OXFORD, Miss. – Beginning a three-game home stretch, the No. 23 Ole Miss men's basketball team will host Texas on Wednesday, January 29 at 8 p.m. and on ESPN2.
TEAM FACTS
No. 23/23 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 15-5, 4-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (35-17) • 272-115 career record (13th Season)
Texas Longhorns (Record: 14-6, 3-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Rodney Terry • 3rd Season at Texas (56-27) • 219-183 career record (13th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart
Color: Dane Bradshaw
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. TEXAS
The two programs first met on the court back in 1955 in Montgomery, Ala., playing consistently throughout the 1960's and early 1970's. While the Longhorns won seven of the first eight matchups, the Rebels came out on top of five-straight games from 1970 to 1974. The two most recently met up in 2018 for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in Austin, Texas, where Ole Miss fell 85-72. While Texas owns the all-time series lead 9-6, Ole Miss has won four of five games played in Oxford.
LAST MEETING: January 27, 2018 (L, 72-85, Austin, Texas)
• The Longhorns took an early lead, eventually leading by nine at halftime and holding on for the win.
• Deandre Burnett (Ole Miss): 21 points, three rebounds, one assist.
• Mo Bamba (Texas): 25 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, 12-13 FT.
SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS
Texas enters with a record of 14-6 on the season and 3-4 in conference. Earlier in the year, the Longhorns picked up wins over Syracuse and NC State, and have since picked up victories in SEC action against Oklahoma, No. 22 Missouri, and recently No. 13 Texas A&M. They sit in 32nd in the latest NET rankings.
They are led offensively by the SEC's leading scorer in freshman Tre Johnson with an average of 18.8 points per game. Most recently, the former No. 5 recruit in the nation helped guide the Longhorns to a comeback win over Texas A&M, scoring 30 points and going 10-10 from the free throw line. Texas' leading rebounder is Kansas State transfer Arhur Kaluma, who averages 8.2 per outing, and has posted five double-doubles on the season.
Similar to Ole Miss, Texas has been great at taking care of the ball this season with an average of just 9.6 turnovers per game, tied with the Rebels at 10th in the nation. They've also found their success in efficient shooting this season, ranking 36th in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 48.2 and 40th in the country in three-point field goal percentage at 37.4.
Rodney Terry has accumulated a record of 57-27 over the past three years at Texas, and has previously held head coaching positions at UTEP from 2018 to 2021 and Fresno State from 2011 to 2018.
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 +6.6 while ranking 10th in turnovers per game at 9.6. The Rebels are forcing an average of 16.2 turnovers per contest which ranks 12th in the NCAA. Ole Miss' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.64 also ranks among the nation's best at 13th, led by Jaylen Murray with a season ratio of 2.89. They've been a force on the defensive end with an average of 10.1 steals per game (sixth in NCAA), paced by Sean Pedulla, who ranks 24th in steals per game nationally.
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 +6.6, the Rebels own the third-best average in all of college basketball, forcing 16.2 per game (No. 12 in the NCAA) while committing just 9.6 to rank 10th in the NCAA.
They have held opponents to 60 points or less in five games this season, allowing an average of just 66.3 per contest, the 49th-fewest in the NCAA. Their field goal percentage defense of 40.6 ranks 47th in the country this season, and 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 30.0 on the season, the 40th-lowest mark in the country.
Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 10.1, the sixth-best clip in college basketball, and blocks per game at 4.6 to rank 47th.
"HURRY UP AND GET YOUR MUSCLE UP, WE OUT THE PLYOMETRIC"
The grueling SEC schedule has arrived and 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 seven SEC games, Ole Miss has held their opponents to just 39.6 percent from the field, the fourth-best defensive effort in the league. From three-point range, they rank third in the SEC defensively by holding their opponents to just 27.3 percent shooting. Their clip of 68.0 allowed points per game is also third-best in the SEC.
I'LL TAKE THAT, PLEASE
Sean Pedulla has had a big impact for the Rebels on defense, forcing 46 steals for an average of 2.30 per game. The senior guard has collected a steal in 19 of 20 games during the 2024-25 season, grabbing multiple swipes in 14 games this year with a season-best of five against Oral Roberts. He currently ranks 24th in the NCAA in steals per game and 20th in total steals.
