Butler @ Mississippi preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 16, 2018 ) Mississippi 76, Butler 83

After hanging on to defeat Stanford 68-67 in the Hall of Fame Classic championship game, No. 24 Butler looks to extend its unblemished record as it heads to Mississippi for the team's first true road game of the season. The Rebels faced another undefeated team last time out but fell way short against Oklahoma State, scoring a season low in a 78-37 defeat in the NIT Tip-Off title game.

With the victory, Butler moved into the Top 25, but the Bulldogs nearly didn’t remain perfect as they needed a jumper from senior guard Kamar Baldwin with eight seconds left to pull out the win and claim the trophy, the school's seventh in-season championship since 2001. "He does this every day at practice," Butler coach LaVall Jordan said after Baldwin scored 17 of the team's final 20 points. "He's the same competitor and he's a winner. He's an everyday guy and puts in the work. We have a ton of trust in him." Ole Miss couldn’t get anything going offensively against Oklahoma State, failing in its attempt to come back after rallying from 21 points down to beat Penn State 74-72 in the NIT Tip-Off semifinal, the team's largest second-half comeback since Feb. 11, 2017. Still, the Rebels did limit Oklahoma State to 29.6 percent shooting from deep, the sixth straight game an opponent was held below 30 percent from 3-point range.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT BUTLER (7-0): Baldwin, who was named the MVP of the Hall of Fame Classic, tops the Bulldogs in scoring for the season with 14.5 per game, with redshirt junior forward Bryce Nze (12.7) and redshirt senior forward Sean McDermott (12.3) the only other players in double digits. The trio lead the Bulldogs in rebounding as well, with Nze pulling down 7.5 followed by McDermott with 5.3 and Baldwin with 4.3, as Butler has outrebounded six of the seven teams it has faced. The Bulldogs have shut down opposing offenses, giving up just 55.1 points per game, tied for ninth in the nation, and Butler has outscored opponents by identical 251-193 scores in the first and second halves this season.

ABOUT OLE MISS (5-2): The Rebels were held to 25.9 percent shooting from the field in the loss to Oklahoma State, hitting just one of their 20 attempts from beyond the arc. Still, Breein Tyree (15.1) and KJ Buffen (12.4) were named to the NIT Tip-Off All-Tournament Team and they continue to lead the team in scoring, while sophomore Blake Hinson has averaged 12.3 points in his three games since returning to the team following a health scare. Buffen also tops the team in rebounds (7.4) and steals (2.1) per game, while Devontae Shuler paces the Bulldogs with 20 assists followed closely by Breein with 19.

TIP-INS

1. Baldwin scored 23 points in the teams' only meeting, an 83-76 Butler win last November.

2. Butler is off to its first 7-0 start since 2016-17 and its seventh since 2001-02.

3. Ole Miss is 6-0 in the month of December under second-year head coach Kermit Davis.

PREDICTION: Butler 67, Ole Miss 60