Ole Miss basketball is entering year three of the Chris Beard era in Oxford as they look to continue the momentum from last season, where they earned the school’s first-ever trip to the Sweet 16 and broke school attendance records, all the while placing Ole Miss basketball on the map and setting up for an even better 2025-2026 season. Ole Miss basketball has long been a program shadowed by baseball and football, but not anymore, as Coach Beard has brought an excitement to the program never seen before and has the perfect blend to not only take the next step in the Southeastern Conference but to take the Rebels to their first Final Four this season.

Last season, the Rebels finished tied for 6th in the SEC with a 10-8 conference record and ended the season with a 24-12 overall record. Last season, Ole Miss had wins over Louisville, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, Arkansas twice, and a scrappy UAB team before reaching the NCAA Tournament, where they tallied wins over North Carolina and Iowa State, before falling victim to the Spartans of Michigan State by three points in the Sweet 16. Over the span of last season, the Rebels rode the mometum and delivered a product that made the Ole Miss community proud to be Rebels. There weren’t people looking ahead to baseball, Coach Beard and his staff had the Rebels basketball program in a position where Ole Miss basketball mattered in March for the first real time since 2013, when Marshall Henderson and the boys went on a run in the SEC Tournament before beating Florida to win the 2013 SEC Tournament Championship. 

This season will look a bit different as far as familiar faces go for the Rebels, but the talent is there to take the next step in year three of the Coach Beard era in Oxford. This season, Ole Miss fans will have the treat of having Malik Dia and Eduardo Klafke back, while the sharpshooter Zach Day makes his Ole Miss debut after redshirting last season. Zach Day is a sharpshooter who can make the difference in a Sweet 16 appearance and reaching the Final Four. 

Elsewhere around the roster, Coach Beard and his staff went into the portal, went on the offense, and attacked the portal with vengeance to attract guys looking to get out of their current situations by restarting in Oxford. Among those are some familiar names from other SEC programs, as well as some from around the country. From outside of the Southeastern Conference, a pair of teammates from Louisville in James Scott and Koren Johnson, AJ Storr, Kezza Giffa from High Point, Augusto Cassia from Butler, and Hobert Grayson IV from Quachita Baptist. All six guys are expected to jump right in and add depth to this already talented Ole Miss roster. 

From inside the conference, Ole Miss added Corest Crest from LSU, and Former Mr. Kentucky Travis Perry from Kentucky. Both Crest and Perry bring an interesting dynamic to the roster, having played at least a season inside the grind of SEC basketball, while also possessing the skillset to come right in and make a big difference for Coach Beard and the Rebels this season. 

Elsewhere around the roster, you have a talented freshman class in Niko Bundalo, Tylis Jordan, and Patton Pinkins. Out of those three, Nike Bundalo is the most likely to see first-year floor time, coming to Oxford from earning the honor of a McDonald’s All-American in high school. 

From a roster perspective, the Rebels added depth this season, balancing experience from veterans with talented young players who have the potential to use the season as a learning experience to understand the system while contributing to the team’s success. 

With the talented depth Ole Miss brings into the season, combined with Coach Beard’s ability to mold a program to his liking, the ceiling for Ole Miss this season is much higher than people realize. Ole Miss has the talent and depth to not only compete for an SEC Championship but also to ride last season’s momentum into a special season, potentially capped off with a Final Four trip for Coach Beard and the Rebels. 

We’ll get our first look at the 2025-2026 Ole Miss basketball team on Sunday, October 24th, as they welcome the Gales on St. Mary’s to Oxford for a preseason exhibition matchup. 

Photo Credits- Ole Miss basketball on X