Fresh off a major win over No. 14 Kentucky at home this past week, the No. 25 Ole Miss men's basketball looks to take their momentum on the road as they travel to LSU on Saturday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 17-6, 6-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (37-18) • 274-116 career record (13th Season)
LSU Tigers (Record: 12-10, 1-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Matt McMahon • 3rd Season at LSU (43-45) • 197-112 career record (10th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Kevin Fitzgerald
Analyst: Joe Kleine
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. LSU
The second-most played rivalry in Ole Miss history, this will be the 219th game between the Rebels and Tigers, with LSU leading the series 127-91. Tied for the 55th-most played rivalry in all of college basketball, the first game was played back in 1910, the second season of Ole Miss men's basketball. When playing in Baton Rouge, the Tigers own a 78-31 advantage. The Tigers have claimed seven of the past 10 games, but the Rebels have won three of the last four including a 77-65 win in Oxford earlier this season.
LAST MEETING: January 11, 2025 (W, 77-65, Oxford, Miss.)
• It was a defensive-forward game to start, with Ole Miss holding a slim advantage at halftime 28-26, before the Rebels exploded for 49 in the second half to win by 12.
• Malik Dia (Ole Miss): 19 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks.
• Cam Carter (LSU): 16 points, four rebounds, two assists, one block, two steals.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
LSU currently holds a record of 12-10 on the season, having gone 1-8 in conference action. Since the two last met on January 11, the Tigers have gone 1-6. LSU holds key wins during their non-conference schedule over Kansas State, UCS, and Florida State. Their win during the SEC schedule came on January 14 against Arkansas. They sit in 15th place in the current SEC standings, and own a NET Ranking of 78.
The ninth-leading scorer in the SEC, LSU is paced offensively by Kansas State transfer Cam Carter, averaging 17.0 points per game. He's continued to ride a hot hand through SEC play, scoring 16 or more in each of LSU's first seven conference games. Shooting over 44 percent from the floor, Carter has knocked down a team-best 51 three pointers. The Tigers have been led on the glass by Corey Chest, who averages 7.2 boards per game, the 10th-best clip in the conference.
LSU ranks in the top-half of the SEC in numerous defensive categories, including their 5.2 blocks per game (5th SEC, 16th NCAA), field goal percentage defense at 40.8 (6th SEC, 50th NCAA), and their 26.5 defensive rebounds per game (4th SEC, 62nd NCAA). Three Tigers average a block or more per game: Daimion Collins (1.7 BPG), Corey Chest (1.2 BPG), and Jalen Reed (1.0 BPG).
In his third season at the helm, LSU is led by head coach Matt McMahon who was hired before the 2022-23 season after a successful run at Murray State. While with the Racers, McMahon put together four 20-win seasons in his seven years, including three NCAA Tournament births and a historical 31-win season in 2021-22. He helped guide Murray State to four regular season and three tournament conference titles, and was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2022.
WILDCAT-NIPPED
On Tuesday, February 4, the Rebels hosted No. 14 Kentucky on ESPN and showed out in primetime in front of the nation, picking up a program-building win over the Wildcats 98-84. The Rebels jumped out to a hot start, scoring 54 points in the first half, the most in the first 20 minutes of action since November of 2013. The team finished with 98 points, the most Ole Miss has ever scored against Kentucky since first playing them in 1925, led by a season-best 24 points from Matthew Murrell who made six shots makes from three.
The facilitators for the Rebels offense, points guards Jaylen Murray and Sean Pedulla combined for 18 assists, with Murray posting a double-double on 15 points and 10 dimes, while Pedulla's 8 helpers were a season-high. As a team, Ole Miss posted 24 assists and just one turnover, the highest assist-to-turnover ration in a single game by any team all year, and the highest in the NCAA since 2019. It was the fewest turnovers in an SEC game in the past 25 seasons, and was the first team over those 25 seasons to dish out more than 20 assists and turn the ball over fewer than two times against a ranked opponent. It was the second game head coach Chris Beard has coached where his team had just one turnover, after a game at Little Rock on March 1, 2016 where the Trojans had 20 assists and one turnover in an 89-80 win over Arkansas State.
