Brian Rippee will have postgame coverage tonight after the Rebels and the Gators. Bottom line is it's the most free of free shots for Ole Miss. Among games most potentially impacting Ole Miss' seeding today is Kentucky at Missouri. We'll get coverage/info to you as the day proceeds.
OXFORD, Miss. – Following another historic win for the Rebels this season in their final home game of the year over No. 4 Tennessee, the Ole Miss men's basketball team will finish up their regular season schedule on Saturday, March 8 with a 5 p.m. CT game at No. 5 Florida in the Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center and on the SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 21-9, 10-7 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (41-21) • 278-119 career record (13th Season)
No. 5/5 Florida Gators (Record: 26-4, 13-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Todd Golden • 3rd Season at Florida (66-33) • 123-69 career record (6th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: John Schriffen
Analyst: Richard Hendrix
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. FLORIDA
The 120th meeting between Florida and Ole Miss in men's basketball, the Gators lead the all-time series 70-49 and when playing in Gainesville, 43-12. Florida holds the advantage over the last 10 competitions, but Ole Miss won their lone matchup last season in year one under head coach Chris Beard, scoring an SJB Pavilion-record 103 points in an 18-point victory.
LAST MEETING: January 10, 2024 (W, 103-85, Oxford, Miss.)
• Owning a four-point lead at the half, Ole Miss dropped 59 points in the second half to finish with an SJB Pavilion-record 103 points.
• Jaemyn Brakefield (Ole Miss): 28 points, 11-16 FG, five rebounds, three assists, two steals.
• Matthew Murrell (Ole Miss): 23 points, three rebounds, four assists, one block, three steals.
• Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida): 23 points, five rebounds, one assist.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Florida enters the final game of the 2024-25 regular season with a record of 26-4, having gone 13-4 in conference play. Highlights from their non-conference schedule include wins over Florida State, Wake Forest, Wichita State, Virginia, Arizona State, and North Carolina. They've recently won their previous two matchups over No. 12 Texas A&M and at No. 7 Alabama. Florida currently sits in second in the SEC Standings and owns a ranking of fifth in both national polls. They're NET Ranking as of March 6 is fourth.
Ranking sixth in the SEC, the Gators are led offensively by Walter Clayton Jr. with an average of 17.0 points per game. Alex Condon has been a consistent force for Florida on the glass, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, seventh-best in the conference. Two other players average over 6.0 boards per outing for the Gators, with Rueben Chinyelu at 6.5 and Thomas Haugh at 6.0.
As a team, Florida ranks third in the nation and second in the SEC with an average of 42.2 rebounds per game, owning a rebound margin of +8.3, good for 10th nationally. Their fast-scoring offense ranks 9th in the nation with an average of 84.3 points per game, coming off of 17.1 fastbreak points per game which leads the SEC and is second-most in the nation.
Florida is led by Todd Golden in his third year at the helm, with the Gators accumulating 66 wins under his watch. He recently led the program to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2023-24, and is currently projected to have them as a top-seed in this year's tournament. Last year, they were knocked out in round one by Colorado, 102-100. While at San Francisco, the Dons won 57 games under Golden during three seasons, highlighted by a 24-win season in 2021-22 when they finished fourth in the WCC standings and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.
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, recently 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 schedule for Ole Miss has been, and continues to be, one of the most difficult in the nation. As of March 6, their past opposition's win percentage of 63.5 ranks as the fifth-highest in the nation, while their cumulative opponent's win percentage of 64.3 is the fourth-highest in all of college basketball.
MAGIC NUMBER
With their win over Oklahoma on March 1, Ole Miss posted a 20-win campaign for the second year in a row, a feat last accomplished in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. While just the 19th 20-win season in program history, it's the 14th since the year 2000. This is the sixth time head coach Chris Beard has guided his team to 20 wins as a Division I head coach, and the seventh time as an NCAA head coach.
Now at 21 wins on the season, this is the 10th time the Ole Miss program has hit that mark, and the 13th time the Rebels have accumulated 10 conference victories.
