I'm headed to Atlanta later today, will have full coverage starting tomorrow. For now, here's the UM release:
ATLANTA – The magic continues for the six-seeded Ole Miss men's basketball team as they head east to take on the South Region's two seed Michigan State on Friday, March 28 at 7:09 p.m. ET in State Farm Arena and on CBS.
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: CBS
Play-by-Play: Ian Eagle
Analysts: Bill Raftery & Grant Hill
Reporter: Tracy Wolfson
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN STATE
While just the second time these two programs have met on the hardwood, both will have come in the NCAA Tournament. In the 1999 postseason, Ole Miss won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game with a 72-70 victory over Villanova in the first round. As a nine seed, the Rebels matched up with the region's number one seed Michigan State who would win 74-66. The Spartans would go on to reach the Final Four that season.
LAST MEETING: March 14, 1999 (L, 66-74, Milwaukee, Wis.)
• Ole Miss led by three at the half, holding Michigan State to just 29 points over the first 20 minutes of action. The Spartans would respond with 45 in the second period to eventually win by eight.
• Jason Smith (Ole Miss): 18 points, three rebounds, five steals, one block.
• Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State): 18 points, one rebound, seven assists, three steals.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State enters its 22nd Sweet 16 in program history with an overall record of 29-6 after going 17-3 in conference play. In the postseason, the Spartans fell by three points to Wisconsin in their second game of the Big Ten Tournament. Earning a second seed in the NCAA Tournament, they took down Bryant 87-62 in the opening round in Cleveland, Ohio before handling 10-seeded New Mexico 71-63. They entered the tournament with a NET Ranking of 11 in the country.
Their scoring has come from their depth, as they are led by Jaden Akins with an average of 12.7 points per game. However, they have seven players who average 7.0 per outing or more, and rank fifth in the nation in bench points per game with a clip of 34.5. They've been led this year in rebounding by Jaxon Kohler, who averages 7.5 boards per game and has posted seven double-doubles. Their offense runs through guards Jeremy Fears Jr. and Tre Holloman, who average 5.4 and 3.8 assists per game, respectively, to help the team rank 22nd in the country with 16.7 helpers per contest.
The Spartans also rank highly as a team in three-point percentage defense (1st, 27.8), rebound margin (+9.4, 2nd), fastbreak points per game (3rd, 16.1), and defensive rebounds per game (9th, 28.0).
In his 30th season with the program, Tom Izzo has won 736 games, tallying a win percentage of 71.0 percent while posting 20 20-win seasons and five 30-win seasons. Since his third year with the Spartans, he's earned an NCAA Tournament bid every season, 28-straight invites, including eight Final Four appearances and a National Championship in 2000. The 2016 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee is a four-time conference coach of the year, two-time NABC National Coach of the Year, and has been a staple with the program since 1983, when he was an assistant until his promotion to head coach in 1995.
"IT'S OURS FOR THE TAKING, IT'S OURS FOR THE FIGHT"
Ole Miss punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 with a second-round victory over three-seeded Iowa State on Sunday in Milwaukee, Wis. Trailing early in the game, the Rebels snatched the lead midway through the first half and never looked back, leading by as much as 26 in the second period. For the ninth time this season, five players scored in double figures for Ole Miss, led by Sean Pedulla with 20, who dished out eight assists as well. The team shot a blistering 58.2 percent from the floor, 57.9 percent from three, and 76.2 percent from the free throw line, each of which were program records for an NCAA Tournament game. They also tied the school record for made threes in a tournament game with 11, as Jaemyn Brakefield, Malik Dia, Matthew Murrell, and Pedulla each had multiple makes from deep.
Their win propels them to the program's second-ever appearance in the Sweet 16, matched by the 2001 squad.
FIRST ROUND VICTORY
The Rebels opened up their NCAA Tournament last Friday afternoon, facing off with No. 11 North Carolina, clinching a 72-64 win. They came out on fire, making 11 of their first 15 shots to take an early 11-point lead. Sean Pedulla led the team with 20 points while dishing out five assists, Dre Davis added 15 points and eight boards, and Jaemyn Brakefield scored 12. In six career tournament appearances, head coach Chris Beard has never lost in the first round.
OLE MISS AT THE BIG DANCE
This marks the 10th appearance for Ole Miss at the NCAA Tournament, with their last invite coming in 2019. The Rebels are 7-9 all-time in tournament play, making their furthest run in 2001 to the Sweet 16 where they fell to Arizona after wins over Iona and Notre Dame (a mark they've now tied). They opened up play in Milwaukee once before in 1999, when they defeated Villanova in the first round before falling to Michigan State in the second. Their six seed is the highest since 2001, and the third highest overall after they were a four seed in 1998 and a three seed in 2001.
PROGRAM BUILDER
With Ole Miss earning their bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, head coach Chris Beard has guided four programs to the big dance during his career. He has joined an elite group of active head coaches who have brought four or more schools to an NCAA Tournament: Steve Alford, Rick Barnes, John Calipari, Fran McCaffery, Rick Pitino, and Kelvin Sampson.
