LOOK: Stage is set for Ole Miss basketball’s Top 25 showdown at Tennessee
Ole Miss’ status as one of just three remaining unbeaten teams in college basketball — and the last standing in the SEC — will be put to the ultimate test on Saturday.
The No. 22-ranked Rebels open SEC play at No. 5 Tennessee. They’re 11.5-point underdogs. Ole Miss is ranked in the Top 25 of both polls (Coaches’ and Associated Press) for the first time since 2019.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The Volunteers have won eight of the last 10 in the series. Ole Miss is 13-0 to start a season for the just the second time in program history. The Rebels have held a lead for over 80 percent of their game minutes so far in 2023-24.
“In our minds, we don’t think much about how we haven’t lost yet,” first-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said earlier this week. “We’ve had a lot of adversity. The goal around here isn’t just to win the 40-minute game on the scoreboard, but to play the best basketball we can.”
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The Rebels certainly proved themselves over their non-conference slate.
Ole Miss has 11 newcomers on its 16-man roster. Naturally, then, the Rebels needed time to figure out roles and rotations. Three of their first five games — against lower-level competition — were decided by three points or less.
They weren’t made whole until mid-December, when Brandon Murray was cleared to play. Murray, formerly of LSU and Georgetown, followed Moussa Cisse, one of two 7-footers rostered by the Rebels. Cisse played previously at Oklahoma State and Memphis.
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Despite it all, Ole Miss became the third separate program since 2016 Beard has led to at 10-0 start. The other two made the NCAA Tournament, including 2019 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders went all the way to the National Championship game.
The Rebels already have notable wins over, among others, NC State and Memphis — two teams Beard said are similar in style and strategy to the Volunteers.
“More important to us is where we’re at with our standards and non-negotiables,” Beard said. Beard and the Rebels arrived in Knoxville mid-afternoon Friday. “For us, there’s a scoreboard on all these things — transition defense, rebounding, shot selection, toughness, 50/50 balls.
“So, again, we just strive to be the best team we can. We’re early in the journey. We’re 0-0 right now. Saturday’s the first game, but we’re excited about the opportunity.”
The included photos were provided by Ole Miss athletics.
