Ole Miss vs. LSU: How to watch, start time, TV channel

Ole Miss basketball last season won 20 games for the first time in five years, including three Quadrant 1s. 

Q1s, the gold stars of NCAA Tournament resumes, are home games vs. teams RPI ranked 1-30, neutral games vs. 1-50 and away games vs. 1–75. The No. 22-ranked Rebels in 2024-25 already have four such wins. They opened SEC play with a pair over Georgia and at Arkansas. 

Ole Miss is No. 22 in the NET rankings. The entire, 16-team SEC is among the Top 100. Fourteen are inside the Top 5, while eight are in the Top 25 and four are in the Top 10. 

Ole Miss (13-2, 2-0 SEC) will look to keep its postseason push rolling against LSU (11-4, 0-2) on Saturday. The Rebels and Tigers will tip off in the SJB Pavillion Saturday at 5 p.m. CT.

“We’d definitely like the Memphis game back,” second-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said after the 73-66 win in Fayetteville. “Just kind of our competitive approach. Had a chance to respond now through two SEC games. I think we played 80 minutes of competitive basketball. I think our hearts have been in the right place.”

Georgia entered play No. 12 in the NCAA in both field goal percentage (50.7) and rebound margin (+10.4). 

Ole Miss held the Bulldogs to 29.3 percent from the floor and won the rebounding battle.

Arkansas was No. 9 in field goal percentage, but the Rebels kept the Razorbacks to 37.3 and again came out on top in rebounds. Ole Miss has a 33.3 shooting percentage against, including a 17.1 percent mark from 3, through two SEC games.

“They’re a good team,” Arkansas head coach John Calipari said of Ole Miss. “They’re a Top 25 team and they should be. They were the better team today. They were.”

HOW TO WATCH

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Richard Cross
Color: Joe Kleine

HOW TO LISTEN

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes

SERIES HISTORY 

LSU is the second-most-played rivalry in Ole Miss history and the 56th most-played in all of college basketball.

Saturday will mark the 218th all-time meeting between the teams. LSU is 126-91 in a series that dates back to 1910, just the second-ever season of Ole Miss basketball.

Ole Miss holds a 55-42 edge in games played in Oxford. However, the Rebels are only 6-4 over their last 10. The Tigers have claimed seven of the past 10 — the last an 89-80 win last season in Baton Rouge.

Ole Miss took an early lead in the game, but LSU stormed back for a two-point advantage at the halftime break. Ole Miss scored 47 second-half points. LSU, though, put up 54 to claim the win. Rebel guard Jaylen ‘Juju’ Murray scored 23 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and three steals.

SCOUTING LSU

LSU picked up key non-conference wins over Kansas State, UCF and Florida State. The Tigers tipped off their conference slate with a 80-72 home loss to Vanderbilt, followed by a losing road trip to Missouri. They’re currently NET No. 71.

LSU is led offensively by Kansas State transfer Cam Carter. Carter is averaging 17.2 points per game, while shooting 41.3 percent from 3 and 89.7 percent from the free throw line. Carter also played previously at in-state rival Mississippi State. He’s posted a team-best 40 assists so far this season. Redshirt freshman forward Corey Chest is averaging an LSU-high 7.6 rebounds, good for 10th best in the SEC. 

The Tigers sit at No. 21 nationally in opponent field goal percentage (38.6). They’re No. 20 in blocks (5.3). Daimion Collins has the most of all Tigers with 23. LSU is Top 32 in both defensive and total rebounds.

Matt McMahon is in his third season as LSU head coach. He was hired away from Murray State following a successful run of four 20-win seasons in seven years. The Racers reached the NCAA Tournament three times and won an historic 31 games in 2021-22.

McMahon took Murray State to four regular season and three tournament conference titles. He was named OVC Coach of the Year in 2022.