No. 16 Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Heads North for Game at No. 22 Missouri

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) The SEC schedule moves on for the No. 16 Ole Miss men’s basketball team, as they are set to face their fourth-straight ranked team in No. 22 Missouri on the road today, January 25, at 5 p.m. and on the SEC Network.

Team Facts

No. 16/16 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 15-4, 4-2 SEC)

Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (35-16) • 272-114 career record (13th Season)

No. 22/24 Missouri Tigers (Record: 15-4, 4-2 SEC)

Head Coach: Dennis Gates • 3rd Season at Missouri (48-38) • 98-78 career record (6th Season)

On the Air

Television/Online: SEC Network

Play-by-Play: Richard Cross

Color: Jon Sundvold

Ole Miss Radio 

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network

Play-by-Play: David Kellum

Color: Marc Dukes

Series History vs. Missouri

The Rebels and Tigers met for the first time in January of 2013 after Missouri joined the SEC, with the Rebels earning a win at home over No. 10 Missouri 64-49 in the Tad Pad. After losing the second matchup a month later, Ole Miss won the next eight contests beginning and ending with victories in the SEC Tournament. In two games last season, the Rebels came out on top and lead the series when playing in Columbia, Mo. 7-4.

Last Meeting: March 2, 2024 (W, 84-78, Columbia, Mo.)

• The Ole Miss defense came out rolling in the first half, holding the home Tigers to just 26 in the first half compared to 45 for the Rebels.

• Matthew Murrell (Ole Miss): 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal.

• Sean East II (Missouri): 27 points, three assists, one steal.

Scouting the Tigers 

The 22nd-ranked team in the country, Missouri holds a 15-4 record on the season and 4-2 in conference action. Earlier in non-conference play, the Tigers picked up big wins over California and No. 1 Kansas, having recently defeated LSU, Vanderbilt, No. 5 Florida, and Arkansas. They currently hold a NET ranking of No. 26.

The team is led offensively by Duke transfer Mark Mitchell, who averages 13.4 points per game and a team-best 5.0 rebounds. Guard Caleb Grill helps lead the team from outside, making a Missouri-best 38 threes on the season including three games with six or more.

One of the strong suits of Missouri this season has been their ability to get to the free throw line, averaging 28.1 attempts per game and 20.2 makes per game (both third in the nation). Their depth off the bench has been key as well, as they average 36.7 bench points per game, the fourth-most in the country. They have been efficient in the turnover battle like Ole Miss this season, with a TO Margin of +4.4 to rank 17th in the NCAA.

Currently in his third season at Missouri, head coach Dennis Gates has accumulated 48 total victories with the Tigers, including a record of 25-10 in his inaugural year. He was previously the head coach at Cleveland State for three seasons, guiding them to the postseason twice.

Let’s Play Defense 

A staple of success for head coach Chris Beard has always been his team’s defensive play, and it’s been evident on this year’s Ole Miss roster to start the season. With a turnover margin of +6.8, the Rebels own the third-best average in all of college basketball, forcing 16.2 per game (No. 12 in the NCAA) while committing just 9.4 to rank seventh in the NCAA.

They have held opponents to 60 points or less in five games this season, allowing an average of just 65.4 per contest, the 37th-fewest in the NCAA. Their field goal percentage defense of 40.4 ranks 47th in the country this season, and Ole Miss holds a record of 15-2 in two years under Beard when holding the opposition to under 40 percent from the field. Their defensive efforts at the three-point line has led to an opponent shooting percentage of just 29.3 on the season, the 25th-lowest mark in the country.

Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 10.1, the seventh-best clip in college basketball, and blocks per game at 4.7 to rank 43rd.

“Poll” Position

In the latest top-25 polls released this past Monday, Ole Miss ranks No. 16 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Recently at No. 15 in the Coaches Poll on December 9, it was the highest ranking in a national poll since the Rebels were No. 14 in the AP Poll on January 4, 2010, and the highest position in the Coaches Poll since they sat in 15th on January 21 in 2008. Their current run of nine weeks in the top 25 is the longest streak since the 2009-10 season.

Battle Tested 

The future schedule for Ole Miss is one of the most difficult in the nation. As of January 23, they own the nation’s third-toughest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. Their remaining opponent’s win percentage of 79.2 is the third highest in all of college basketball, and their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 70.2 is the fifth highest in the nation.

Among the SEC programs, Ole Miss is tied for the third-most quad-one victories with five.