AP FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, BUTTER, AND WATER
Ole Miss has dominated the turnover battle this year, ranking third in the nation with a turnover margin of +6.5 while leading all of college basketball in turnovers per game at 8.9. The Rebels are forcing an average of 15.4 turnovers per contest which ranks 20th in the NCAA. Ole Miss' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.77 also ranks among the nation's best at fifth, led by Jaylen Murray with a season ratio of 3.17. They've been a force on the defensive end with an average of 9.5 steals per game (14th in NCAA), paced by Sean Pedulla, who ranks 21st in steals nationally with 50.
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 +6.5, the Rebels own the third-best average in all of college basketball, forcing 15.4 per game (No. 20 in the NCAA) while committing just 8.9 to lead the NCAA.
They have held opponents to 60 points or less five times this season, with a scoring margin on +10.4 points per game, the 43rd-best clip in the country. Ole Miss holds a record of 15-2 in two years under Beard when holding the opposition to under 40 percent from the field. Their defensive efforts at the three-point line has led to an opponent shooting percentage of just 31.4 on the season, the 76th-lowest mark in the country. Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 9.5, the 14th-best clip in college basketball, and blocks per game at 4.5 to rank 54th.
"HURRY UP AND GET YOUR MUSCLE UP, WE OUT THE PLYOMETRIC"
Ole Miss jumped out to a hot start in conference action. In game one, the Rebels faced a Georgia team that entered their matchup 12th in the nation in field goal percentage at 50.7 and 12th in the country in rebound margin at +10.4. Ole Miss responded by holding the Bulldogs to just 29.3 percent from the floor, and out-rebounding Georgia, just the second time UGA had lost a battle on the boards this season. In game two at Arkansas, the Rebels faced another top team in shooting efficiency, as the Razorbacks entered with the ninth-best field goal percentage in the nation at 50.7. The Ole Miss defense held Arkansas to just 37.3 percent shooting, and once again out-rebounded a team entering with a positive rebound margin.
The Rebels then held LSU to just 40.7 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from deep. Their defense forced 17 turnovers with 12 steals, as five players recorded two swipes. On the road again at No. 4 Alabama, Ole Miss faced the No. 1 scoring offense in the country at 91.1 points per game and the eighth-ranked offensive rebounding team. The Rebels' defense held the Tide to just 64 points, snapping a 53-game streak of 70+ for Alabama, contained them to just 4 offensive rebounds, and forced 21 turnovers in the road win.
Across their 10 SEC games, Ole Miss has held their opponents to just 41.6 percent from the field, the fifth-best defensive effort in the league. They lead all teams through conference action in turnover margin at +5.3, assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.69, and rank second in steals per game at 8.6.
BATTLE TESTED
The schedule for Ole Miss has been, and continues to be, one of the most difficult in the nation. As of February 6, they own the nation's seventh-toughest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index. Their pas opposition win percentage of 65.5 ranks as the eighth-highest in the nation, while their remaining opponent's win percentage of 73.0 is the seventh highest in all of college basketball. Their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 67.4 is the fifth highest in the country.
LUNARDI SAYS "DANCE"
Updated each Tuesday and Friday, the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as a five seed in the East Region. They are projected to face 12-seed George Mason in Providence, R.I., paired with four-seeded Michigan State vs. 13th-seeded Akron. The highest seed for the Ole Miss program came in the 2001 tournament, when they were set as a three seed and reached the Sweet 16. Lunardi's latest projections has 13 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.
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 20 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 February 6, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, eight in the top 25, and four in the top 10.
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 ninth in school history in career points with 1,669, tied for fourth in three-point shots made (249), and fourth in three-point attempts (704). He also ranks ninth in most field goal attempts at 1,365, and is sixth in career steals with 160.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell ranks near the top in both career minutes and games played at Ole Miss. The guard recently broke the program record for total games played in an Ole Miss uniform, surpassing Zach Graham with 135, now at 140. Murrell has played in the second-most minutes for the program at 4,060, just behind all-time leader Elston Turner with 4,109.
