OXFORD, Miss. – Following a win in their first road game of the season, the Ole Miss men's basketball team returns to the SJB Pavilion for a big week, beginning with a match against NC State on Tuesday, November 28 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (5-0)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 1st Season at Ole Miss (5-0) • 242-98 career record (12th Season)
NC State (4-1)
Head Coach: Kevin Keatts • 7th Season at NC State (117-80) • 189-108 career record (10th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Kevin Fitzgerald
Color: Andraya Carter
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. NC STATE
The two programs first met in postseason play nearly 100 years ago, as members of the Southern Conference. A founding member of the conference in 1921, the Wolfpack were joined by Ole Miss in 1922, with numerous schools in today's ACC and SEC including Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, UNC, and many more.
The Rebels and Wolfpack first met in the 1928 Southern Conference Tournament, where Ole Miss entered as the No. 13-ranked team with a conference record of 5-9 during the regular season. Ole Miss took down NC State 40-35 in the opening round of the tournament en route to a conference championship, defeating LSU, Kentucky, and Auburn to win their first such title. NC State would get the better of Ole Miss the following season, defeating the Rebels by two in the semifinals before beating Duke in the title match.
Following a 71-year gap, the two schools met on the basketball court again in 2000, this time in the NIT quarterfinals. Playing in Raleigh, N.C., the Wolfpack defeated the Rebels 77-54 before falling in the semifinal game to eventual champion Wake Forest.
This will be the first game between the two programs in the regular season, and the first game played in Oxford.
SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
NC State has begun the 2023-24 season with a 4-1 record, picking up wins over The Citadel (72-59), Abilene Christian (84-64), and Charleston Southern (87-53), before taking down Vanderbilt (84-78) at the Vegas Showdown. The Wolfpack most recently fell to BYU 95-86 in the second round of the Vegas Showdown. NC State won 23 games a season ago, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Creighton in the opening round.
The team has four players averaging double-figures in scoring to begin the year, led by Casey Morsell at 15.0 per game. He is joined by fellow starters Jayden Taylor (14.8 per game), D.J. Burns Jr. (14.6 per game), and DJ Horne (12.4 per game).
Similar to Ole Miss, NC State has been one of the best in the nation at taking care of the ball, owning an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.70 (No. 19 in NCAA). They rank in the top-10 in turnover margin (No. 7, 7.8) and fastbreak points (No. 9, 19.8) nationally as well.
ESPN ACC/SEC CHALLENGE
This past June, ESPN announced the matchups for the first-ever ACC/SEC Challenge, which matches up the two conferences over two days across both men's and women's hoops. The Rebels and Wolfpack play on day one of two, which features 14 games for the men across Tuesday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 29.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
With the hiring of Chris Beard last March, the Ole Miss men's basketball program is prepared to take the next step forward, bringing in one of the most successful coaches of the last decade.
Compiling a record of 241-98 as an NCAA head coach since 2012, Beard holds one of the highest win percentages in the nation, ranking 11th among active head coaches with 10 or more years of experience at 71.2%.
The 2019 AP National Coach of the Year has led three different programs to the NCAA Tournament over the previous eight years, and is undefeated in the opening round at 5-0. His all-time record in the NCAA Tournament is 11-5 (.688).
"I CAN BE YOUR LONG LOST PAL"
After posting the third double-double of his career in the season opener (15 points, career-best 12 rebounds), Allen Flanigan followed it up with a career-best 29 points against Eastern Washington. The senior guard also surpassed the 1,000 career-point mark against the Eagles, and played a key part in securing the victory by scoring eight of the last 11 points for the Rebels.
He once again led the team in scoring with 23 against Sam Houston, connecting on a career-best 14 makes from the free throw line. The senior helped lead Ole Miss to victory in their first road game at Temple with 26 points, the second-most scored in a game for his career, while tallying a career-best seven assists.
Flanigan currently ranks second in the SEC in points per game at 20.2, and is one of just 38 players in the nation to average over 20 per contest.
"I TAKE THE WORK, FLIP IT, ACROBATIC"
Through the first five games of the season, Ole Miss has shown elite ball control and movement on the offensive side. With a total of 84 assists compared to just 50 turnovers, the Rebels' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.68 ranks No. 24 in the nation. They also rank No. 38 in the country in turnovers per game at 10.0.