"POLL" POSITION
In the latest top-25 polls released this past Monday, Ole Miss ranks No. 23 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Ranked No. 15 in the Coaches Poll on December 9, it was the highest ranking in a national poll since the Rebels were No. 14 in the AP Poll on January 4, 2010, and the highest position in the Coaches Poll since they sat in 15th on January 21 in 2008. Their current run of nine weeks in the top 25 is the longest streak since the 2009-10 season.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Junior forward Malik Dia has been dead-on to begin SEC play for Ole Miss, averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per outing through the first seven games. He is the only player in the conference to rank among the top-10 in both points and rebounds per game during SEC action. Against No. 4 Alabama on January 14, he scored 23 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, becoming the first Rebel to score 20+ with 10+ rebounds since Sebastian Saiz in 2017, the first with 20+ points and 15+ rebounds against an AP-ranked team since Keith Carter against Temple in 1997, and was one board shy of being the first Rebel to score 20 with 20 rebounds since Walter Actwood in 1972.
BATTLE TESTED
The future schedule for Ole Miss is one of the most difficult in the nation. As of January 27, they own the nation's third-toughest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index. Their remaining opponent's win percentage of 78.4 is the third highest in all of college basketball, and their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 69.3 is the fifth highest in the nation.
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 gave Ole Miss a consensus top-25 recruiting class for 2025 on signing day, ranked No. 12 in the nation by Rivals, No. 16 by On3, and No. 25 by 247Sports. They were each recently named McDonald's All-American nominees on January 15, Jordan in the East and Pinkins in the West.
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. 28 in the country by On3 and 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. 78 in his class nationally 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.
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 West Region. They are projected by Lunardi to face 12-seed George Mason in Providence, R.I., paired with four-seeded Illinois and 13th-seeded Yale. 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.
PROGRAM POINT PRESIDENTS
Seniors Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield have each surpassed the 1,000-point mark during their careers here in Oxford, and continue to climb the program leaderboard. Here's a snapshot of where they lie among the career points list at Ole Miss:
...
8. Keith Carter - 1,682
9. Jarvis Summers - 1,629
10. Matthew Murrell - 1,625
11. Joe Gibbon - 1,601
...
27. Sebastian Saiz - 1,273
28. B.L. Graham - 1,259
29. Jaemyn Brakefield - 1,233
30. Dwayne Curtis - 1,232
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 22 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 January 27, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 13 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, nine 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 10th in school history in career points with 1,625, fifth in three-point shots made (241), and fourth in three-point attempts (687). He also ranks ninth in most field goal attempts at 1,342, and eighth in career steals with 156, just behind Joe Ayers in seventh with 157.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell ranks among the top 10 in both career minutes and games played. The guard recently broke the program record for total games played in an Ole Miss uniform, surpassing Zach Graham with 135, now at 137. Murrell has played in the fourth-most minutes for the program at 3,967, just behind Carlos Clark with 4,028.
TEAM FACTS
No. 23/23 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 15-5, 4-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (35-17) • 272-115 career record (13th Season)
Texas Longhorns (Record: 14-6, 3-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Rodney Terry • 3rd Season at Texas (56-27) • 219-183 career record (13th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart
Color: Dane Bradshaw
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. TEXAS
The two programs first met on the court back in 1955 in Montgomery, Ala., playing consistently throughout the 1960's and early 1970's. While the Longhorns won seven of the first eight matchups, the Rebels came out on top of five-straight games from 1970 to 1974. The two most recently met up in 2018 for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in Austin, Texas, where Ole Miss fell 85-72. While Texas owns the all-time series lead 9-6, Ole Miss has won four of five games played in Oxford.
LAST MEETING: January 27, 2018 (L, 72-85, Austin, Texas)
• The Longhorns took an early lead, eventually leading by nine at halftime and holding on for the win.
• Deandre Burnett (Ole Miss): 21 points, three rebounds, one assist.
• Mo Bamba (Texas): 25 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, 12-13 FT.
SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS
Texas enters with a record of 14-6 on the season and 3-4 in conference. Earlier in the year, the Longhorns picked up wins over Syracuse and NC State, and have since picked up victories in SEC action against Oklahoma, No. 22 Missouri, and recently No. 13 Texas A&M. They sit in 32nd in the latest NET rankings.
They are led offensively by the SEC's leading scorer in freshman Tre Johnson with an average of 18.8 points per game. Most recently, the former No. 5 recruit in the nation helped guide the Longhorns to a comeback win over Texas A&M, scoring 30 points and going 10-10 from the free throw line. Texas' leading rebounder is Kansas State transfer Arhur Kaluma, who averages 8.2 per outing, and has posted five double-doubles on the season.
Similar to Ole Miss, Texas has been great at taking care of the ball this season with an average of just 9.6 turnovers per game, tied with the Rebels at 10th in the nation. They've also found their success in efficient shooting this season, ranking 36th in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 48.2 and 40th in the country in three-point field goal percentage at 37.4.
Rodney Terry has accumulated a record of 57-27 over the past three years at Texas, and has previously held head coaching positions at UTEP from 2018 to 2021 and Fresno State from 2011 to 2018.
