For the second time in school history, the Ole Miss Rebels are heading to the Sweet 16 after a dominating performance against Iowa State on Sunday night. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, the Ole Miss Rebels showcased the championship culture that Coach Chris Beard brought to Oxford just a little over two years ago.

Coming into the Round of 32 game with Iowa State, the Rebels were called frauds, told they didn’t belong, and honestly were overlooked, but Coach Beard and his staff used all of that as motivation on Sunday night as the Rebels punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001.

With Ole Miss advancing, the Southeastern Conference breaks the previous record of six set by the ACC. Seven SEC teams are now in the Sweet 16, including a matchup between Kentucky and Tennessee on Friday night in the Midwest Regional. Ole Miss will travel to Atlanta, Georgia, where the Rebels will play New Mexico or Michigan State, with the winner playing Auburn or Michigan in the Elite Eight.

Ole Miss opened the game on a roll, took a 40-29 lead to halftime, and never looked back.

Ole Miss saw five guys scoring in double figures, with Sean Pedulla leading the charge with twenty points. Jaemyn Brakefield finished with nineteen, Malik Dia had 18, Matthew Murrel with 15, and Jaylen Murray with 11.

With the win over Iowa State on Sunday night, Chris Beard has now made the Sweet 16 four times as Head Coach of a basketball program, proving once again he’s among one of the best younger basketball minds in the country. It took him two seasons to get Ole Miss to this point with a legitimate shot at reaching the Elite Eight and maybe even the Final Four. What he’s been able to do in his short time in Oxford will be studied for years to come; Coach Beard came in and wanted to change the entire culture of Ole Miss Basketball by placing the Rebels in a position to win, compete for championships and have success in the postseason.

Ole Miss will return to action on Friday night as they await the Michigan State and New Mexico winner in the Sweet 16 round of the South Regional.

Photo Credits- Ole Miss Basketball on X