WATCH: No. 23 Ole Miss basketball flexed contender muscles at Louisville

No. 23 Ole Miss basketball flexed its contender muscles with a 23-point win at Louisville Tuesday night. 

The Rebels in less than a week have now secured two Quadrant 1 wins. The first was over BYU in the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. Ole Miss nearly pulled off another against No. 7 Purdue, but fell by two in the tournament title game.

The Rebels (7-1) left no doubt against the Cardinals (5-3) — a dominant, 86-63 effort Ole Miss controlled from start to finish. The Rebels led for all but 1:31 of the game. They trailed for just 18 seconds.

Ole Miss is currently projected by ESPN as a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament and came in at No. 55 in the debut of the NET rankings on Monday. 

The Rebels are now 1-1 in Quad 1 opportunities and 5-0 in Quad 4s. Louisville was NET No. 30.

“We’re still a work in progress,” second-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said earlier this week. “You don’t want to be your best version in November. December is a big month because it’s got to be improvement heading into conference play.

“Our players’ hearts are in the right place. The guys want to do well. They want to win and they’re putting in the time.”

Senior guard Dre Davis is one of the many transfers added by Ole Miss in the off-season. 

The Rebels’ portal class ranked No. 14 nationally by On3. Davis played last season at Seton Hall. However, he spent his freshmen and sophomore years as a Cardinal. 

Davis played in a combined 50 games for the Cardinals and scored 370 points. He grabbed 154 rebounds.

“I was blessed with my experience,” Davis said previously of his two trips into the transfer portal. “I’ve been on both sides of getting into the portal and not having a lot of interest and then getting in the portal and having a lot of interest. I’m blessed to know my talents are being seen. But just wanted to find the right home for me.”

Davis scored a career-high 18 points against his former team. He sank 8 for 11 from the field, as well as 2 for 3 from 3. He was one of five Rebels to score double-digit points. 

Sean Pedulla, from Virginia Tech, was a Top 10 transfer. He was an All-ACC guard for the Hokies. He played north of 100 games in three seasons and totaled over 1,200 points and 300 assists. 

Pedulla finished with 16 points, second only to Davis. He made six of his 11 field goals (1-2 3s) and dished out a team-high seven assists.

“We’re lucky to have him,” Ole Miss assistant coach Wes Flanigan previously said of Pedulla. “Last season for the most part down the stretch we only had one ball-handler (in Jaylen Murray), so we wanted to get a little more depth there with a guy that can make some decisions and other guys better.”

👍 Two Thumbs Up 👍@DAndreDavis x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/y7VWZd7mpX

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 4, 2024

Sam Houston transfer Davon Barnes made 5 of 8 field goals for 11 points. 

Murray and Matthew Murrell finished with 10 points apiece. Malik Dia, a transfer from Belmont, led the Rebels in rebounding (6) and chipped in seven points. 

True freshman Eduardo Klafke — one of three freshmen and 10 total newcomers — had eight points on 3 for 3 (2 for 2 3s) shooting.

“We feel like both Klafke and (fellow freshman John) Bol will have chances to play major roles early in their careers based on their talent, love of the game and the way they play fits us perfectly,” Beard said when the pair signed last November.

Ole Miss converted a season-best 56.7 percent (34-60) of its shots and 40 percent (8 for 20) of its 3s. The Rebels held Louisville to 33 percent (19-57) from the floor and 17 percent (5 for 30) from 3. Louisville out-rebounded Ole Miss, 38-31. 

The Cardinals were playing without senior forwards Kaesean Pryor (torn ACL) and Aboubacar Traore (broken arm) and junior guard Koren Johnson (shoulder).

Next for the Rebels is Lindenwood (2-5) in Oxford on Saturday. Tipoff is 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

TOUGH 😮‍💨 https://t.co/7JIBiGcudZ pic.twitter.com/4CWBPGVASN

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 4, 2024

HOW IT HAPPENED

Ole Miss jumped all over Louisville, shooting an even 50 percent (15 for 30) in the first half. Twice, though, over the final 6:41 of the period the Cardinals cut the deficit to six.

Ole Miss led 40-31 at halftime. Davis had 11 in the frame — his most in a half this season. The Rebels held Louisville to just 35.7 percent from the field and 7.7 percent (1 for 13) from 3.

Ole Miss used a balanced attack to pull away in the second half. Six players scored five points or more. The Rebels shot a season-best 63.3 percent (19 of 30) and outscored Louisville, 48-26. 

OLE MISS TIP-INS

Ole Miss had a season-high 48 points in the paint, where they were +22 for the game. … The Rebels committed only eight turnovers. They entered play best in the nation in the category (8.1 turnovers per game). … Ole Miss is 25-11 under Beard when committing 15 or fewer turnovers. … The Rebels limited Louisville to a season-low five 3s. … Pedulla has now led Ole Miss in assists twice this season.