Walt Beazley

Arkansas Battles Ole Miss Saturday in Brand New Pavilion

Game Notes (PDF)  |  Mike Anderson Press Conference

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men’s basketball team (12-12, 5-6 SEC) will make its first appearance in the brand new Pavilion Saturday afternoon, traveling to Oxford to take on Ole Miss (15-9, 5-6 SEC) at 1:05 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

Tip-off: Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1:05 p.m. CT
Location: The Pavilion (Oxford, Miss.)
TV: ESPNU |  WatchESPN

The Opponent
The Rebels are 15-9 on the year with a 5-6 record in SEC play. Ole Miss is coming off a 77-72 loss at Florida on Tuesday in Gainesville. Prior to that, the Rebels were on a two-game winning streak with victories over Vanderbilt and Missouri. At the new Pavilion, which opened on Jan. 7, Ole Miss is 4-2. In their first game in the new facility, the Rebels defeated Alabama by a score of 74-66. Overall this season, Ole Miss is 9-2 in Oxford.

Senior guard Stefan Moody leads the SEC with 23.3 points per game, while averaging a team-best four assists. Junior forward Sebastian Saiz is the only other Ole Miss player averaging double figures, at 12.3 points per contest, he also leads the team with an average of 9.6 rebounds. The Rebels lead the SEC with eight steals per game, which ranks 30th in the country.

Head coach Andy Kennedy is in his 10th season with the Rebels, and has a 207-123 record in nine-plus seasons at Ole Miss. Before moving to Oxford, Kennedy served as an assistant coach for five seasons at UAB from 1996-2001 and four seasons at Cincinnati from 2001-05. He took over as interim head coach with the Bearcats during the 2005-06 season and went 21-13. Kennedy is a two-time SEC Coach of the Year (2009 and 2013) and has the most wins in program history.

#Fastest40 Facts
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The Razorbacks have seen seven of their 12 losses come by four points or fewer, including three of those in overtime.

Arkansas leads the SEC and ranks eighth in the country in three-point field goal percentage at .418 and is on pace to break the school record of .395 set during the 1992-93 season.

The Razorbacks are 12-6 over the last two years following a loss, including a 7-4 mark this season.

Mike Anderson and Andy Kennedy are two of the 11 head coaches in the country with 10-plus years of head coaching experience and no losing seasons.

Anthlon Bell leads the SEC with a .470 three-point field goal percentage, while ranking second in three-pointers made with 71 on the year.

The Razorbacks are one of four teams in the nation and the only high major program with three players averaging 15-plus points per game with Hannahs (16.5), Bell (16.2) and Kingsley (15.9).

Arkansas and Michigan State are the only high major programs in the country with 60-plus made three-pointers by two different players as Bell (71) and Hannahs (61) continue to light up the #SplashZone.

Moses Kingsley (11) and LSU’s Ben Simmons (16) are the only individuals in the SEC with 10-plus double-doubles on the year.

Kingsley is one of 11 high major players in the country with 11-plus double-doubles.

The Abuja, Nigeria, native has been named one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the nation’s top center. He is the only high major player represented on the list.

Series Notes
Arkansas leads the all-time series 43-31, but the two teams have split 46 meetings since Arkansas joined the SEC for the 1991-92 season.

Mike Anderson is 2-4 against the Rebels, including a 1-2 mark in Oxford.

Arkansas set its program record for free throws made in a game against Ole Miss, sinking 48-of-53 on Jan. 17, 2004.

The Razorbacks’ only 30-point game against Ole Miss came from Scotty Thurman on Jan. 6, 1993 when the sharp-shooter dropped 34 points in a 12-point victory.

After defeating the Rebels on the road last year, Arkansas is looking to win consecutive games in Oxford for the first time in 24 years.

Up Next
Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena for a three-game homestand starting on Wednesday, Feb. 17 when the Razorbacks welcome Auburn to town for a 6 p.m. tip-off on SEC Network.

For more information on Arkansas men’s basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.