The team is led in assists by Matthew Murrell (20 assists to eight turnovers) and Jaylen Murray (19 assists to 13 turnovers). Murrell ranks sixth in the SEC in assists per game (4.0) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5.
ADAPT TO THE TIMES
The new age of the NCAA often sees heavy roster turnover from year-to-year. While Ole Miss returns five members of last year's team, they added 11 strong newcomers through the transfer portal and the high school recruiting trail: (stats current to opening day)
Returners (5)
Jaemyn Brakefield - 33 GP, 31 GS, 11.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Cam Brent - 2022-23 practice squad member
TJ Caldwell - 31 GP, 7 GS, 4.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Robert Cowherd - 2022-23 freshman, redshirted
Matthew Murrell - 30 GP, 29 GS, 14.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Transfers (7)
Moussa Cisse - Oklahoma St.; 61 GP, 7.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG
Allen Flanigan - Auburn; 114 GP, 8.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Cole McGrath - Blue Mountain; 53 GP, 6.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Brandon Murray - Georgetown; 27 GP, 13.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Jaylen Murray - St. Peter's; 62 GP, 8.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Austin Nunez - Arizona St.; 28 GP, 4.5 PPG, 1.1 RPG
Jamarion Sharp - Western Ky.; 65 GP, 7.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG
Freshman (4)
Cameron Barnes - Three-star (ESPN, 247, Rivals), No. 147 national (Rivals)
Jacob Gazzo - Three-star (ESPN), No. 3 in Mississippi (ESPN)
Rashaud Marshall - Four-star (ESPN, 247, Rivals), No. 83 national (247)
Gavin Murphy - His high school's fourth-leading all-time scorer
HOW'S THE WEATHER?
The roster for Ole Miss this season has the tallest student-athlete in Division I in forward Jamarion Sharp, and has the shortest student-athlete in the country in guard Cam Brent. The two stand a full two feet apart in height, with Sharp at 7'5" and Brent at 5'5".
AMONG THE BEST
Forwards Jamarion Sharp and Moussa Cisse rank among the nation's best in active career leaders in a handful of statistical categories. After becoming the fifth player ever to lead the NCAA in blocks in two seasons, Sharp ranks first in both career blocks and career blocked shots per game. Establishing himself as a premier shot blocker as well, Cisse ranks 14th in blocks per game, and 16th in total blocks.
Averaging 7.4 rebounds per game in his career, Sharp ranks 37th in the country, while Cisse's 622 career boards rank 67th. Cisse also ranks among the top-50 in double-doubles (15, No. 47 in NCAA).
MILESTONE ALERT
Career milestones to watch for the Rebels:
Allen Flanigan
• Career 3PM: 97
Matthew Murrell
• Career Points: 997 - Will be 42nd member of 1,000-point club at Ole Miss
• Career 3PM: 147 - 163 enters top-10 in school history
• Career 3PA: 446 - 454 enters top-10 in school history
Jamarion Sharp
• Career Blocks: 293 - Would be 112th player in NCAA history with 300 career blocks
VALUED LEADERSHIP
The Ole Miss men's basketball coaching staff is one of the more experienced around the country. Entering his 14th year as a collegiate head coach, Chris Beard is joined on the court by former head coaches Win Case (16 years), Brian Burg (three years), and Wes Flanigan (two years). Assistant coach Bob Donewald Jr. has 16 years of head coaching experience at the professional and national level, while assistant Al Pinkins has been an associate or assistant coach at six different NCAA Division-I programs, including four within the SEC. The Ole Miss coaching staff has experience at five other SEC programs: Auburn, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, and Tennessee.
SKEE-LO'S HERO
Transfer forward Jamarion Sharp stands as the tallest student-athlete in NCAA Division I men's basketball this season at 7'5", a title he has held for three-straight seasons now, and is even listed as one of the tallest living humans on Wikipedia. After spending his first two college years at John A. Logan College, Sharp played two years at Western Kentucky from 2021 to 2023. In 64 games played, he averaged 7.8 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and became just the fifth person ever to lead the NCAA in blocks twice. His margin of 4.25 blocks per game during his career is currently the 11th-best average in college basketball history.
Career Blocked Shot Average (min. 225 blocks)
1. 5.87 - Keith Closs, Central Conn. St. (54 GP, 317 blks.)
2. 5.66 - Adonal Foyle, Colgate (87 GP, 492 blks.)