BIG GAME HUNTING
On January 14, Ole Miss took down No. 4 Alabama on the road for their first-ever road win over an AP top-five team, and second win over the fourth-ranked AP team ever. Ole Miss followed that up later in the season, defending their home court on senior day with a win over No. 4 Tennessee on March 5. This marked the first time in program history that an Ole Miss team earned two top-five wins in the same season.
BATTLE TESTED
The 2024-25 schedule for Ole Miss is one of the most difficult in the nation. As of March 26, their cumulative opposition's win percentage of 64.8 ranks as the fifth-highest in the nation, behind only Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, and Purdue. The Rebels have faced 13 ranked opponents this season and six top-five teams, both of which are the most in a single season in school history.
I BE A NEIGHBORHOOD SNIPER
Sean Pedulla has been on point from beyond the arc this season, drilling 83 shots from three-point range. He's made a three-pointer in 33 of 35 games this year, and connected on multiple shots from deep in 21 contests, including eight games with four or more. His 83 total made threes this season are currently tied for the eighth-most in a single season in program history.
Ole Miss - Single Season Three-Point Field Goals Made
1. 138, Marshall Henderson (36 games, 2012-13)
2. 129, Marshall Henderson (30 games, 2013-14)
3. 111, Chris Warren (35 games, 2009-10)
4. 103, Stefan Moody (31 games, 2015-16)
103, Chris Warren (35 games, 2007-08)
6. 96, Clarence Sanders (34 games, 2006-07)
7. 95, Chris Warren (34 games, 2010-11)
8. 83, Sean Pedulla (35 games, 2024-25)
83, Aaron Harper (31 games, 2001-02)
10. 79, Joe Harvell (28 games, 1991-92)
I'LL TAKE THAT, PLEASE
Sean Pedulla and Matthew Murrell have had a big impact for the Rebels on defense. Forcing 66 steals on the season, Pedulla currently ranks fifth for most in a single season and has collected a steal in 31 of 35 games during the 2024-25 season, grabbing multiple swipes in 19 games this year with a season-best of five against Oral Roberts.
Murrell has set a new-career best with 55 swipes on the season, tied for the 10th-most in a single year at Ole Miss, with his 176 career steals ranking him fifth all-time in school history.
Ole Miss - Single Season Steals
1. 89, Gerald Glass (30 games, 1988-89)
2. 80, Myles Burns (33 games, 2022-23)
3. 73, Jason Smith (33 games, 1998-99)
4. 70, Gerald Glass (30 games, 1989-90)
5. 66, Sean Pedulla (35 games, 2024-25)
6. 58, Murphy Holloway (36 games, 2012-13)
58, Rod Barnes (29 games, 1987-88)
8. 57, Stefan Moody (34 games, 2014-15)
9. 56, Devontae Shuler (33 games, 2018-19)
10. 55, Matthew Murrell (31 games, 2024-25)
55, Rahim Lockhart (33 games, 1999-2000)
55, Ervin Garnes (27 games, 1993-94)
55, Eric Laird (28 games, 1983-84)
BEARD BALL - A TEAM FOR THE AGES
Currently playing the 115th season of Ole Miss basketball, this year's team has been setting numerous records, achieving countless firsts, and cementing themselves as one of the better teams in the long and storied history of the program. The 2024-25 team's 24 overall wins are tied for the third-most in school history and their 10 SEC victories are tied for the eighth.
Statistically, the Rebels have scored 2,709 total points this season, the fifth-most in a single season in school history. The defense has collected 307 steals this year, the second-most in a single season in program history. They've also connected on an Ole Miss record 291 three point shots, and made the fourth-most free throws at 552. Their current assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.57 is by the far the best margin by an Ole Miss team all time, and their 9.0 turnovers per game is the lowest clip in program history.
Ole Miss has picked up two of the program's three all-time wins over an AP No. 4 team, with wins at No. 4 Alabama and vs. No. 4 Tennessee this season.
AWARD SEASON
As the 2024-25 campaign nears its finish, Ole Miss has begun to earn recognition across the country with award watchlists and finalists rolling in. Head Coach Chris Beard has been named a finalist for the Jim Phelan award (top head coach in Division I), and Skip Prosser Man of the Year award by CollegeInsider.com.
Senior guard Sean Pedulla was announced as a finalist for the 2025 Howell Trophy, given to the top men's college basketball player in the state of Mississippi, and was named a finalist by CollegeInsider.com for the Riley Wallace Transfer of the Year award. The senior guard was also named to the All-SEC Third Team by the conference, and First Team All-District by the NABC.
SPECIAL WEAPON OFF THE BENCH
A consistent starter over the past three seasons at Ole Miss, Jaemyn Brakefield has embraced a role off the bench this season and still been one of the best players on the court. With a season average of 11.1 points per game, Brakefield has 23 double-digit-point games when coming off the bench, best in the SEC.
