Ole Miss Travels to Middle Tennesse for First Away Game

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

The Ole Miss Rebels hit the road for the first time this season on Wednesday as they travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.

Ole Miss (3-0, 0-0 SEC) head coach Kermit Davis will lead his squad into the Murphy Center to take on his former team. Davis spent 16 seasons at Middle Tennessee and became the winningest coach in school history as well as in Sun Belt Conference history, earning 332 wins at the school.

“It is a special place,” Davis said. “I wish it was under different circumstances. We all do with COVID… I don’t think anybody can come to the game. My family is not going. That building will be different, 16 years on one side of the bench and going to the other locker room. A lot of great memories there.

The Rebels are coming off of a 68-54 win over Central Arkansas on Monday night. Senior Devontae Shuler led the way on the court with 20 points.

Shuler will be taking the court against his brother Dontrell Shuler, who is averaging 10.2 ppg off the bench to go along with a team-high 3.0 assists per game.

“It’s going to be pretty weird,” Devontae said. “Growing up and always being on the same court and the same team. We never got to go against each other. I feel like it is going to be one of the most exciting games in my college career, and I am going to try to not make it easy for him.”

Middle Tennessee enters the contest with a 2-3 record following a 76-57 win over Division III school Covenant College. The Blue Raiders are led by Jordan Davis, who is averaging a team-high 11.8 ppg.

When the game tips off, it will be the 13th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Rebels and the Blue Raiders have the series knotted up at six games apiece. Over the past four years, Coach Davis has been on the winning side (two at Middle and two at Ole Miss). Last season, Ole Miss defeated MTSU 82-64 in Oxford.