OXFORD – The Ole Miss men's basketball team is set to face off with the Georgia Bulldogs today at noon in the SJB Pavilion and on the SEC Network.
The Rebles are 8-8 on the season and 0-4 in the SEC while the Bulldogs are 12-4 and 2-1 in conference play.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Georgia enters their game with the Rebels owning a 12-4 record, having gone 2-1 in conference thus far. After opening SEC play with a 76-64 win over Auburn at home, they fell to Florida on the road 82-75 before defeating Mississippi State 58-50 in Athens.
Georgia has kept their opponents scoring at bay during the 2022-23 season, owning a 64.2 points allowed per game average (No. 56 NCAA, No. 5 SEC), while holding their foes to a three-point field goal percentage of 28.4 (No. 15 NCAA, No. 5 SEC). The Bulldogs have been strong on the glass through their first 16 games, owning a +6.1 rebounding margin (No. 32 NCAA, No. 4 SEC) and an average of 39.1 boards per game (No. 39 NCAA, No. 3 SEC).
Terry Roberts leads Georgia in scoring at 15.7 points per game, the sixth-best clip in the SEC. The senior guard has been on fire during conference play, leading the SEC with an average of 22.3 points per contest after scoring 26 in their win over Auburn, 25 at Florida, and 16 in their matchup with MSU. Roberts also ranks third on the year in the SEC in assists per game at 4.1.
First-year head coach Mike White leads the Bulldogs after spending the previous seven seasons at Florida where he compiled a 142-88 record. He got his first head coaching job at Louisiana Tech in 2011, where he coached for four years and led the Bulldogs to a 101-40 record. Prior to entering the head coaching ranks, White spent seven seasons as an assistant for the Ole Miss program under head coaches Rod Barnes and Andy Kennedy. A graduate of Ole Miss himself, White was a four-year starter for the Rebels basketball team, helping them win two SEC West titles and a trio of NCAA Tournament berths. His 370 career assists rank as the seventh-most in school history, after leading the team in assists per game all four of his seasons on campus.
ANOTHER ONE
With an average of 12.6 offensive rebounds per game, the Rebels have been among the best in the country in earning second chances on the glass, currently ranking 41st in the nation. The team is led by senior transfer Myles Burns with 39 offensive rebounds (2.4 per game, 7th in the SEC).
TAKING THE FREE ONES
Junior Matthew Murrell is shooting an impressive 89.1% (49-55) from the free throw line to begin the season, which is tops in the SEC and ranks 24th in the country. As it stands, his current percentage would rank as the fourth-best free throw percentage in a single season at Ole Miss.
Ole Miss Men's Basketball - Free Throw Percentage in a Season Top Five
1. Chris Warren, 2011: 92.8%
2. Stefan Moody, 2015: 90.3%
3. David Rhodes, 1972: 90.1%
4. Marshall Henderson, 2013: 88.3%
5. Deandre Burnett, 2017: 88.1%
