Facing a certain season-ending outcome, unless they go on a run and win the SEC Tournament, the Ole Miss Rebels would open the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night with a chance to shock the 10th-seeded Texas Longhorns to advance to play Georgia on Thursday. Ole Miss and Texas met just once in the regular season, with the Longhorns coming out on top 79-68. 

For the Rebels, a 4-14 record in Southeastern Conference play this season simply didn’t matter, as all that matters at this point is going 1-0 in the SEC Tournament to have a chance to make another run in the NCAA Tournament. Once you reach this point in the season, the teams that have short-term memory are the teams that make memorable runs in the postseason, those who don’t go home with regret of what could have been. 

Ole Miss started the game strong, taking an 11-point lead, 41-30, into the locker room, looking to the second half to finish the job, surviving to fight another day. 

As the second half rolled around for Coach Chris Beard and the Rebels, the intensity picked up as the Rebels kept the lead for the entire half despite valiant efforts from Texas, and the Rebels now find themselves marching on to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday. Ole Miss did what they had to do on Wednesday night, they came out on a mission and now look like the Rebels team that many of us have been waiting to see all season long. 

Wednesday night was an all-around effort, as four guys scored in double figures: AJ Storr, Ilia Kamadine, James Scott, and the man himself, Malik Dia. Dia led the way for Ole Miss in scoring with 23 points. Ole Miss had 50 points inside the paint and 26 from the bench, just an overall well-played basketball game by the Rebels on Wednesday night. 

Here’s the thing about Ole Miss: the record might not show it, but the Rebels have a team built for March, combined with a coach who knows what it takes to get his guys prepared for surprise runs in March tournament play. We saw that tonight as the Rebels trusted the process, stayed true to the game plan, and kept on dancing.  Again, short-term memory, trusting the process, and staying true to the culture all combined are the recipe for success in March. 

Ole Miss and Georgia will play the first game of the nightcap on Thursday night with a tip slated for 6:00 on the SEC Network. 

Photo Credits – Ole Miss basketball on X