Ole Miss is one of seven undefeated teams in CBB. The Rebels are also the only one not ranked.
Ole Miss basketball is undefeated through nine games for just the fourth time in program history.
The Rebels are also just one of seven teams in all of college basketball without a loss.
Unlike the others, however, Ole Miss still remains unranked by the Associated Press.
The Rebels received 86 votes in the most recent batch released Monday, but they sit just outside of the rankings at No. 27. They did get proper recognition as the nation’s No. 25-ranked team in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
The latter development means the Rebels are ranked for the first time since 2019. Still, it’s arguably their still not getting the credit they deserve. The Rebels have been playing some of their best basketball the last two weeks, with wins over NC State, Memphis and at UCF.
NC State was an NCAA Tournament team last season. Memphis and UCF are both postseason hopefuls.
“It felt like a Big 12 game. I haven’t coached an SEC game yet, but I spent 17 years in the Big 12,” first-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said after the Rebels’ 70-68 win in Orlando on Sunday. Beard-coached teams have been ranked in the Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons.
Beard is trying to make Ole Miss the fourth separate program he’s led to the NCAA Tournament since 2016. His 2019 Texas Red Raiders made the title game. The Rebels have only danced nine times in their history.
The last appearance came back in 2018.
“Thought it was two teams really playing hard tonight. It was a physical game. Wasn’t the prettiest of games. From our point of view, our defense was on point to hold a team that talented to 34, 35 percent shooting. That’s really what we hung our hat on.
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“Those guys were going right at us. We got grittier down the stretch, we took the ball to the basket and we got some key stops when we needed them.”
Ole Miss next travels to San Antonio, Texas, to participate in the 2023 Hall of Fame Series.
The Rebels face off against California Saturday, December 16, at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Auburn transfer guard Allen Flanigan led Ole Miss in scoring against UCF and for the fourth time this season. He had 18 points and seven rebounds as one of four Rebels with double-digit points. He added a career-best five steals.
Sophomore guard TJ Caldwell scored 14 points off the bench, including a career-high nine free throws. Guards Matthew Murrell and Jaylen Murray had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
“The season’s going to have a lot of highs and lows,” Beard said. “You’ve got to stay the course. Every 40-minute game, especially these SEC, Big 12 games, are kind of a microcosm of the whole season. There’s going to be some times when you’re playing well. Can you handle success? There’s going to be times where things aren’t going your way. Can you stay poised? I thought we did.”
