6 game against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 11 -- his first of three season-high 17-point games this year.
LIGHTS OUT
Ole Miss has lit the net on fire, shooting at least 50 percent overall in three games and at least 45 percent in five of seven 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 32-5 overall when shooting 50 percent or better. Ole Miss currently ranks sixth in the SEC in overall field goal shooting (.460) and fifth in three-point shooting (.346).
WHEN IT COUNTS
Ole Miss has been especially strong in the second half this season, shooting 49.2 percent overall in the back half while outscoring opponents 275-230 (39.3 points per second half, +6.4 scoring margin). Additionally, the Rebels have put up a +5.9 rebounding margin in the second half this season, while junior Matthew Murrell is averaging 8.4 points and 1.3 threes per second have this season. More recently 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 ninth in the SEC in threes per game (2.4) and sixth in total threes made (17). Murrell also ranks tied for 12th in the SEC at 14.1 points per game, helped by two 20-point outings against Chattanooga (25) and Alcorn State (20). 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 have come within his last 24 games played dating back to last season. In his career, Murrell has hit five or more threes four times, while also notching seven games with at least four, 12 with at least three, 24 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. Since the beginning of the 2021-22 SEC season, only Tennessee’s Santiago Vescovi has more threes made in the conference with 77 trifectas to Murrell’s 60. 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.
MURRELL NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SEC
Ole Miss junior Matthew Murrell was honored by the league head coaches, earning Second-Team Preseason All-SEC in recognition of his sharp-shooting prowess last season. Murrell – a native of Memphis, Tennessee – is among the best three-point shooters and all-around guards returning from SEC action last year after ending the 2021-22 conference season ranked second in three-point shooting (.426), third in threes per game (2.5), sixth in minutes per game (34.1), eighth in field goal shooting (.466) and ninth in scoring (15.5). Murrell accounted for 26.6 percent of all three-pointers made by the Rebels last season, and he especially turned it on late, averaging 20.0 points and 3.0 threes over his final three games, as well as 16.3 points and 2.5 threes over his final eight games.
Sparking that SEC season stretch for Murrell was a historic outing versus in-state rival Mississippi State on Jan. 8, where he was nearly perfect in a bombastic 31-point outing against the Bulldogs. Murrell that day became only the third Rebel to go 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, and he is the only Rebel to do so against an SEC opponent during the regular season. Murrell was also 6-of-6 from the free throw line, with his lone blemish coming from within the arc in the closing minutes to end 10-of-11 overall from the field.
Murrell was also big when the spotlight was on against ranked opponents, averaging 15.0 points while shooting 42.9 percent overall and 45 percent from three in six games against AP Top-25 schools. Included in those six were two Ole Miss victories over No. 18 Memphis on Dec. 4 and No. 25 LSU on Feb. 1, during which Murrell averaged 14.0 points for the Rebels.
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 (1,037), fifth in total blocks (238), sixth in career double-doubles (38), eighth in rebounds per game (9.3), 11th in blocks per game (2.1) and 17th in field goal shooting (.609). McKinnis is one of just four active players in all of college basketball with 1,000 career rebounds alongside South Alabama’s Kevin Samuel (1,117), North Carolina’s Armando Bacot (1,090) and Nicholls’ Manny Littles (1,020). He is also just one of three, alongside Samuel and Bacot, with 1,000 career points (1,114) 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 (1,037) and Josh Mballa (804; No. 18) combine for 1,841 career rebounds, the second-most among teammates behind Texas Tech’s 1,846 from Fardaws Almaq (918) and Kevin Obanor (928).
Ole Miss also ranks highly on the career blocks list with two top-10 entries at the moment. McKinnis ranks fifth at 238 swats, while Theo Akwuba sits eighth at 190. Combined at 428 career rejections, the Rebel duo accounts for a whopping 17.6 percent of the 2,427 career blocks among the active top-10. 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. 13) and Akwuba (17, No. 44) combine for 84 career double-doubles, with McKinnis and Mballa owning the second-most by a pair of teammates with 67 behind Texas Tech’s Almaq (41) and Obanor (35) at 76.
* 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 1,109 if they did and give Ole Miss a combined 4,263 boards between Akwuba (655), Burns (1,109), Mballa (804), McKinnis (1,037) and Robert Allen (658). Burns’ combined career total of 1,898 points would also rank No. 11 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 6-1 start.
