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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 20 Ole Miss men's basketball team is ready for the 2024 SEC/ACC Challenge, as they hit the road to take on Louisville on Tuesday, December 3 at 8 p.m. CT in the KFC Yum! Center on the ACC Network.
TEAM FACTS
No. 23/20 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 6-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (26-13) • 263-111 career record (13th Season)
Louisville Cardinals (Record: 5-2, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Pat Kelsey • 1st Season at Louisville (5-2) • 266-124 career record (13th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ACC Network
Play-by-Play: Wes Durham
Color: Dan Bonner
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. LOUISVILLE
This will be the fourth time Ole Miss and Louisville have met on the court, with the Rebels leading the series 2-1 overall and 1-0 when playing in Louisville, Ky. The two first met in December of 1997 in Louisville, when No. 18 Ole Miss defeated the Cardinals 74-70 behind 18 points from Keith Carter. The two met once again the following season, this time in Oxford, where the Rebels won 88-69. Just over a decade later, the two would matchup in the 2008 SEC/Big East Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the ninth-ranked Cardinals defeated Ole Miss 77-68 during their Elite Eight season.
LAST MEETING: December 18, 2008 (L, 68-77, Cincinnati, Ohio)
• Ole Miss kept pace with No. 9 Louisville, only trailing by four at the half, but the Cardinals were too much, eventually winning by nine after holding the Rebels to 30% shooting from the floor and 16% from three.
• David Huertas (Ole Miss): 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, four steals, two blocks.
• Earl Clark (Louisville): 25 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, five blocks.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Louisville holds a record of 5-2 to begin the season, opening up their regular season with a win over Morehead State before falling to No. 12 Tennessee. They then picked up victories at home over Bellarmine and Winthrop, before traveling to the Bahamas to play in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. In their opening round game, the Cardinals took down No. 14 Indiana convincingly with a 89-61 win. They then won a spot in the title game after coming out on top of an overtime battle with West Virginia 79-70, eventually falling to Oklahoma in the championship 69-64.
The Cardinals have been led on the offensive side by Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn, who averages a team-best 14.6 points per game and leads the squad in assists with 32. He played a key role in the team's dominant win over No. 14 Indiana with a double-double, scoring 16 while dishing out 10 assists. Four Louisville players average double-digits in scoring, led by Hepburn, Reyne Smith at 13.1, Kasean Pryor at 12.0, and Terrence Edwards Jr. at 11.1. Hepburn has been a leader on the defensive side of the court as well, leading all of college basketball at 4.0 steals per game, including 16 total over three games last week in the Bahamas.
Louisville has used the three-point shot on offense and forced turnovers on defense to fuel their success thus far. They rank eighth in the NCAA averaging 31.9 three-point shot attempts per contest, but are shooting 28.7 percent from deep which ranks 319th. The Cardinals own a turnover margin of +4.6 (28th in the NCAA) while forcing the 10th-most in a game in the nation at 17.9.
Head coach Pat Kelsey in his first season with Louisville, after joining the program in March of 2024. He has had years of success as a Division-I leader, coaching nine seasons at Winthrop where he qualified for three NCAA Tournaments and accumulated five 20-win seasons. He then spent three seasons from 2021-24 at Charleston, highlighted by a 31-win season in 2022-23 and 27-win year in 2023-24, making the NCAA Tournament in each season.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Year two of the SEC/ACC Challenge has Ole Miss traveling to Louisville, Kentucky where they'll face the Cardinals on the ACC Network at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3. Last year, the Rebels hosted NC State for the first game of the then-named ACC/SEC Challenge, picking up a 72-52 victory over the eventual NCAA Final Four Wolfpack.
AP FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, BUTTER, AND WATER
Ole Miss has dominated the turnover battle this year, currently leads all of college basketball in both turnovers per game (8.1) and turnover margin (+8.6). The Rebels are forcing just over twice as many turnovers than they commit, with an average of 16.7 per contest which ranks 17th in the NCAA. Ole Miss' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.95 also ranks among the nation's best at eighth, led by
Jaylen Murray with a season ratio of 5.7. They've been a force on the defensive end with an average of 10 steals per game (No. 23 in NCAA), paced by
Matthew Murrell and
Sean Pedulla, who each rank among the top-30 in steals per game nationally.
