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Bracket Watch: Ole Miss basketball firmly in NCAA Tournaments in latest 'Bracketology' updates

11by:Jake Thompson•about 11 hours•

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NCAA Basketball: Auburn at Mississippi
Feb 1, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Sean Pedulla (3) reacts after a three point basket during the first half against the Auburn Tigers at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss basketball program could have a very good, and history-making, March but both teams must first get through February and the final push of the regular season.

The latest NCAA Tournament projections have the Rebels firmly in the field of their respective NCAA Tournaments, which would be a first in program history to have both teams get in the Field of 68 in the same year.

For the No. 25 Ole Miss men’s team it is still hovering in the top seeds after splitting last week’s games against Texas and No. 1 Auburn. The 10-point loss to the Tigers did not ding the Rebels much, if any. In fact, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi gave them a bump in his latest ‘Bracketology’ update released on Tuesday.

Lunardi moved the Rebels (16-6, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) up to the 5 Seed in the East Region (Newark), facing 12 Seed George Mason in Providence, Rhode Island in the First Round. A potential second round meeting with 4 Seed Michigan State or 13 Seed Akron would await in Lunardi’s projection.

ESPN’s tournament forecast gives Ole Miss a 81 percent chance of being in the tournament field heading into Tuesday’s game against No. 14 Kentucky. A win over the Wildcats would be a nice Quad 1 pickup, which the Rebels are 4.5-point favorites, before heading to Baton Route on Saturday to take on a beleaguered LSU team.

“The ESPN forecast reports Ole Miss has a bit more work to do than other public projection models (where the Rebels average a 98% chance to make the tourney), perhaps because they rank 43rd in BPI SOS and face the fifth-toughest future SOS,” the write-up said on Tuesday.

Andy Katz’ latest bracket breakdown for NCAA.com is a tad different than Lunardi’s, placing the Rebels as the 6 Seed in the South Region (Atlanta) and facing 11 Seed Drake. What is similar, though, is the potential second round meeting with the Spartans, that are a 3 Seed in Katz’ update.

Ole Miss women’s team is back in the hosting conversation.

Going 2-0 on the road in the SEC last week with wins at Georgia and completing the sweep over No. 23 Vanderbilt has gotten the Rebels back on track.

So much so that Ole Miss (15-6, 6-3) is back in the host seed mix, according to ESPN’s Charlie Creme. In Creme’s Tuesday ‘Bracketology’ update he bumped the Rebels up to the 4 Seed of the Region 1 Spokane bracket.

The top four seeds in each of the four regions serve as host sites for the first and and second rounds. This means Oxford could potentially host NCAA Tournament games at the SJB Pavilion. The other three teams are 5 Seed Georgia Tech playing 12 Seed Middle Tennessee and 13 Seed Belmont would play the Rebels in the first round.

Middle Tennessee creates the potential for former Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell’s return to Oxford. He is an assistant coach under his father, Rick Insell, on the Blue Raiders staff.

The Rebels have a pair of ranked opponents for its two-game homestand, staring with No. 15 Oklahoma (16-6, 4-5) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT followed by No. 11 Kentucky (19-2, 8-1) on Monday at 6 p.m. CT

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