Newcomer Splits:
Minutes: 53.2% (748 of 1406)
Scoring: 51.8% (257 of 496)
Rebounding: 48.7% (128 of 263)
Assists: 59.8% (49 of 92)
Steals: 64.1% (41 of 64)
Blocks: 74.1% (20 of 27)
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%)
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):
• 453 games played
• 357 games started
• 4,817 points
• 3,605 rebounds
• 638 steals (380 from Burns alone)
• 621 blocks
| OLE MISS (6-1, 0-0 SEC) at MEMPHIS (5-2, 0-0 American) Saturday, Dec. 3 • 6:30 p.m. CT • Memphis, Tenn. FedExForum (18,400) 
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| Watch • Live Stats • Listen Ole Miss Game Notes • Memphis Game Notes • SEC Game Notes |
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (6-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Kermit Davis • 5th Season at Ole Miss (70-62) • 539-325 career record (28th Season)
Memphis Tigers (5-2, 0-0 American)
Head Coach: Penny Hardaway • 5th Season at Memphis (89-45) • 89-45 career record (5th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Mike Corey
Color: Mark Adams
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
RIVALRY RENEWED
Memphis is the closest Division I school to Ole Miss, as only 85 miles separate the two universities. The Tigers lead the all-time series 28-15, but the Rebels have won four of the last five meetings and eight of the previous 13. Memphis earned a 23-11 victory in 1910 to tip off the series, and after another win in 1923, Ole Miss rattled off six consecutive wins. The Tigers took command of the series from there, though, winning 13 straight from 1952 to 1977, with the Rebels snapping the streak with a 92-89 neutral site win in New Orleans on Dec. 26, 1978. Memphis bounced back with eight more in a row from 1979 to 1998 -- including three overtime contests -- but Ole Miss holds the series edge since its 74-64 win in Oxford in 1999 with an 8-5 advantage since. Included in that 23-year stretch are two three-game Rebel winning streaks from 1999-2001 and 2010-16. Sparking that last three-game streak was the lone postseason meeting between the Rebels and Tigers in the NIT, with the Rebels winning 90-81 in Oxford on March 19, 2010. Each of the last five games in the series have all been decided by single digits, with Ole Miss standing tall at 4-1 -- the lone loss a narrow 87-86 heartbreaker at No. 16 Memphis on Nov. 23, 2019.
LAST MEETING: DEC. 4, 2021 (W, 67-63, IN OXFORD)
• Ole Miss win over No. 18 Memphis; tied school record as fourth consecutive AP Top-25 victory
• Ole Miss: 23-of-29 free throw shooting
• Both teams shot a combined 37 percent; Memphis entered ranked No. 1 NCAA in blocks and No. 19 in field goal defense
• 22-9 Ole Miss run in second half; Memphis 10-2 run pulled within three with 44 seconds to play (64-61)
• Matthew Murrell: then career-high 19 points, 4-9 3PT, 7-9 FT
LAST TIME IN MEMPHIS: Nov. 23, 2019 (L, 87-86)
• No. 16 Memphis held on after Ole Miss nearly erased a 16-point second half deficit
• Breein Tyree: 24 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
• Memphis’ Precious Achiuwa (25), D.J. Jeffries (23) combined for 48 points
• Ole Miss: 12 threes made
• Memphis won points in paint, 52-20
LAST WIN IN MEMPHIS: Dec. 18, 2015 (W, 85-79)
• Start of the game was delayed an hour due to a power outage in downtown Memphis
• Ole Miss led by as many as 18 in the first half
• Five Rebels in double-digit scoring
• Stefan Moody: 21 points
• Martavious Newby: 12 points, 12 rebounds
• Rasheed Brooks: 11 points
• Sebastian Saiz: 11 points, 11 rebounds
• Tomasz Gielo: 10 points
• Memphis’ Ricky Tarrant: 29 points, 8-14 FG, 5-7 3PT
• Memphis’ Dedric Lawson: 21 points, 14 rebounds
ESPN EVENTS INVITATIONAL RECAP
Game 1 (First Round) • vs. Stanford • Nov. 24 • W, 72-68
• Ole Miss never trailed, led by 37:36
• Rebels shot 50 percent overall, 60.7 percent in the second half
• Amaree Abram: career-high, team season-high 26 points, 12-18 FG, 2-2 3PT
• Most points by Rebel freshman since Jan. 12, 2019 (26, Blake Hinson, at MSU)
• Abram three-pointer with 27 seconds to go helped keep Cardinal at bay
• Jaemyn Brakefield: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 5-6 FG, 2-2 3PT
• Jayveous McKinnis: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 7-10 FG
Game 2 (Semifinal) • vs. Siena • Nov. 25 • W, 74-62
• Improved to 6-0 for first time since 2013-14 season
• Trailed at half, 27-26; outscored Saints in second half, 48-35
• First half featured 10 of 11 total lead changes, as well as both ties
• Ole Miss shot season-high 62.5 percent in the second half; ended at 50 percent for second straight game
• Amaree Abram: 19 points (16 2H), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 6-8 FG, 3-3 3PT, 4-4 FT