3. 5.34 - Shawn James, Northeastern/Duquesne (83 GP, 443 blks.)
4. 5.24 - David Robinson, Navy (67 GP, 351 blks.)
5. 4.66 - Mickell Gladness, Alabama A&M (85 GP, 396 blks.)
6. 4.65 - Wojciech Myrda, La.-Monroe (115 GP, 535 blks.)
7. 4.58 - Shaquille O'Neal, LSU (90 GP, 412 blks.)
8. 4.48 - Jerome James, Florida A&M (81 GP, 363 blks.)
9. 4.42 - Deng Gai, Fairfield (100 GP, 442 blks.)
10. 4.28 - Emeka Okafor, UConn (103 GP, 441 blks.)
11. 4.25 - Jamarion Sharp, Western Ky./Ole Miss (69 GP, 293 blks.)
ROAD WORK AHEAD
The 2023-24 schedule for Ole Miss holds plenty of challenges, competing in one of the top conferences in the nation and setting a strong list of non-conference foes. Among their 31 games, 19 of them will be against teams that finished with a NET ranking in the top 100 last season, while 12 of them finished in the top 50.
"IT AIN'T GON' NEVER STOP"
Head coach Chris Beard and staff continue to work on securing the future for Ole Miss basketball, and did so with a pair of signees in the NLI early signing period in November:
John Bol • F • 7-1 • Buma • Overtime Elite
Ranked as the second-highest recruit in program history according to 247Sports, Bol is a consensus four-star recruit, ranking as high as No. 38 in the nation by 247Sports and No. 40 by ESPN. He is an elite shot blocker and rebounder who stands at 7'1" and is able to affect the game on both ends of the floor. Ranked as the top player in the state of Georgia by ESPN, Bol has developed a reputation as one of the hardest playing big men in the country.
Eduardo Klafke • G • 6-5 • Fanca-Sao Paulo, Brazil • NBA Academy Latin America
A combo guard from the prestigious NBA Academy Latin America, Klafke will come to Oxford from Franca-Sao Paulo, Brazil. One of the top international players in his age group, he has consistently played above his age while representing Brazil on the national stage, playing in U19 games as a 17-year-old. Klafke will help bring a spark to the offense as an elite shooter and is excellent in playing both on and off the ball.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (5-0)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 1st Season at Ole Miss (5-0) • 242-98 career record (12th Season)
NC State (4-1)
Head Coach: Kevin Keatts • 7th Season at NC State (117-80) • 189-108 career record (10th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Kevin Fitzgerald
Color: Andraya Carter
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. NC STATE
The two programs first met in postseason play nearly 100 years ago, as members of the Southern Conference. A founding member of the conference in 1921, the Wolfpack were joined by Ole Miss in 1922, with numerous schools in today's ACC and SEC including Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, UNC, and many more.
The Rebels and Wolfpack first met in the 1928 Southern Conference Tournament, where Ole Miss entered as the No. 13-ranked team with a conference record of 5-9 during the regular season. Ole Miss took down NC State 40-35 in the opening round of the tournament en route to a conference championship, defeating LSU, Kentucky, and Auburn to win their first such title. NC State would get the better of Ole Miss the following season, defeating the Rebels by two in the semifinals before beating Duke in the title match.
Following a 71-year gap, the two schools met on the basketball court again in 2000, this time in the NIT quarterfinals. Playing in Raleigh, N.C., the Wolfpack defeated the Rebels 77-54 before falling in the semifinal game to eventual champion Wake Forest.
This will be the first game between the two programs in the regular season, and the first game played in Oxford.
SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
NC State has begun the 2023-24 season with a 4-1 record, picking up wins over The Citadel (72-59), Abilene Christian (84-64), and Charleston Southern (87-53), before taking down Vanderbilt (84-78) at the Vegas Showdown. The Wolfpack most recently fell to BYU 95-86 in the second round of the Vegas Showdown. NC State won 23 games a season ago, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Creighton in the opening round.
The team has four players averaging double-figures in scoring to begin the year, led by Casey Morsell at 15.0 per game. He is joined by fellow starters Jayden Taylor (14.8 per game), D.J. Burns Jr. (14.6 per game), and DJ Horne (12.4 per game).
Similar to Ole Miss, NC State has been one of the best in the nation at taking care of the ball, owning an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.70 (No. 19 in NCAA). They rank in the top-10 in turnover margin (No. 7, 7.8) and fastbreak points (No. 9, 19.8) nationally as well.