LUNARDI SAYS "DANCE"
Updated each Tuesday and Friday, the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as an eight seed in the Midwest Region. They are projected to face nine-seed Gonzaga in Wichita, Kan., paired with one-seeded Houston vs. 16th-seeded Omaha. Lunardi's latest projections has 12 teams from the SEC earning a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a number that would be the most for a single conference all time.
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
The 2025 SEC Tournament is nearly here and judging by the prowess of teams in the conference during the regular season, it's shaping up to be one for the history books. In arguably one of the best conferences in college basketball history, Ole Miss has picked up 10 wins during the season, currently ranked seventh in the latest SEC standings. The team is locked into a seed no lower than seven for the tournament, giving them a first-round bye. The highest seed Ole Miss can earn entering Saturday's regular season finale is fourth, needing a win over Florida and losses by Missouri (vs. Kentucky), Texas A&M (at LSU), and Tennessee (vs. South Carolina).
BEARD BALL - 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 21 overall wins and 10 SEC victories are each tied for the eighth-most in school history. Statistically, the Rebels defense needs just one steal to tie for the fifth-most in a single season with 259, and are nearing the top-five for most made three pointers in a single season. Ole Miss has also 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 recently 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.
SEC postseason awards are set to be announced soon.
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 27 in the nation. Since the ranking's first iteration at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, their ranking of 13th on January 20 is the highest-ever NET Ranking for the Ole Miss program.
As of March 6, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, seven in the top 25, and four in the top 10.
RECORD BOOK WRECKER
Senior guard Matthew Murrell is in his fifth season with Ole Miss and continues to put his name up and down the program record book. The Memphis native currently ranks eighth in school history in career points with 1,731, fourth in three-point shots made (253), and third in three-point attempts (722). He also ranks eighth in field goal attempts at 1,414, and is sixth in career steals with 168.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell recently became the program's all-time leader in games and minutes played. On January 22, Murrell passed Zach Graham at 135 games played for Ole Miss, and has since pushed his number to 147. At South Carolina on February 12, he surpassed Elston Turner for the most minutes played in a Rebel uniform, now with 4,264 minutes on the court for Ole Miss.
Fellow long-time Rebel Jaemyn Brakefield is currently one game away from entering the top-10 for most games played in an Ole Miss uniform as well, with 127.
OXFORD, Miss. – Following another historic win for the Rebels this season in their final home game of the year over No. 4 Tennessee, the Ole Miss men's basketball team will finish up their regular season schedule on Saturday, March 8 with a 5 p.m. CT game at No. 5 Florida in the Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center and on the SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 21-9, 10-7 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (41-21) • 278-119 career record (13th Season)
No. 5/5 Florida Gators (Record: 26-4, 13-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Todd Golden • 3rd Season at Florida (66-33) • 123-69 career record (6th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: John Schriffen
Analyst: Richard Hendrix
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. FLORIDA
The 120th meeting between Florida and Ole Miss in men's basketball, the Gators lead the all-time series 70-49 and when playing in Gainesville, 43-12. Florida holds the advantage over the last 10 competitions, but Ole Miss won their lone matchup last season in year one under head coach Chris Beard, scoring an SJB Pavilion-record 103 points in an 18-point victory.
LAST MEETING: January 10, 2024 (W, 103-85, Oxford, Miss.)
• Owning a four-point lead at the half, Ole Miss dropped 59 points in the second half to finish with an SJB Pavilion-record 103 points.
• Jaemyn Brakefield (Ole Miss): 28 points, 11-16 FG, five rebounds, three assists, two steals.
• Matthew Murrell (Ole Miss): 23 points, three rebounds, four assists, one block, three steals.
• Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida): 23 points, five rebounds, one assist.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Florida enters the final game of the 2024-25 regular season with a record of 26-4, having gone 13-4 in conference play. Highlights from their non-conference schedule include wins over Florida State, Wake Forest, Wichita State, Virginia, Arizona State, and North Carolina. They've recently won their previous two matchups over No. 12 Texas A&M and at No. 7 Alabama. Florida currently sits in second in the SEC Standings and owns a ranking of fifth in both national polls. They're NET Ranking as of March 6 is fourth.
