Ole Miss opens Southeastern Conference play Saturday at Vanderbilt.

It’ll be a first for Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis, but a trip to Nashville’s Memorial Gymnasium won’t be new to Davis.

His Middle Tennessee teams played on Nashville’s West End three times, winning once, and the Blue Raiders beat the Commodores once at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville.

Of course, it will be different taking another SEC team into Vanderbilt. The Rebels (10-2) have played well away from The Pavilion at Ole Miss this year, losing a close game at Butler, beating Illinois State and playing well at neutral sites.

“Our team’s had some really, really good, energized, focused practices,” Davis said Thursday, though he admitted he’s still concerned about his team’s depth.

Davis has wanted Zach Naylor, Brian Halums and/or Luis Rodriguez to emerge to add another rotation piece or two before league play began. To date, it simply hasn’t happened.

“Nobody will put their head in front of the other two,” Davis said. “We need one of those guys. …They could get 10-15 minutes in a game to really help us.”

Despite the depth concerns, Ole Miss heads to Nashville after an unbeaten December and with a wealth of confidence.

“I feel good,” Ole Miss guard Breein Tyree said. “I feel ready. I feel ready to produce. The preparation that we put in every day in practice and our plan going into the game, it really helps when you know what you’re supposed to be doing, especially on the defensive end when you’re playing away.”

Vanderbilt (9-3) has bounced back since losing star point guard Darius Garland for the season in a loss against Kent State. In recent weeks, however, the Commodores appear to have rebounded from the loss of Garland. That stretch has been highlighted by a win over Arizona State.

“They’re getting great point guard play again,” Davis said. “Saben Lee is playing about as good as anybody right now. He’s very explosive. He’s made some unbelievable athletic plays at the rim.

“After (Garland’s injury), they regrouped. They’ve got nine guys who play starter minutes. I would say they’re balanced. I would say the biggest key is the guy who replaced Darius Garland is playing at a real high level.”

Saturday’s game tips at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network. Ole Miss opens home league play on Wednesday against Auburn.