With the momentum from last season still fresh on the mind, the Ole Miss Rebels would open the 2025-2026 basketball season on Sunday as they welcomed the Saint Mary’s Gales to the Pavilion for the first and only preseason game between opening the season on November 3rd as they welcome Southeastern Louisiana to Oxford. 

Always a scrappy outfit for anyone, Saint Mary’s came to Oxford to challenge the Rebels and expose any weakness ahead of the season opener, when every game matters. Last season, the Gales finished with a near-perfect 17-1 conference record, 29-6 overall, with a second-round loss to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. As they do every year, it seems many expect the Gales to go on to be a contender in the WCC with Gonzaga, while earning another trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

For Ole Miss, the Rebels come into the 2025-2026 season with a lot of new faces, but the mometum from last season’s run to the Sweet 16 remains. An early test for Coach Beard and his team is exactly what a team lacking playing time together needs before kicking off the regular season, where every game matters. An early test against another NCAA Tournament-caliber team is good for the program’s culture, helps overcome adversity, and then uses that in March to reach the Final Four. 

Saint Mary’s jumped out on Ole Miss in the first half, never trailing, before ending the half with a 35-26 lead over the Rebels. Ole Miss didn’t have an answer for the Gales in the first half, while Ole Miss struggled to find a bucket. 

Ole Miss opened the second half with a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 35-28, but a Gales basket on the other end would extend the lead back to nine. Back-to-back turnovers forced Saint Mary’s to call a timeout as the Rebels cut the lead to 40-35 with 17:20 remaining in the game. At the under-16 media timeout of the second half, Saint Mary’s held on to a 40-35 lead over the Rebels. Saint Mary’s held on to a 49-41 lead at the under-12 media timeout with 10:58 remaining in the game. At the under-8 media timeout of the second half, Ole Miss continued to hang around as the Gales led it 53-49 with 6:49 to play. In the end, it was Saint Mary’s maintaining the lead and leaving Oxford with a 68-53 victory. 

Saint Mary’s fundamental old school basketball approach was too much for the Rebels to overcome on Sunday as they head back to the drawing board before the season opener in a week against Southeastern Louisiana. 

Photo Credits- Ole Miss Basketball on X