In front of a near-capacity crowd, Ole Miss Basketball welcomed the Bulldogs of Bryant University to The Sandy And John Black Pavilion for the final tune-up before traveling to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on the Tennessee Volunteers next Saturday in the Southeastern Conference opener. Ole Miss entered the day unbeaten in non-conference play, looking to remain that way as they entertained the visitors from Bryant for a few seconds before pulling away late in the first half to cruise to an easy victory in the second half.

During the first half of the matchup between Ole Miss and Bryant, Coach Chris Beard had his Rebels prepare to take full advantage of a team that plays a smaller lineup, as their tallest player on the roster is 6’8. Ole Miss opened the first half by playing four outside and one down low on offense, creating one-on-one chances down low for easy buckets. Combined with 23 rebounds, Ole Miss cruised to a comfortable 41-30 over Bryant at the break. Jaemyn Brakefield led the way in scoring for the Rebels in the first half with nine points. Allen Flanigan finished the first half just a point behind Brakefield with eight of his own.

As the second half approached, the momentum was on the side of the Ole Miss Rebels as they continued to pour on the sinking ship of the visiting Bryant Bulldogs. As the game progressed, Ole Miss would keep their double-digit lead, giving the fans something to enjoy as they closed out an exciting 2023 slate with another Ole Miss victory. Allen Flanigan led the way for the Rebels in scoring with 20 points.

With the win over Bryant on Sunday, Ole Miss finishes the 2023 non-conference slate with an undefeated record, the first since the 2007-2008 season when the Rebels finished 24-11 overall with a trip to the NIT. Ironically enough, the last time Ole Miss finished undefeated in non-conference play, they opened the Southeastern Conference slate in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers. Ole Miss will look for better luck as the Rebels dropped that SEC opener 85-83.

Overall, Sunday was a nice tune-up for the Rebels as they prepared for the grind of the Southeastern Conference. On New Year’s Eve, Ole Miss is an at-large NCAA Tournament team with plenty of upside potential for Chris Beard to work with. Tennessee will be an all-out war, but once the conference play opens on Saturday, taking it a game at a time is the only way to approach the grind of the SEC.