• Jaemyn Brakefield: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 8-14 FG
• Matthew Murrell: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
• Myles Burns: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists
• Abram, Brakefield, Murrell: combined for 50 points, 37 in the second half
Game 3 (Final) • vs. Oklahoma • Nov. 27 • L, 59-55
• Ole Miss: shot 50 percent in first half, but Oklahoma shut down Rebels to 39 percent overall
• Rebels led at halftime, but 10-0 Sooner run in second half stole momentum
• Amaree Abram: 17 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 7-13 FG
• TJ Caldwell: 10 points, 2-3 3PT
• Jaemyn Brakefield: career-high 10 rebounds
BY THE NUMBERS: OLE MISS IN THE ESPN EVENTS INVITATIONAL
• 63.0 PPG defense
• FG%: 81-of-167 (.485)
• 3PT%: 16-of-47 (.340) / 3PM/Game: 5.3
• FT%: 23-of-32 (.719) / FTM/Game: 7.7 / FTA/Game: 10.7
• Rebounds/Game: 31.7 / Rebounding Margin: +4.0
• Assists/Game: 12.3
• Turnovers Forced/Game: 12.7 / Steals/Game: 9.7 / Blocks/Game: 3.7
• Average Time Led: 29:29
BY THE NUMBERS: OLE MISS INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS IN THE ESPN EVENTS INVITATIONAL
• Amaree Abram: 20.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, .641 FG (25-39), .750 3PT (6-8), 1.000 FT (6-6)
• Jaemyn Brakefield: 13.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, .556 FG (15-27), .444 3PT (4-9), .714 FT (5-7)
• Matthew Murrell: 9.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, .714 FT (5-7)
• Jayveous McKinnis: 8.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.0 SPG, .706 FG (12-17)
• Myles Burns: 4.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.0 SPG, 2.3 APG
AN OLE MISS WIN WOULD...
•...be the first Rebel win at Memphis since Dec. 18, 2015 (85-79).
• ...be the fifth win in the last six games of the series dating back to 2010, as well as the ninth win in the last 14 back to 1999.
DIAPER DANDY!
Amaree Abram came into the ESPN Events Invitational as a skilled but inexperienced freshman point guard filling in for the injured Daeshun Ruffin, but came out of it as a serious scoring threat for the Rebels. Abram was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for his efforts in Orlando, leading the Rebels to a 2-1 record and a trip to the title game against Oklahoma. All told, Abram accounted for 30.1 percent of all Rebel scoring in the tournament, averaging 20.7 points per game across three contests against Stanford (26 points; W, 72-68), Siena (19 points; W, 74-62) and Oklahoma (17 points; L, 59-55). He also averaged 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals, while shooting .641 overall (25-39), .750 from three (6-8) and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Abram scored a career and Ole Miss team season-high 26 points against Stanford in the opener, the most points scored by a Rebel freshman since 2018-19 (26, Blake Hinson, at Mississippi State, Jan. 12, 2019) and the most by a Rebel freshman in a non-conference game since 2011-12 (27, Jarvis Summers, at Penn State, Dec. 4, 2011). He scored 43 of his 62 total points in the second halves of games at the Invitational, averaging 14.3 points in the back half while shooting .696 overall (16-23), .833 from three (5-6) and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Abram entered play averaging just 7.0 points per game with a career-high eight points vs. Florida Atlantic on Nov. 11, but scored at least 17 points in all three games this past week.
Abram -- a native of Port Arthur, Texas -- came to Ole Miss from Southern California Academy, where he was a four-star ESPN Top-100 prospect (No. 98 overall).
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 currently leads the SEC and ranks No. 5 in the NCAA at 3.1 steals per game, while also ranking tied for sixth in the conference at 2.6 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, though, 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.
CONSISTENCY KEY FOR BRAKEFIELD
Junior Jaemyn Brakefield has been a rock for the Rebels throughout their 6-1 start, currently leading the team with a 61.9 percent clip from the field (min. 40 attempts) and ranking third on the team at 10.1 points per game. Brakefield was even more steady in Orlando for the ESPN Events Invitational, averaging 13.0 points and leading the team with 8.3 rebounds, while also shooting 55.6 percent overall and 44.4 percent from three. Brakefield is one of three players in the SEC this season to go at least 6-of-6 from the field, tallying a 6-of-6 game against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 11 -- his first of three season-high 17-point games this year.
