Deep in the unfriendly confines of Bud Walton Arena, the Ole Miss Rebels took the court for a battle against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Ole Miss; is fresh off their first SEC win against South Carolina on Tuesday night. However, Ole Miss played Arkansas tough for a half, but eventually, the Razorbacks were too much for Kermit Davis and his Ole Miss Rebels. It felt like the same song played on a different fiddle on Saturday morning; Ole Miss played well enough to earn respect in the first half before not making the adjustments needed to win a much-needed road over a top-25 program.

At this point, there’s not much the program can do to secure the excitement of Rebel Nation other than to restructure the coaching staff to try and rekindle the spark of Ole Miss Basketball. Ole Miss fans deserve better, but can anything, even a coaching change, salvage the program? At this point, you have to wonder if Ole Miss Basketball is the type of job where coaches go that want to commit career suicide. However, it doesn’t make sense because Ole Miss has some of the most beautiful basketball facilities in the country. It doesn’t make sense. On paper, Ole Miss should have a more competitive basketball program than they do; there’s no excuse for the product on the court.

Back to the Arkansas game on Saturday, Ole Miss kept the game close for a while, trailing by only three at the break. Other than an 11-1 run by the Rebels late in the second half, Ole Miss had little life. It was the same story, another frustrating loss and another Saturday filled with what-ifs for the Rebels. Coming into the game, everybody knew that Arkansas was the better team, but many expected to see a little fight from the Rebels. Yet, the fight was not there, and Ole Miss went home to Oxford with a 69-57 loss. Ole Miss has a 1-6 record in the SEC and a 9-10 overall record. Barring a miracle, Ole Miss will be playing on Wednesday night of the 2023 SEC Tournament and will have to win five games in five days to earn postseason play.

A lot of uncertainty surrounds the program, but given the current situation, Ole Miss will likely be without a Head Coach at the season’s end. When that day comes for Head Coach Kermit Davis, Ole Miss will need to pick up the phone immediately and call the current Head Coach at Georgia, an Ole Miss legend, Mike White and make him an offer that he can’t resist. Coach White played with Ole Miss AD Keith Carter for the Rebels in the late 90s. Coach White has a proven track record; he is an Ole Miss Rebel, and he could be the one that provides Ole Miss with the spark to push the program’s competitiveness once again.

Ole Miss will return to Oxford on Tuesday night as the Rebels welcome the Missouri Tigers to the Pavillion.