LOOK: Auburn beats Ole Miss in basketball again, but new football Rebels unveiled
Chris Beard, in so many words, earlier this week said his Ole Miss basketball Rebels were entering what he believes is the most important month of the college basketball season.
So much for getting off on the right foot.
The Rebels hosted No. 16 Auburn, their first repeat opponent of the season, Saturday evening. Auburn previously blew Ole Miss out, 82-59, on The Plains weeks ago, but Ole Miss responded with three straight wins.
However, the latest meeting between the teams ultimately turned out much like the first, and despite the pregame efforts of Marshall Henderson, the all-time Ole Miss basketball great, who has his own unique, colorful history with the rival Tigers.
Auburn won pretty easily, only this time by a final score of 91-77.
Ole Miss entered the day a program-record 18-3 through 21 games and comfortably projected as an NCAA Tournament team. All of the Rebels’ now-four losses have come in SEC play.
Ole Miss led Auburn, 44-35, at halftime. The Tigers, though, torched the Rebels in the second period, 56-33. Six Tigers scored double-digit points, led by 16 on 6 of 11 from the floor from senior forward Jaylin Williams. Forward John Broome and guard Chad Baker-Mazara had 15 points and nine rebounds apiece.
Allen Flanigan paced the Rebels against his old team. Flanigan, in the off-season, followed his father, Wes, to Ole Miss from Auburn as a transfer.
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Wes Flanigan reunited with Beard as an assistant on his staff for the second time. Beard is in his first season at Ole Miss, while Flanigan previously served under Beard at UALR. Beard is looking to make Ole Miss the fourth separate program he’s taken to the NCAA Tournament since 2016.
Allen Flanigan had 20 points and five rebounds in the loss, while Matthew Murrell chipped in 18 and 5, respectively. Ole Miss next travels to South Carolina for a 5:30 p.m. CT tipoff on Tuesday.
The included game-action photos were provided by Bruce Newman, special to the Ole Miss Spirit.
Those of the football mid-year enrollees are by Ole Miss Athletics. Thirty-one new Rebels have joined Lane Kiffin and Co. and will participate in spring practices.
RELATED: The anatomy of Ole Miss’ early run through its SEC schedule
Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss football were honored during the game on Saturday.
Kamarion Franklin signed with Ole Miss as the top-ranked player in Mississippi back in November.
Princely Umanmielen, previously of Florida, was one of 17 transfers added by Ole Miss over the winter and the No. 1 EDGE.
Arkansas linebacker Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul is another transfer brought in by the Rebels.