ESPN ACC/SEC CHALLENGE
This past June, ESPN announced the matchups for the first-ever ACC/SEC Challenge, which matches up the two conferences over two days across both men's and women's hoops. The Rebels and Wolfpack play on day one of two, which features 14 games for the men across Tuesday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 29.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
With the hiring of Chris Beard last March, the Ole Miss men's basketball program is prepared to take the next step forward, bringing in one of the most successful coaches of the last decade.
Compiling a record of 241-98 as an NCAA head coach since 2012, Beard holds one of the highest win percentages in the nation, ranking 11th among active head coaches with 10 or more years of experience at 71.2%.
The 2019 AP National Coach of the Year has led three different programs to the NCAA Tournament over the previous eight years, and is undefeated in the opening round at 5-0. His all-time record in the NCAA Tournament is 11-5 (.688).
"I CAN BE YOUR LONG LOST PAL"
After posting the third double-double of his career in the season opener (15 points, career-best 12 rebounds), Allen Flanigan followed it up with a career-best 29 points against Eastern Washington. The senior guard also surpassed the 1,000 career-point mark against the Eagles, and played a key part in securing the victory by scoring eight of the last 11 points for the Rebels.
He once again led the team in scoring with 23 against Sam Houston, connecting on a career-best 14 makes from the free throw line. The senior helped lead Ole Miss to victory in their first road game at Temple with 26 points, the second-most scored in a game for his career, while tallying a career-best seven assists.
Flanigan currently ranks second in the SEC in points per game at 20.2, and is one of just 38 players in the nation to average over 20 per contest.
"I TAKE THE WORK, FLIP IT, ACROBATIC"
Through the first five games of the season, Ole Miss has shown elite ball control and movement on the offensive side. With a total of 84 assists compared to just 50 turnovers, the Rebels' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.68 ranks No. 24 in the nation. They also rank No. 38 in the country in turnovers per game at 10.0.
The team is led in assists by Matthew Murrell (20 assists to eight turnovers) and Jaylen Murray (19 assists to 13 turnovers). Murrell ranks sixth in the SEC in assists per game (4.0) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5.
ADAPT TO THE TIMES
The new age of the NCAA often sees heavy roster turnover from year-to-year. While Ole Miss returns five members of last year's team, they added 11 strong newcomers through the transfer portal and the high school recruiting trail: (stats current to opening day)
Returners (5)
Jaemyn Brakefield - 33 GP, 31 GS, 11.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Cam Brent - 2022-23 practice squad member
TJ Caldwell - 31 GP, 7 GS, 4.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Robert Cowherd - 2022-23 freshman, redshirted
Matthew Murrell - 30 GP, 29 GS, 14.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Transfers (7)
Moussa Cisse - Oklahoma St.; 61 GP, 7.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG
Allen Flanigan - Auburn; 114 GP, 8.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Cole McGrath - Blue Mountain; 53 GP, 6.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Brandon Murray - Georgetown; 27 GP, 13.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Jaylen Murray - St. Peter's; 62 GP, 8.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Austin Nunez - Arizona St.; 28 GP, 4.5 PPG, 1.1 RPG
Jamarion Sharp - Western Ky.; 65 GP, 7.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG
Freshman (4)
Cameron Barnes - Three-star (ESPN, 247, Rivals), No. 147 national (Rivals)
Jacob Gazzo - Three-star (ESPN), No. 3 in Mississippi (ESPN)
Rashaud Marshall - Four-star (ESPN, 247, Rivals), No. 83 national (247)
Gavin Murphy - His high school's fourth-leading all-time scorer
HOW'S THE WEATHER?
The roster for Ole Miss this season has the tallest student-athlete in Division I in forward Jamarion Sharp, and has the shortest student-athlete in the country in guard Cam Brent. The two stand a full two feet apart in height, with Sharp at 7'5" and Brent at 5'5".
AMONG THE BEST
Forwards Jamarion Sharp and Moussa Cisse rank among the nation's best in active career leaders in a handful of statistical categories. After becoming the fifth player ever to lead the NCAA in blocks in two seasons, Sharp ranks first in both career blocks and career blocked shots per game. Establishing himself as a premier shot blocker as well, Cisse ranks 14th in blocks per game, and 16th in total blocks.
