Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament: How to watch, start time, TV channel

For just the second time in nearly 25 years Ole Miss basketball heads to the SEC Tournament as a proverbial lock for the NCAA Tournament. 

The Rebels don’t have to play their way in — like they did in their memorable run to the tournament title in 2013. Ole Miss won 27 games that year but was merely a 12-seed in the ‘Big Dance.’ The Rebels defeated 5-seed Wisconsin before they were bounced by La Salle and fell a game short of the Sweet 16. 

A single Sweet 16 appearance, also in 2001, still stands as the program’s all-time greatest accomplishment. Ole Miss is in the 68-team field for just the 10th time in school history. Second-year head coach Chris Beard, by comparison, has eight March Madness wins, including a title berth, in his standalone career.

“It was what I was hired to do,” Beard said. “I take that job very, very seriously.”

Ole Miss (21-9, 10-7 SEC) tips off in Nashville on Thursday at noon CT on SEC Network. 

The Rebels are the 8-seed. The league’s Top 8 teams all secured first-round byes. Ole Miss will face the winner of No. 16 South Carolina and No. 9 Arkansas.

The Rebels would draw No. 1 Auburn should they advance.

“Everybody in the league did a good job (in the non-conference), then when the league starts it’s just been a bloodbath,” Beard said after the loss at Top 5 Florida on Saturday. “It’s short-term memory. Two-game winning streak, free breakfast burritos in the mornings. Lose a couple games fans think the world’s falling apart. But those of us in the arena playing and coaching understand you’ve got to get yourself up. That’ll be the challenge and opportunity for our team. 

“We just took a pretty good licking by one of the best teams in the country. We’ve got to have a short-term memory and get fired up to play in Nashville.”

HOW TO WATCH

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Dan Shulman
Analyst: Jay Bilas
Reporter: Jess Sims

HOW TO LISTEN

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

OLE MISS IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT

Ole Miss has appeared in the SEC Tournament 62 times in history. The Rebels since 1933 hold an all-time record of 33-60.

However, they dropped their only tournament meeting with rival Arkansas. They’re 6-5 against South Carolina. Ole Miss owns a 13-24 record in the second round.

TIME TO DANCE

Beard is set to guide his fourth different program to the NCAA Tournament. 

He’ll join an elite group of active head coaches when he does. The others are Steve Alford, Rick Barnes, Fran McCaffery, Rick Pitino and Kelvin Sampson. 

Ole Miss is a 7-seed in the West Region in the latest tournament projections from ESPN. Lead bracketologist Joe Lunardi has the Rebels matched with 10-seed Utah State in Wichita, Kansas. The winner would draw either 2-seed Texas Tech or 15-seed Bryant. Beard led the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight during his time in Lubbock, as well as the 2019 national championship game.

Lunardi has 13 of the SEC’s 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament, which could be the most for a single conference in history.

REBEL TIP-INS

Ole Miss’ 21 total wins and 10 in the SEC are each tied for the eighth-most in school history. … The Rebels this season collected their fifth-most steals ever (268) and 3-point makes (260). … Ole Miss has a 1.66 assist-to-turnover ratio, by the far the best by any one Rebel team all time. The Rebels’ 8.8 turnovers per game is the lowest clip in program history. …Ole Miss this season took down No. 4 Alabama and No. 4 Tennessee, two of the school’s three all-time wins over Top 4 teams.