TEAM FACTS
No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 17-6, 6-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (37-18) • 274-116 career record (13th Season)
LSU Tigers (Record: 12-10, 1-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Matt McMahon • 3rd Season at LSU (43-45) • 197-112 career record (10th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Kevin Fitzgerald
Analyst: Joe Kleine
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. LSU
The second-most played rivalry in Ole Miss history, this will be the 219th game between the Rebels and Tigers, with LSU leading the series 127-91. Tied for the 55th-most played rivalry in all of college basketball, the first game was played back in 1910, the second season of Ole Miss men's basketball. When playing in Baton Rouge, the Tigers own a 78-31 advantage. The Tigers have claimed seven of the past 10 games, but the Rebels have won three of the last four including a 77-65 win in Oxford earlier this season.
LAST MEETING: January 11, 2025 (W, 77-65, Oxford, Miss.)
• It was a defensive-forward game to start, with Ole Miss holding a slim advantage at halftime 28-26, before the Rebels exploded for 49 in the second half to win by 12.
• Malik Dia (Ole Miss): 19 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks.
• Cam Carter (LSU): 16 points, four rebounds, two assists, one block, two steals.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
LSU currently holds a record of 12-10 on the season, having gone 1-8 in conference action. Since the two last met on January 11, the Tigers have gone 1-6. LSU holds key wins during their non-conference schedule over Kansas State, UCS, and Florida State. Their win during the SEC schedule came on January 14 against Arkansas. They sit in 15th place in the current SEC standings, and own a NET Ranking of 78.
The ninth-leading scorer in the SEC, LSU is paced offensively by Kansas State transfer Cam Carter, averaging 17.0 points per game. He's continued to ride a hot hand through SEC play, scoring 16 or more in each of LSU's first seven conference games. Shooting over 44 percent from the floor, Carter has knocked down a team-best 51 three pointers. The Tigers have been led on the glass by Corey Chest, who averages 7.2 boards per game, the 10th-best clip in the conference.
LSU ranks in the top-half of the SEC in numerous defensive categories, including their 5.2 blocks per game (5th SEC, 16th NCAA), field goal percentage defense at 40.8 (6th SEC, 50th NCAA), and their 26.5 defensive rebounds per game (4th SEC, 62nd NCAA). Three Tigers average a block or more per game: Daimion Collins (1.7 BPG), Corey Chest (1.2 BPG), and Jalen Reed (1.0 BPG).
In his third season at the helm, LSU is led by head coach Matt McMahon who was hired before the 2022-23 season after a successful run at Murray State. While with the Racers, McMahon put together four 20-win seasons in his seven years, including three NCAA Tournament births and a historical 31-win season in 2021-22. He helped guide Murray State to four regular season and three tournament conference titles, and was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2022.
WILDCAT-NIPPED
On Tuesday, February 4, the Rebels hosted No. 14 Kentucky on ESPN and showed out in primetime in front of the nation, picking up a program-building win over the Wildcats 98-84. The Rebels jumped out to a hot start, scoring 54 points in the first half, the most in the first 20 minutes of action since November of 2013. The team finished with 98 points, the most Ole Miss has ever scored against Kentucky since first playing them in 1925, led by a season-best 24 points from Matthew Murrell who made six shots makes from three.
The facilitators for the Rebels offense, points guards Jaylen Murray and Sean Pedulla combined for 18 assists, with Murray posting a double-double on 15 points and 10 dimes, while Pedulla's 8 helpers were a season-high. As a team, Ole Miss posted 24 assists and just one turnover, the highest assist-to-turnover ration in a single game by any team all year, and the highest in the NCAA since 2019. It was the fewest turnovers in an SEC game in the past 25 seasons, and was the first team over those 25 seasons to dish out more than 20 assists and turn the ball over fewer than two times against a ranked opponent. It was the second game head coach Chris Beard has coached where his team had just one turnover, after a game at Little Rock on March 1, 2016 where the Trojans had 20 assists and one turnover in an 89-80 win over Arkansas State.