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 +6.6 while ranking 10th in turnovers per game at 9.6. The Rebels are forcing an average of 16.2 turnovers per contest which ranks 12th in the NCAA. Ole Miss' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.64 also ranks among the nation's best at 13th, led by Jaylen Murray with a season ratio of 2.89. They've been a force on the defensive end with an average of 10.1 steals per game (sixth in NCAA), paced by Sean Pedulla, who ranks 24th in steals per game nationally.
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 +6.6, the Rebels own the third-best average in all of college basketball, forcing 16.2 per game (No. 12 in the NCAA) while committing just 9.6 to rank 10th in the NCAA.
They have held opponents to 60 points or less in five games this season, allowing an average of just 66.3 per contest, the 49th-fewest in the NCAA. Their field goal percentage defense of 40.6 ranks 47th in the country this season, and 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 30.0 on the season, the 40th-lowest mark in the country.
Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 10.1, the sixth-best clip in college basketball, and blocks per game at 4.6 to rank 47th.
"HURRY UP AND GET YOUR MUSCLE UP, WE OUT THE PLYOMETRIC"
The grueling SEC schedule has arrived and 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 seven SEC games, Ole Miss has held their opponents to just 39.6 percent from the field, the fourth-best defensive effort in the league. From three-point range, they rank third in the SEC defensively by holding their opponents to just 27.3 percent shooting. Their clip of 68.0 allowed points per game is also third-best in the SEC.
I'LL TAKE THAT, PLEASE
Sean Pedulla has had a big impact for the Rebels on defense, forcing 46 steals for an average of 2.30 per game. The senior guard has collected a steal in 19 of 20 games during the 2024-25 season, grabbing multiple swipes in 14 games this year with a season-best of five against Oral Roberts. He currently ranks 24th in the NCAA in steals per game and 20th in total steals.
"POLL" POSITION
In the latest top-25 polls released this past Monday, Ole Miss ranks No. 23 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Ranked No. 15 in the Coaches Poll on December 9, it was the highest ranking in a national poll since the Rebels were No. 14 in the AP Poll on January 4, 2010, and the highest position in the Coaches Poll since they sat in 15th on January 21 in 2008. Their current run of nine weeks in the top 25 is the longest streak since the 2009-10 season.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Junior forward Malik Dia has been dead-on to begin SEC play for Ole Miss, averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per outing through the first seven games. He is the only player in the conference to rank among the top-10 in both points and rebounds per game during SEC action. Against No. 4 Alabama on January 14, he scored 23 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, becoming the first Rebel to score 20+ with 10+ rebounds since Sebastian Saiz in 2017, the first with 20+ points and 15+ rebounds against an AP-ranked team since Keith Carter against Temple in 1997, and was one board shy of being the first Rebel to score 20 with 20 rebounds since Walter Actwood in 1972.
BATTLE TESTED
The future schedule for Ole Miss is one of the most difficult in the nation. As of January 27, they own the nation's third-toughest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index. Their remaining opponent's win percentage of 78.4 is the third highest in all of college basketball, and their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 69.3 is the fifth highest in the nation.
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 gave Ole Miss a consensus top-25 recruiting class for 2025 on signing day, ranked No. 12 in the nation by Rivals, No. 16 by On3, and No. 25 by 247Sports. They were each recently named McDonald's All-American nominees on January 15, Jordan in the East and Pinkins in the West.
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. 28 in the country by On3 and 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. 78 in his class nationally 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.
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 West Region. They are projected by Lunardi to face 12-seed George Mason in Providence, R.I., paired with four-seeded Illinois and 13th-seeded Yale. 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.
PROGRAM POINT PRESIDENTS
Seniors Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield have each surpassed the 1,000-point mark during their careers here in Oxford, and continue to climb the program leaderboard. Here's a snapshot of where they lie among the career points list at Ole Miss:
...
8. Keith Carter - 1,682
9. Jarvis Summers - 1,629
10. Matthew Murrell - 1,625
11. Joe Gibbon - 1,601
...
27. Sebastian Saiz - 1,273
28. B.L. Graham - 1,259
29. Jaemyn Brakefield - 1,233
30. Dwayne Curtis - 1,232
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 22 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 January 27, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 13 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, nine 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 10th in school history in career points with 1,625, fifth in three-point shots made (241), and fourth in three-point attempts (687). He also ranks ninth in most field goal attempts at 1,342, and eighth in career steals with 156, just behind Joe Ayers in seventh with 157.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell ranks among the top 10 in both career minutes and games played. The guard recently broke the program record for total games played in an Ole Miss uniform, surpassing Zach Graham with 135, now at 137. Murrell has played in the fourth-most minutes for the program at 3,967, just behind Carlos Clark with 4,028.