LIGHTS OUT
Ole Miss has lit the net on fire, shooting at least 50 percent overall in three games and at least 45 percent in five of seven 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 32-5 overall when shooting 50 percent or better. Ole Miss currently ranks sixth in the SEC in overall field goal shooting (.460) and fifth in three-point shooting (.346).
WHEN IT COUNTS
Ole Miss has been especially strong in the second half this season, shooting 49.2 percent overall in the back half while outscoring opponents 275-230 (39.3 points per second half, +6.4 scoring margin). Additionally, the Rebels have put up a +5.9 rebounding margin in the second half this season, while junior Matthew Murrell is averaging 8.4 points and 1.3 threes per second have this season. More recently 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 ninth in the SEC in threes per game (2.4) and sixth in total threes made (17). Murrell also ranks tied for 12th in the SEC at 14.1 points per game, helped by two 20-point outings against Chattanooga (25) and Alcorn State (20). 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 have come within his last 24 games played dating back to last season. In his career, Murrell has hit five or more threes four times, while also notching seven games with at least four, 12 with at least three, 24 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. Since the beginning of the 2021-22 SEC season, only Tennessee’s Santiago Vescovi has more threes made in the conference with 77 trifectas to Murrell’s 60. 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.
MURRELL NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SEC
Ole Miss junior Matthew Murrell was honored by the league head coaches, earning Second-Team Preseason All-SEC in recognition of his sharp-shooting prowess last season. Murrell – a native of Memphis, Tennessee – is among the best three-point shooters and all-around guards returning from SEC action last year after ending the 2021-22 conference season ranked second in three-point shooting (.426), third in threes per game (2.5), sixth in minutes per game (34.1), eighth in field goal shooting (.466) and ninth in scoring (15.5). Murrell accounted for 26.6 percent of all three-pointers made by the Rebels last season, and he especially turned it on late, averaging 20.0 points and 3.0 threes over his final three games, as well as 16.3 points and 2.5 threes over his final eight games.
Sparking that SEC season stretch for Murrell was a historic outing versus in-state rival Mississippi State on Jan. 8, where he was nearly perfect in a bombastic 31-point outing against the Bulldogs. Murrell that day became only the third Rebel to go 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, and he is the only Rebel to do so against an SEC opponent during the regular season. Murrell was also 6-of-6 from the free throw line, with his lone blemish coming from within the arc in the closing minutes to end 10-of-11 overall from the field.
Murrell was also big when the spotlight was on against ranked opponents, averaging 15.0 points while shooting 42.9 percent overall and 45 percent from three in six games against AP Top-25 schools. Included in those six were two Ole Miss victories over No. 18 Memphis on Dec. 4 and No. 25 LSU on Feb. 1, during which Murrell averaged 14.0 points for the Rebels.
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 (1,037), fifth in total blocks (238), sixth in career double-doubles (38), eighth in rebounds per game (9.3), 11th in blocks per game (2.1) and 17th in field goal shooting (.609). McKinnis is one of just four active players in all of college basketball with 1,000 career rebounds alongside South Alabama’s Kevin Samuel (1,117), North Carolina’s Armando Bacot (1,090) and Nicholls’ Manny Littles (1,020). He is also just one of three, alongside Samuel and Bacot, with 1,000 career points (1,114) 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 (1,037) and Josh Mballa (804; No. 18) combine for 1,841 career rebounds, the second-most among teammates behind Texas Tech’s 1,846 from Fardaws Almaq (918) and Kevin Obanor (928).
Ole Miss also ranks highly on the career blocks list with two top-10 entries at the moment. McKinnis ranks fifth at 238 swats, while Theo Akwuba sits eighth at 190. Combined at 428 career rejections, the Rebel duo accounts for a whopping 17.6 percent of the 2,427 career blocks among the active top-10. 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. 13) and Akwuba (17, No. 44) combine for 84 career double-doubles, with McKinnis and Mballa owning the second-most by a pair of teammates with 67 behind Texas Tech’s Almaq (41) and Obanor (35) at 76.
* 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 1,109 if they did and give Ole Miss a combined 4,263 boards between Akwuba (655), Burns (1,109), Mballa (804), McKinnis (1,037) and Robert Allen (658). Burns’ combined career total of 1,898 points would also rank No. 11 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 6-1 start.
Newcomer Splits:
Minutes: 53.2% (748 of 1406)
Scoring: 51.8% (257 of 496)
Rebounding: 48.7% (128 of 263)
Assists: 59.8% (49 of 92)
Steals: 64.1% (41 of 64)
Blocks: 74.1% (20 of 27)
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%)
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):
• 453 games played
• 357 games started
• 4,817 points
• 3,605 rebounds
• 638 steals (380 from Burns alone)
• 621 blocks