AP FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, BUTTER, AND WATER
Ole Miss has dominated the turnover battle this year, ranking third in the nation with a turnover margin of +6.5 while leading all of college basketball in turnovers per game at 8.9. The Rebels are forcing an average of 15.4 turnovers per contest which ranks 20th in the NCAA. Ole Miss' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.77 also ranks among the nation's best at fifth, led by Jaylen Murray with a season ratio of 3.17. They've been a force on the defensive end with an average of 9.5 steals per game (14th in NCAA), paced by Sean Pedulla, who ranks 21st in steals nationally with 50.
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 +6.5, the Rebels own the third-best average in all of college basketball, forcing 15.4 per game (No. 20 in the NCAA) while committing just 8.9 to lead the NCAA.
They have held opponents to 60 points or less five times this season, with a scoring margin on +10.4 points per game, the 43rd-best clip in the country. Ole Miss holds a record of 15-2 in two years under Beard when holding the opposition to under 40 percent from the field. Their defensive efforts at the three-point line has led to an opponent shooting percentage of just 31.4 on the season, the 76th-lowest mark in the country. Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 9.5, the 14th-best clip in college basketball, and blocks per game at 4.5 to rank 54th.
"HURRY UP AND GET YOUR MUSCLE UP, WE OUT THE PLYOMETRIC"
Ole Miss jumped out to a hot start in conference action. In game one, the Rebels faced a Georgia team that entered their matchup 12th in the nation in field goal percentage at 50.7 and 12th in the country in rebound margin at +10.4. Ole Miss responded by holding the Bulldogs to just 29.3 percent from the floor, and out-rebounding Georgia, just the second time UGA had lost a battle on the boards this season. In game two at Arkansas, the Rebels faced another top team in shooting efficiency, as the Razorbacks entered with the ninth-best field goal percentage in the nation at 50.7. The Ole Miss defense held Arkansas to just 37.3 percent shooting, and once again out-rebounded a team entering with a positive rebound margin.
The Rebels then held LSU to just 40.7 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from deep. Their defense forced 17 turnovers with 12 steals, as five players recorded two swipes. On the road again at No. 4 Alabama, Ole Miss faced the No. 1 scoring offense in the country at 91.1 points per game and the eighth-ranked offensive rebounding team. The Rebels' defense held the Tide to just 64 points, snapping a 53-game streak of 70+ for Alabama, contained them to just 4 offensive rebounds, and forced 21 turnovers in the road win.
Across their 10 SEC games, Ole Miss has held their opponents to just 41.6 percent from the field, the fifth-best defensive effort in the league. They lead all teams through conference action in turnover margin at +5.3, assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.69, and rank second in steals per game at 8.6.
BATTLE TESTED
The schedule for Ole Miss has been, and continues to be, one of the most difficult in the nation. As of February 6, they own the nation's seventh-toughest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index. Their pas opposition win percentage of 65.5 ranks as the eighth-highest in the nation, while their remaining opponent's win percentage of 73.0 is the seventh highest in all of college basketball. Their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 67.4 is the fifth highest in the country.
LUNARDI SAYS "DANCE"
Updated each Tuesday and Friday, the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as a five seed in the East Region. They are projected to face 12-seed George Mason in Providence, R.I., paired with four-seeded Michigan State vs. 13th-seeded Akron. The highest seed for the Ole Miss program came in the 2001 tournament, when they were set as a three seed and reached the Sweet 16. Lunardi's latest projections has 13 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.
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 20 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 February 6, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, eight in the top 25, and four in the top 10.
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 ninth in school history in career points with 1,669, tied for fourth in three-point shots made (249), and fourth in three-point attempts (704). He also ranks ninth in most field goal attempts at 1,365, and is sixth in career steals with 160.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell ranks near the top in both career minutes and games played at Ole Miss. The guard recently broke the program record for total games played in an Ole Miss uniform, surpassing Zach Graham with 135, now at 140. Murrell has played in the second-most minutes for the program at 4,060, just behind all-time leader Elston Turner with 4,109.