EASY TO HANDLE - A DIME BY THE DOZEN
Recording an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.35 in his first season with Ole Miss, senior
Jaylen Murray has taken his point guard play to an even higher level, beginning the 2024-25 year with 34 assists to just six turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.7 ranks eighth in the nation, and has helped Ole Miss record a team ratio of 1.95, the eighth-highest figure in the country. "Juju" has registered five or more assists in each of the last five games for the Rebels and ranks second in the SEC with 4.9 assists per game.
During his time at Ole Miss, Murray is averaging 4.13 assists per game, the fifth best career average in program history.
Career Assists Average
1. 7.09, Sean Tuohy (830 assists, 117 games, 1979-82)
2. 4.89, Bob Mahoney (329 assists, 74 games, 1973-75)
3. 4.43, Rod Barnes (456 assists, 103 games, 1985-88)
4. 4.36, Dave Shepherd (218 assists, 50 games, 1974-75)
5. 4.13, Jaylen Murray (161 assists, 39 games, 2023-pres.)
6. 3.96, Jarvis Summers (530 assists, 134 games, 2012-15)
7. 3.93, Chris Warren (452 assists, 115 games, 2008-11)
8. 3.60, Henry Jackson (378 assists, 105 games, 1976-79)
9. 3.53, Todd Abernethy (431 assists, 122 games, 2004-07)
10. 3.52, Deandre Burnett (225 assists, 64 games, 2016-18)
"HE A FREE THROW"
Through the first seven games,
Jaylen Murray has gone 24-25 from the free throw line for a percentage of 96.0, 10th-best in all of college basketball. Entering the game with Purdue, Murray had not missed a shot from the charity stripe, and was one of six players in all of college basketball to remain perfect. The Bronx native also connected on his first two free throws during the Purdue game to extend his consecutive made shots at 32 dating back to the 2023-24 season, tying Murray with Stefan Moody for the second-longest streak in school history, trailing only David Rhodes' 37 during 1972.
LET'S PLAY DEFENSE
A staple of success for head coach
Chris Beard has always been his team's defensive play, and it's been evident on this year's Ole Miss roster to start the season. With a turnover margin of +8.6 through six games, the Rebels lead all of college basketball, forcing 16.7 per game (No. 17 in the NCAA) while committing just 8.1 to lead the NCAA.
Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 10.0, the 23rd-best clip in college basketball, helping lead to a scoring margin of +14.3 which ranks 61st in the nation.
Matthew Murrell currently averages 2.7 steals per game, ranking 22nd in the NCAA, while
Sean Pedulla averages 2.6 and ranks 28th in the country.
I GOT ALL NUMBERS
The 2024-25 Ole Miss basketball roster boasts some serious career statistics. Six players have scored over 1,000 points in their collegiate career, including
Matthew Murrell (1,524),
Sean Pedulla (1,321),
Dre Davis (1,210),
Jaemyn Brakefield (1,181),
Jaylen Murray (1,097), and
Mikeal Brown-Jones (1,061).
Davon Barnes (964) is on the cusp of hitting that mark as well. Entering the season, the team possessed 8,735 career points, 3,062 rebounds, 1,346 assists, 596 steals, and 327 blocks.
"I'M LIKE MAYONNAISE 'CAUSE I'M SMOOTH AND DANGEROUS TO LEAVE OPEN"
This year's roster possesses a mountain of shooting talent, notably from beyond the three-point arc. With over 900 career three-pointers made among the 2024-25 roster, the Rebels look to light it up from deep on offense this season. Among the current members of the Ole Miss roster, they made a total of 410 shots from three during the 2023-24 season, a total that would have ranked third in all of college basketball last year.