Averaging 7.4 rebounds per game in his career, Sharp ranks 37th in the country, while Cisse's 622 career boards rank 67th. Cisse also ranks among the top-50 in double-doubles (15, No. 47 in NCAA).
MILESTONE ALERT
Career milestones to watch for the Rebels:
Allen Flanigan
• Career 3PM: 97
Matthew Murrell
• Career Points: 997 - Will be 42nd member of 1,000-point club at Ole Miss
• Career 3PM: 147 - 163 enters top-10 in school history
• Career 3PA: 446 - 454 enters top-10 in school history
Jamarion Sharp
• Career Blocks: 293 - Would be 112th player in NCAA history with 300 career blocks
VALUED LEADERSHIP
The Ole Miss men's basketball coaching staff is one of the more experienced around the country. Entering his 14th year as a collegiate head coach, Chris Beard is joined on the court by former head coaches Win Case (16 years), Brian Burg (three years), and Wes Flanigan (two years). Assistant coach Bob Donewald Jr. has 16 years of head coaching experience at the professional and national level, while assistant Al Pinkins has been an associate or assistant coach at six different NCAA Division-I programs, including four within the SEC. The Ole Miss coaching staff has experience at five other SEC programs: Auburn, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, and Tennessee.
SKEE-LO'S HERO
Transfer forward Jamarion Sharp stands as the tallest student-athlete in NCAA Division I men's basketball this season at 7'5", a title he has held for three-straight seasons now, and is even listed as one of the tallest living humans on Wikipedia. After spending his first two college years at John A. Logan College, Sharp played two years at Western Kentucky from 2021 to 2023. In 64 games played, he averaged 7.8 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and became just the fifth person ever to lead the NCAA in blocks twice. His margin of 4.25 blocks per game during his career is currently the 11th-best average in college basketball history.
Career Blocked Shot Average (min. 225 blocks)
1. 5.87 - Keith Closs, Central Conn. St. (54 GP, 317 blks.)
2. 5.66 - Adonal Foyle, Colgate (87 GP, 492 blks.)
3. 5.34 - Shawn James, Northeastern/Duquesne (83 GP, 443 blks.)
4. 5.24 - David Robinson, Navy (67 GP, 351 blks.)
5. 4.66 - Mickell Gladness, Alabama A&M (85 GP, 396 blks.)
6. 4.65 - Wojciech Myrda, La.-Monroe (115 GP, 535 blks.)
7. 4.58 - Shaquille O'Neal, LSU (90 GP, 412 blks.)
8. 4.48 - Jerome James, Florida A&M (81 GP, 363 blks.)
9. 4.42 - Deng Gai, Fairfield (100 GP, 442 blks.)
10. 4.28 - Emeka Okafor, UConn (103 GP, 441 blks.)
11. 4.25 - Jamarion Sharp, Western Ky./Ole Miss (69 GP, 293 blks.)
ROAD WORK AHEAD
The 2023-24 schedule for Ole Miss holds plenty of challenges, competing in one of the top conferences in the nation and setting a strong list of non-conference foes. Among their 31 games, 19 of them will be against teams that finished with a NET ranking in the top 100 last season, while 12 of them finished in the top 50.
"IT AIN'T GON' NEVER STOP"
Head coach Chris Beard and staff continue to work on securing the future for Ole Miss basketball, and did so with a pair of signees in the NLI early signing period in November:
John Bol • F • 7-1 • Buma • Overtime Elite
Ranked as the second-highest recruit in program history according to 247Sports, Bol is a consensus four-star recruit, ranking as high as No. 38 in the nation by 247Sports and No. 40 by ESPN. He is an elite shot blocker and rebounder who stands at 7'1" and is able to affect the game on both ends of the floor. Ranked as the top player in the state of Georgia by ESPN, Bol has developed a reputation as one of the hardest playing big men in the country.
Eduardo Klafke • G • 6-5 • Fanca-Sao Paulo, Brazil • NBA Academy Latin America
A combo guard from the prestigious NBA Academy Latin America, Klafke will come to Oxford from Franca-Sao Paulo, Brazil. One of the top international players in his age group, he has consistently played above his age while representing Brazil on the national stage, playing in U19 games as a 17-year-old. Klafke will help bring a spark to the offense as an elite shooter and is excellent in playing both on and off the ball.
