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Bracket Watch: Ole Miss men's basketball gets boost in latest 'Bracketology' projections

11by:Jake Thompson•about 15 hours•

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NCAA Basketball: Mississippi at Alabama
Jan 14, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Jaylen Murray (5) and Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) walk off the court following the end of the game at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images

A lot of things were cured for No. 21 Ole Miss with its win at No. 4 Alabama on Tuesday, including the first road win over a Top 5 program in school history.

But maybe more importantly was the increased wiggle room the Rebels (15-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) allotted themselves with the win. This week’s goal was to, at worst, go 1-1 against a pair of ranked teams in the Crimson Tide and No. 15 Mississippi State.

Mission accomplished with the potential for a clean sweep after securing the win over the tougher of the two opponents.

But what did the win do when it came to the latest NCAA Tournament projections heading into the third weekend of SEC play? Gave Ole Miss a boost is what it did.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his newest ‘Bracketology’ on Friday and gave the Rebels a nudge up to a 5 Seed, up from Tuesday’s 6 Seed projection hours before the win in Tuscaloosa.

Lundari has Ole Miss in the Midwest Region (Indianapolis) playing in Denver for its First Round matchup against 12 Seed McNeese State. The other First Round game in the quadrant is 4 Seed Purdue taking on 13 Seed South Alabama, two teams the Rebels have already faced this season.

Of course this is January 17 with 14 more SEC games plus the conference tournament in Nashville two months from now remain. A lot can and will change.

Still, ESPN’s update goes in line with Jerry Palm of CBS Sports update on Monday, putting the Rebels as a 5 Seed.

If that holds true then it would be the first time Ole Miss enters the NCAA Tournament as a 5 Seed. The highest seed the program has been was a 3 Seed in 2001 when it made the Sweet 16 run. In 1998 the Rebels were a 4 Seed but the other seven tournament appearances warranted no higher than the 8 Seed.

Lundari also has Mississippi State as a 5 Seed but in the overall seed list he has the Rebels ahead as the 17th overall Seed. The Bulldogs (14-3, 2-2) are right behind at the 18th overall Seed. For the first time in series history the two teams will meet both ranked inside the Top 25 and there is a lot on the line inside the Hump at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday.

The Ole Miss women’s team stays steady in latest bracket projections.

ESPN’s Charlie Creme updated his ‘Bracketology’ for the NCAA Women’s Tournament on Friday, keeping the Rebels as the 8 Seed in the Region 1 Spokane bracket.

Ole Miss (12-5, 3-2 SEC) is still in the Los Angeles quadrant for the first two rounds, playing at No. 1 Overall Seed UCLA’s gym.

The most recent NET Rankings continue to help the Rebels case, sitting at No. 15, but their 1-4 record in Quad 1 games hurts the hosting bid opportunities.

On Thursday the Rebels bounced back with a 25-point win over Florida inside the SJB Pavilion. The 94 points was the most points scored in a SEC game under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. Notching a mark in the win column did little to cause Creme to move the Rebels back towards a potential Top 4 hosting seed, which is this season’s goal for McCuin and her program on top of a fourth-straight bid.

This week is a total Egg Bowl rivalry vibe with the women’s teams playing each other in Starkville on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT. Mississippi State is also an 8 Seed in Creme’s update and also projected to play in Los Angeles, but at Southern California’s campus as the Trojans are a projected 1 Seed.

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