Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Puts Nation on Notice with Upset Win at No. 4 Alabama
OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) As conference play gets underway, the contenders are being separated from the pretenders, and in Tuesday night’s upset win at No. 4 Alabama, No. 21 Ole Miss made a strong case as a contender in 2025.
Chris Beard’s squad turned in a clean effort on all fronts to overcome a four-point halftime deficit, holding Alabama to just 28 points in the second half to win 74-64 for the first top-five road win in program history.
“Proud of our players for a lot of reasons. Top of the list, I do believe Alabama is one of the best teams in the country. This is our second year at Ole Miss, we came here to build a program that can compete with teams like this, and tonight, we did more than compete.”
Head coach Chris Beard
Stick to the Plan
Going into the night, Alabama was No. 1 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 91.1 points per game. The Tide also entered as one of the country’s most dominant rebounding teams, ranking No. 2 nationally in total rebounds and No. 8 in offensive boards.
Beard and his staff drew up a plan to slow the nation’s fastest offense, attack the glass on both ends and generate offense with patience and balance. The Rebels checked every box, holding the Crimson Tide to a season-lows in points (64) and offensive rebounds (4), and their second-worst rebounding total (39), while five finished in double figures offensively for Ole Miss, led by Malik Dia’s 23-point, 19-rebound double-double.
“We were really concerned with their offensive rebounding. I think we held them to four offensive rebounds, one of those was late. We wanted to take care of the basketball, we did. Low-turnover game. We wanted to have balanced scoring, we had five guys in double figures. If you’re going to win a big-boy game, this was a first-place type game, then you have to have some special performances.“
Head coach Chris Beard
Nation on Notice
Alabama opened as a 9.5-point betting favorite for this contest, but behind that balanced effort and Dia’s star power, Ole Miss flipped the spread with a 10-point road victory against a Final Four team from a year ago.
Now, Ole Miss stands atop the SEC at 4-0 alongside the only other unbeaten team in league play, No. 1 Auburn. The road doesn’t get any easier for Ole Miss. The Rebels remain on the road against another ranked foe in No. 15 Mississippi State this weekend. Then No. 11 Texas A&M comes to town. The top-ranked Tigers, No. 8 Kentucky and No. 6 Tennessee are all coming to the SJB Pavilion as well—but all now know what the Rebels are capable of.
“It’s early. We’re just trying to win the next game on the schedule. But I think not recognizing the kind of team we just beat tonight—nothing but respect for Nate and this team. They were in the Final Four for a reason last year, and they’re certainly one of the best teams in college basketball. Maybe it’s time to talk about Ole Miss. I think most of the national scene didn’t give Ole Miss much of a chance tonight. Our players believed that we could be successful in this game, and that’s what we did.“
Head coach Chris Beard
Help Build the Culture
It’s only the beginning in the Tuohy Center, and you can help keep the program atop the SEC standings. Donate $74+ to the Grove Collective and receive a digitally signed print from Malik Dia and Chris Beard to commemorate Ole Miss’ win over #4 ranked Alabama. Donations $74+ will also be entered to win a signed basketball from the team and Chris Beard.
Next Up:
Ole Miss will stay on the road and return to action this Saturday as the Rebels take on in-state rival No. 15 Mississippi State (14-3, 2-2 SEC). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT in Starkville on ESPN2.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
