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Bracket Watch: Ole Miss men's basketball trending up while the women's team trends down

11by:Jake Thompson•01/07/25•

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NCAA Basketball: Georgia at Mississippi
Jan 4, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Matthew Murrell (11) reacts after a dunk during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Southeastern Conference season enters week two and while one Ole Miss basketball program is trying to keep momentum while another is looking to recapture it.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and Charlie Creme released updated ‘Bracketology’ projections for both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament. Ole Miss continues to have both teams in them, which would make history if it comes to fruition this March.

Though the men’s team is currently improving its standing while the women’s team is currently sliding down the seed projections.

After knocking off Georgia this past Saturday in their SEC opener the No. 23-ranked Rebels (12-2, 1-0 SEC) got back on track after dropping its non-conference game to Memphis. The win also helped bump them up the seeding projections.

Lunardi currently has Ole Miss as the 7 Seed in the Midwest Region (Indianapolis) and playing its First Round game in Cleveland. It is paired with 10 Seed Cincinnati and the winner would play the winner between 2 Seed Marquette and 15 Seed Central Connecticut in the Second Round.

There are 13 SEC teams either projected to make the tournament or on the bubble in Lunardi’s latest update, two better than the Big Ten and the only two conferences projected to have double digit teams in the Field of 68. Despite being No. 2 in the rankings Lunardi has Auburn as his overall 1 Seed with current No. 1 Tennessee also one of the four 1 Seeds.

The Tigers are in the South Region (Atlanta) while the Volunteers are in the Midwest Region.

Other SEC teams in the field are Alabama (2 Seed), Florida (2 Seed), Kentucky (2 Seed), Mississippi State (4 Seed), Oklahoma (7 Seed), Arkansas (9 Seed), Georgia (9 Seed) and Texas (11 Seed) and Vanderbilt (11 Seed).

The Longhorns are the last team in and projected in the First Four games played in Datyon. The Commodores are among the Last Four Byes and Missouri is the first of the First Four Out.

Ole Miss women’s team is slipping further away from a host opportunity.

There are still 14 games remaining in the women’s SEC schedule but Sunday’s last-minute loss to Texas A&M on the road is one that will hurt the résumé.

The Aggies were 7-6 at the time of the game and is going to be a blemish. Creme agrees as he dropped the Rebels down to the 8 Seed in Region 1 Spokane and put in the Los Angeles quadrant with No. 1 Overall Seed UCLA. A First Round game against 9 Seed South Dakota State, which upset Ole Miss in the first round of the 2022 tournament.

In the women’s tournament the top four seeds in each region host the first and second rounds on their campus. The Rebels were projected to have a strong chance at doing so but now needs to make up a lot of ground after its three non-conference losses and this first stumble in SEC play.

Thursday’s home game against Vanderbilt is the first step towards moving back up the ‘Bracketology’ ladder for head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her team.

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