2023-24 Made Three Pointers (30+)
Matthew Murrell: 78
Jaylen Murray: 72
Davon Barnes: 59 (at Sam Houston)
Sean Pedulla: 53 (at Virginia Tech)
Malik Dia: 44 (at Belmont)
Jaemyn Brakefield: 38
Dre Davis: 35 (at Seton Hall)
A "DO-IT-ALL" SCHOOL
Ole Miss is one of four schools in the nation that currently hold a spot in the AP Top 25 in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. They are joined by Alabama, Illinois, and Iowa State. On the gridiron, the Rebels rank No. 15 while men's hoops ranks No. 23 and the women No. 18.
HOOP IN THE 'SIP
On November's signing day, Chris Beard and staff added two top recruits to Athletic Financial Aid Agreements in Tylis Jordan and Patton Pinkins. The pair currently give Ole Miss a consensus top-25 recruiting class for 2025, ranked No. 12 in the nation by Rivals, No. 16 by On3, and No. 25 by 247Sports.
Tylis Jordan, PF, 6-9, 210, Wheeler, Louisville, Ga.
Jordan is a consensus top-100 recruit for the class of 2025, owning a national ranking as high as No. 27 in the country by On3 and No. 28 by Rivals. Listed as a power forward, the 6'9" Louisville, Ga. native is an incredibly skilled big man who can easily play with the ball in his hands.
He has the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting and is able to knock down threes. One of the top-ranked players in his class in the always-talented state of Georgia, Jordan averaged a double-double last season at Shiloh as a junior with 21.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and is currently playing his senior season at Wheeler.
Patton Pinkins, SG, 6-5, 170, Frenship, Wolfforth, Texas
Another top-100 recruit, Pinkins is ranked as high as No. 74 in his class nationally by ESPN and No. 78 by Rivals. A 6'5" shooting guard from Wolfforth, Texas, he currently plays at Frenship High School, where he's described as an efficient player with a shooting percentage of over 60 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three.
Pinkins, the son of current Ole Miss assistant coach Al Pinkins, possess a high basketball IQ with strong passing ability. His ability as an on-ball defender pairs well with his prowess at scoring the basketball at all three levels.
PROGRAM POINT PRESIDENTS
Seniors
Matthew Murrell and
Jaemyn Brakefield have each surpassed the 1,000-point mark during their careers here in Oxford, and have their sights set on the program leaderboard. Here's a snapshot of where they lie among the career points list at Ole Miss:
...
11. Gerald Glass - 1,564
12. Don Kessinger - 1,553
13. Matthew Murrell - 1,524
14. Terence Davis - 1,512
...
35. Joe Ayers - 1,130
36. Fred Cox - 1,105
37. Jaemyn Brakefield - 1,103
38. Terrance Henry - 1,095
IT STILL MEANS MORE
The gauntlet of the SEC got even tougher this season with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the conference for the 2024-25 academic year. With eight teams currently owning a spot in the AP Top 25, including Ole Miss, the schedule for the Rebels is littered with big games, especially at home in the SJB Pavilion. Between January 22 and February 4, Ole Miss will host No. 22 Texas A&M, No. 2 Auburn, Texas, and No. 4 Kentucky.
RECORD BOOK WRECKER
Senior guard
Matthew Murrell enters his fifth season with Ole Miss and continues to put his name up and down the program record book. The Memphis native currently ranks 13th in school history in career points with 1,524, and fifth in both three-point shots made (227), and three-point attempts (643). A consistent member of the lineup for each of his seasons, Murrell recently entered the top-10 in both career minutes and games played. He currently sits in eighth with 3,675 minutes, just behind Keith Carter with 3,719, and has played in 127 games, tying him for 10th with Jason Harrison and just behind Emmanuel Wade with 128.
Murrell has his eyes set on entering the top-10 career lists in two other categories as well, on the verge in: Career field goal attempts (Murrell at 1,250, 10th is Carlos Clark at 1,297), and career steals (Murrell at 137, 10th is Rahim Lockhart at 148).
