Ole Miss men’s basketball takes on Arkansas in second-round SEC Tourney action: Preview, plus how to watch, listen to the game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (Release) The 2025 SEC Tournament has arrived, and the Ole Miss men’s basketball team plays Arkansas today at 12 p.m. CT in Bridgstone Arena and on the SEC Network. The Razorbacks defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks, 72-68, Wednesday in first-round action,

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

OLE MISS RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network; Play-by-Play: David Kellum; Analyst: Marc Dukes​

REBS AT THE SEC TOURNAMENT

Ole Miss headed to Nashville for the 2025 SEC Tournament with a first-round bye. Earning an eighth seed, the Rebels play the first game on Thursday at noon, with Auburn awaiting them in the next round with a win.

Ole Miss owns a record of 33-60 all-time in 62 tournament appearances since 1933. They’re 0-1 all-time against Arkansas at the tournament, and own a record of 13-24 in the second round.

SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS

Arkansas holds a record of 20-12 overall, having gone 8-10 during SEC play in the regular season to earn the ninth seed at the SEC Tournament. On Wednesday, the Hogs defeated South Carolina in the first game of the first round, 72-68.

The Razorbacks picked up their eight SEC victories during the regular season over Georgia, No. 12 Kentucky, Texas twice, LSU, No. 15 Missouri, Vanderbilt, and No. 25 Mississippi State. They currently hold a NET Ranking of No. 39, and are projected to earn a bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed.

The team is led offensively by Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero, who averages a team-best 15.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 54.8% from the floor, second-best percentage in the SEC. Their defensive efforts come by way of the block, as Zvonimir Ivisic ranks second in the SEC in blocks with 63 and No. 21 in the NCAA with an average of 2.1 blocks per game. As a team, the Razorbacks rank fifth in the country with an average of 5.7 blocks per game, helping lead to a field goal percentage defense of 41.9, 73rd in the NCAA.

The active leader in career wins, ninth in active career win-percentage, and 21st all-time in NCAA coaching victories, John Calipari is in his first season at the helm of Arkansas. The 33-year veteran began his coaching career by turning Massachusetts into a national powerhouse, including five straight NCAA Tournament berths, highlighted by an Elite Eight appearance in 1995 and a Final Four appearance in his final year in 1996. He then took over the job at Memphis in 2000 after a brief stint in the NBA, earning 30 or more wins in his final four seasons. He then moved on to Kentucky in 2009 where he reached the Final Four or better in four seasons, including an NCAA National Championship in 2012. Following 15 seasons in Lexington where he accumulated over 400 wins, Calipari took the job at Arkansas last April.

LUNARDI SAYS “DANCE”

The latest bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as a seven seed in the West Region. They are projected to face 10-seed Utah State in Wichita, Kan., paired with two-seeded Texas Tech vs. 15th-seeded Bryant. Lunardi’s latest projections has 13 teams from the SEC earning a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a number that would be the most for a single conference all time.

BATTLE TESTED

The regular season schedule for Ole Miss was one of the most difficult in the nation. As of March 9, their cumulative opposition’s win percentage of 63.7 ranks as the fourth-highest in the nation, behind only Alabama, Auburn, and Kentucky.

PROGRAM BUILDER

With Ole Miss currently projected to reach the 2025 NCAA Tournament, head coach Chris Beard is set to guide his fourth program to the big dance during his career. He would join an elite group of active head coaches who have brought four or more schools to an NCAA Tournament: Steve Alford, Rick Barnes, Fran McCaffery, Rick Pitino, and Kelvin Sampson.

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 +5.5, the Rebels own the fourth-best average in all of college basketball, forcing 14.3 per game (No. 38 in the NCAA) while committing just 8.8 to rank third in the NCAA.

Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 8.6, the 32nd-best clip in college basketball, and blocks per game at 4.0 to rank 79th.)

BEARD BALL – A TEAM FOR THE AGES

Currently playing the 115th season of Ole Miss basketball, this year’s team has been setting numerous records, achieving countless firsts, and cementing themselves as one of the better teams in the long and storied history of the program. The 2024-25 team’s 21 overall wins and 10 SEC victories are each tied for the eighth-most in school history.

Statistically, the Rebels defense has collected 268 steals this year, the fifth-most in a single season in school history. They’ve also connected on 260 three point shots, tied for the fifth-most made in a single season by an Ole Miss team. Their current assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.66 is by the far the best margin by an Ole Miss team all time, and their 8.8 turnovers per game is the lowest clip in program history.

Ole Miss has picked up two of the program’s three all-time wins over an AP No. 4 team, with wins at No. 4 Alabama and vs. No. 4 Tennessee this season.

NETWORKING

The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 28 in the nation. Since the ranking’s first iteration at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, their ranking of 13th on January 20 is the highest-ever NET Ranking for the Ole Miss program.

As of March 9, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, seven in the top 25, and four in the top 10.