Ole Miss - Starting 5 - Notable Stats

[thebigabd]

G - Terrence Davis (6'4'' 205 - Senior)
- Averages 15ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 3.3 assists per game. 36% 3pt shooter.

G - Breein Tyree (6'2'' 195 - Junior)
- Averages 18.2ppg, 3 rpg, and 2.8 assists per game. 38% 3pt shooter.

G - Devontae Schuler (6'2'' 192 - Sophomore)
- Averages 10.2ppg, 4.2 rpg... 32% 3pt shooter.

F - Blake Hinson (6'7'' 230 - Freshman)
- Averages 8.2ppg, 3rpg... 35% 3pt shooter.

F- Bruce Stevens (6'8'' 252 - Senior)
- Averages 8.5ppg, 4.4rpg. 32% 3pt shooter.

Notable Backups:

Dominick Olejniczak (7'0'' 260)
- Started 21 games this year. Averages 5 and 3. Leads team in blocks.
KJ Buffen (6'7'' 230)
- Averages 6 points and 3 rebounds per game in 20 minutes per game.

My impressions:

Strong at the guard spots, with no depth whatsoever. The 3 guards each play like 33 minutes per game. They only have 8 players who have played every game, and 5 of them are forwards. They have no guard depth at all. But the guards are very good.

They play the post by committee... No dominant player, but a solid 4 deep. The two starters both shoot 3's and jumpers, and the big Polish dude brings a 7'0'' footer off the bench.

Notable Stats:
Last place in SEC in offensive rebounding
#10 in SEC in defensive rebounding
#5 in SEC in assists per game
#3 in turnovers (in a good way)
#4 in 3 pointers made
#5 in 3point percentage
#13 in SEC in blocks per game
#5 in steals per game

They don't turn the ball over, can shoot pretty well... but are a weak rebounding team. Won't be like a West Virginia where they crash the boards. They are the worst team in their league at crashing the offensive glass, which is probably the most important stat for this Oklahoma team. Manek and Doolittle shouldn't get manhandled in the paint in this one.

 

[WTSooner]

Our big men should FEAST on offense. They won't be able to use that 7'0" dude, not way he can stick with Doolittle or Manek. This really is just about a best case scenario matchup for us. They tend to play down (or up) to their level of competition. We defend guards better than we defend interior guys. Their guards are their best players. Unless our guys just can't hit a lick that day, or somehow their guards go OFF, I'd think this is a game we will win.

 

[cvangild]

I think this game will simply come down to how well ole miss shoots the 3 against us. If they shoot decent and hit 10+, and we have an "off night" from the perimeter (which we've had many times), they likely win the game. If they only shoot avg from 3 and only make 8 ish...we can still win this game even if we have a issues hitting some 3's due to our scoring primarily coming from our forwards recently.

If CJ has a good game, I think we win this one...because Doolittle has been so consistent lately and Manek has too.

 

[BCSooners]

Very good draw for OU. They are good on offense, average defense, & poor rebounding. I’ve only watched them twice & they looked great & below average.

 

[TulsaWorld]

More Ole Miss preview from Eric Bailey...

Number to know: 9. In 109 years of Ole Miss basketball, the Rebels have only advanced to the NCAA Tournament nine times. The Sooners and Rebels have met three times on the basketball court, with Ole Miss owning a 2-1 advantage.

Quotable: “It’s amazing that it’s a year that I had my press conference at The Pavilion. Like I said, for a team that finished last and lost 13 out of 14, picked last and then to kind of do what they did as a No. 8 seed and the body of work to happen at Ole Miss. I’m so happy for TD (Terence Davis) and D.C. (Davis) and Bruce (Stevens) as seniors and Breein (Tyree) and Devontae (Shuler) and (Dominik Olejniczak), those guys that came back. It’s a terrific day for Ole Miss basketball.” — Coach Kermit Davis to the Clarion-Ledger.

 

[AdaSooner]

None of the Old Miss starters blister the nets from three, but all of them shoot it fairly well. That worries me some because defending the three has been our greatest weakness.

Still, this match up appears to favor OU. As others have pointed out, Doo and Manek should have an advantage on the boards and inside. If OU comes to playing defense from the opening tap, we should be advancing to the second round.

 

[Darwin]

None of the Old Miss starters blister the nets from three, but all of them shoot it fairly well. That worries me some because defending the three has been our greatest weakness.

Still, this match up appears to favor OU. As others have pointed out, Doo and Manek should have an advantage on the boards and inside. If OU comes to playing defense from the opening tap, we should be advancing to the second round.

80% Chance we play well. Ole Miss could shoot 29% from 3 and still beat us if we shoot it as bad as we have some games and don't forget free throws or Muni's ankle. My point is confidence at this point really is only optimism.

 

[thebigabd]

I think I speak for everyone when I say I can't watch to see Hannes Polla vs Dominick Olejniczak.

 

[Ghost of Gar Heard]

They're outstanding at turning teams over & shooting free throws. We absolutely must take care of the ball & defend without fouling or we're in trouble.

 

[TulsaWorld]

Good morning; here's Eric Bailey's latest coverage and excerpts of each...

OU men's basketball notebook: For Kruger, the fuzzy feeling remains the same after making the NCAA Tournament

What does their veteran coach Lon Kruger think about Oklahoma making the NCAA Tournament field? Could it be the same feeling as when his Kansas State team made it to the tournament in 1987 for his first trip as a head coach?

“From a coach’s perspective, you are excited for the guys,” Kruger said Monday. “Each team is unique. Some of these guys haven’t played in the NCAA Tournament before. Some have. Some have been on a Final Four team. Each team is unique and each year is exciting. Always, the satisfaction is watching the guys get excited and watching the guys accomplish this.”

Kruger has led five different schools to 19 tournament appearances. Does he have a favorite moment?

“I don’t know about a favorite moment. Obviously those teams who played a little longer in the tournament, you have more memories about advancing,” Kruger said. “The locker room celebrations … it’s hard to put a value, but a great value on those spontaneous celebrations in the locker room after winning an NCAA Tournament game.

“This group got beat out in the first round last year. Three years ago, they went to the Final Four. They’ve had a little bit of both extremes from emotions afterward. Hopefully they can remember those memories of three years ago and replicate that.”

OU men's basketball: Lon Kruger's early message to his team? Slow Ole Miss' perimeter scorers

“They play good basketball, like (Ole Miss coach) Kermit Davis’ teams always do,” Kruger said during a Monday conference call. “They are sound on both ends, they are attacking and mix the defenses up a little bit.”

The Rebels (20-12) finished tied for sixth place in the SEC. They claimed two victories over eventual SEC Tournament champion Auburn in the regular season.

When studying a new opponent, the common question is ‘Who do they look like?

“At this point of the season, through conference play, you’ve seen a variety of styles and Ole Miss doesn’t do anything extreme in terms of trapping or pressing or zoning,” Kruger said. “They are similar to us in that way. They are mostly man and do a little bit of zone. But a good club, a good team.”