Bracket Watch: Ole Miss basketball is now focusing on seeding with latest 'Bracketology'
Halfway through the month of February it is beyond safe to say both Ole Miss basketball teams are no longer trying to get into the NCAA Tournament but are now working to improve seeding.
The 68-team fields of the NCAA Tournaments are going to include the Rebels, marking the first time in program history it will happen. Now it is just where among the 16 seeds will they land?
Winners of three straight, including Wednesday’s escape at South Carolina, has No. 19 Ole Miss men’s team sitting firmly in the field and among the locks of Southeastern Conference teams. The five-year drought looks to be ending next month.
All of the latest ‘Bracketology’ projections re-enforce this thinking.
Friday’s latest update from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Rebels steady as the 5 Seed of the East Region (Newark, New Jersey) and starting their NCAA Tournament in Seattle. Ole Miss would play 12 Seed McNeese State in the first round and then a potential second round matchup against either 4 Seed Michigan or 13 Seed Lipscomb.
The Rebels (19-6, 8-4 SEC) are one of 14 SEC teams in the field, according to Lunardi’s projections.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports is a little higher on Ole Miss, placing them as the 4 Seed in the West (San Francisco) but also starting in Seattle in his latest update on Thursday. The Rebels would play 13 Seed Jacksonville State in the first round and a potential second round matchup against 5 Seed Kansas or 12 Seed Yale.
In Tuesday’s update from Andy Katz of NCAA.com he also has Ole Miss as a 5 Seed in the East Region, playing 12 Seed George Mason. The Rebels are once again matched up with the Jayhawks as the 4 Seed who would play 13 Seed High Point.
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The Rebels are back home on Saturday, hosting No. 22 Mississippi State (17-7, 5-6) at 5 p.m CT on ESPN2 in what is currently a Quad 1 matchup.
Ole Miss women’s team back among the hosting seeds
Despite the up and down season the Rebels have had the last two wins have been good for them. Beating No. 8 Kentucky and then a 39-point romp over Arkansas in Fayetteville on Thursday keeps the momentum going.
With that Ole Miss (17-7, 8-4) is back in the conversation to be one of the hosts for the first and second round of next month’s NCAA Tournament.
ESPN’s Charlie Creme has moved the Rebels up to the 4 Seed of Region 1 Spokane, which would bring tournament basketball back to Oxford for the first time in 31 years. If this all holds true.
In Creme’s projections Ole Miss would play 13 Seed UTSA and a second round matchup would potentially be between 5 Seed Utah or 12 Seed Middle Tennessee.
The Rebels stay on the road this weekend, playing at No. 15 Tennessee (18-6, 5-6) on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT on SEC Network.