Ranking sixth in the SEC, the Gators are led offensively by Walter Clayton Jr. with an average of 17.0 points per game. Alex Condon has been a consistent force for Florida on the glass, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, seventh-best in the conference. Two other players average over 6.0 boards per outing for the Gators, with Rueben Chinyelu at 6.5 and Thomas Haugh at 6.0.
As a team, Florida ranks third in the nation and second in the SEC with an average of 42.2 rebounds per game, owning a rebound margin of +8.3, good for 10th nationally. Their fast-scoring offense ranks 9th in the nation with an average of 84.3 points per game, coming off of 17.1 fastbreak points per game which leads the SEC and is second-most in the nation.
Florida is led by Todd Golden in his third year at the helm, with the Gators accumulating 66 wins under his watch. He recently led the program to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2023-24, and is currently projected to have them as a top-seed in this year's tournament. Last year, they were knocked out in round one by Colorado, 102-100. While at San Francisco, the Dons won 57 games under Golden during three seasons, highlighted by a 24-win season in 2021-22 when they finished fourth in the WCC standings and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.
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, recently 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 schedule for Ole Miss has been, and continues to be, one of the most difficult in the nation. As of March 6, their past opposition's win percentage of 63.5 ranks as the fifth-highest in the nation, while their cumulative opponent's win percentage of 64.3 is the fourth-highest in all of college basketball.
MAGIC NUMBER
With their win over Oklahoma on March 1, Ole Miss posted a 20-win campaign for the second year in a row, a feat last accomplished in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. While just the 19th 20-win season in program history, it's the 14th since the year 2000. This is the sixth time head coach Chris Beard has guided his team to 20 wins as a Division I head coach, and the seventh time as an NCAA head coach.
Now at 21 wins on the season, this is the 10th time the Ole Miss program has hit that mark, and the 13th time the Rebels have accumulated 10 conference victories.
LUNARDI SAYS "DANCE"
Updated each Tuesday and Friday, the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as an eight seed in the Midwest Region. They are projected to face nine-seed Gonzaga in Wichita, Kan., paired with one-seeded Houston vs. 16th-seeded Omaha. Lunardi's latest projections has 12 teams from the SEC earning a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a number that would be the most for a single conference all time.
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
The 2025 SEC Tournament is nearly here and judging by the prowess of teams in the conference during the regular season, it's shaping up to be one for the history books. In arguably one of the best conferences in college basketball history, Ole Miss has picked up 10 wins during the season, currently ranked seventh in the latest SEC standings. The team is locked into a seed no lower than seven for the tournament, giving them a first-round bye. The highest seed Ole Miss can earn entering Saturday's regular season finale is fourth, needing a win over Florida and losses by Missouri (vs. Kentucky), Texas A&M (at LSU), and Tennessee (vs. South Carolina).
BEARD BALL - 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 21 overall wins and 10 SEC victories are each tied for the eighth-most in school history. Statistically, the Rebels defense needs just one steal to tie for the fifth-most in a single season with 259, and are nearing the top-five for most made three pointers in a single season. Ole Miss has also 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 recently 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.
SEC postseason awards are set to be announced soon.
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 27 in the nation. Since the ranking's first iteration at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, their ranking of 13th on January 20 is the highest-ever NET Ranking for the Ole Miss program.
As of March 6, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, seven in the top 25, and four in the top 10.
RECORD BOOK WRECKER
Senior guard Matthew Murrell is in his fifth season with Ole Miss and continues to put his name up and down the program record book. The Memphis native currently ranks eighth in school history in career points with 1,731, fourth in three-point shots made (253), and third in three-point attempts (722). He also ranks eighth in field goal attempts at 1,414, and is sixth in career steals with 168.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell recently became the program's all-time leader in games and minutes played. On January 22, Murrell passed Zach Graham at 135 games played for Ole Miss, and has since pushed his number to 147. At South Carolina on February 12, he surpassed Elston Turner for the most minutes played in a Rebel uniform, now with 4,264 minutes on the court for Ole Miss.
Fellow long-time Rebel Jaemyn Brakefield is currently one game away from entering the top-10 for most games played in an Ole Miss uniform as well, with 127.
