Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Looks to Reignite Season as Alabama Comes to SJB Pavilion

OXFORD, Miss. — The Rebels are returning to the SJB Pavilion on Wednesday night, looking to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide after returning home from an unsuccessful four-game road trip. Ole Miss and Alabama will tip off at 6:00 p.m. CT.

ON THE AIR

Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Richard Cross
Analyst: Mark Wise

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway

Where they stand

Ole Miss just wrapped up a road trip in which it went 0-4. Every game during that time was winnable for the Rebels, but inconsistencies and issues plagued them late in the games. In their last loss, which came at Texas, Ole Miss led with as little as 3:35 left in the game before the Longhorns went on a 14-0 run and secured the win. The loss dropped the Rebels’ overall record to 11-12, 3-7 in conference. However, Ole Miss did not drop in the conference standings and still sits at No. 12. It’s now been over four weeks since the Rebels have seen a victory, that coming against Mississippi State in Starkville, the same team the Rebels will host this Saturday.

The Crimson Tide has seen better during its 2025-26 campaign, sitting with a 16-7 overall record and a 6-4 record in the SEC, which places them at No. 7 in the league. Alabama had recently received help from former G-League player Charles Bediako. However, an Alabama judge ruled on Monday that Bediako would no longer be eligible to play, ending his run with the Tide just a couple of days ahead of the matchup with Ole Miss on Wednesday. Alabama is currently on a two-game win streak, beating Texas A&M at home and Auburn in The Jungle. But inconsistencies have plagued the Tide, frequently leading to both low and high-quality losses.

Scouting the Crimson Tide

Alabama entered the season ranked No. 15 and has since fluctuated, even earning a ranking as high as No. 8 at one point, before it finally dropped out of the rankings in last week’s AP Poll. The Crimson Tide’s most notable victories came over St. John’s and Illinois, both ranked top-10 at the time. On the other hand, it’s suffered losses at the hands of Purdue, Arizona and Gonzaga. KenPom still has the Tide ranked fairly high at No. 20, but that’s due to their No. 2-rated offensive efficiency. Its defense, however, is ranked No. 65 in the nation. It’s also ranked No. 4 in adjusted temp, or possessions per 40 minutes, with 73.5.

Alabama’s offense averages 91.8 points per game, which is No. 3 nationally, and consists of six players who average double-digit points, with two averaging 17 or more. Guard Labaron Philon, a projected first-round NBA draft pick, leads the team with 21.5 points per game, with an ability to do it all. Guard Aden Holloway follows closely behind, with 17.1. Freshman forward Amari Allen, another potential draft pick, leads the team in rebounds, acquiring 7.4 boards per game on average. Holloway leads the team from behind the arc, shooting 43% on the season with 54 three-pointers made on 124 attempts throughout the season.

Alabama’s Notable NCAA Team Statistical Rankings:

– Three-point attempts per game, 35.6, 1st
– Made three pointers per game, 12.6, 2nd
– Point per game, 91.8, 3rd
– Blocks per game, 5.8, 6th
– Defensive rebounds per game, 28.7, 9th
– Rebound per game, 41.1, 17th
– Assist-to-turnover ratio, 1.65, 25th
– Free throws made per game, 18.3, 28th

Keys to the game

1. Protect and utilize the paint: Although the Crimson Tide has big men of its own, it struggles to protect the paint. Whether it be guards driving into the lane or big men making use of their height, Alabama seems to have an inherent issue with stopping it. The Rebels will need to take advantage of the Tide’s minimal effort in the paint. But offensively, Alabama generally scores from two places: outside the arc or in the paint. So, Ole Miss will need to protect, but also utilize, the paint if it wants to win.

2. Disrupt Alabama’s offense: Alabama’s offense thrives by setting the pace of the game and scoring in transition, while also living and dying by the three. It’s shown that it’s prone to mistakes when defenses keep the inside of the arc closed off, though, forcing the Crimson Tide to rotate on the outside and eventually take a shot as the shot clock expires. The Rebels will need to do everything they can to ensure they don’t let Alabama gain momentum and get hot offensively.

3. Control turnovers and boards: Aside from scoring, the Crimson Tide also struggles every game at rebounding the ball. It gets outrebounded almost every game, and that often contributes to its losses. Ole Miss will need to work the boards and attempt to maintain or regain possession of the ball with every chance it gets, which will be detrimental to the Tide’s success.

Why this game matters

The Rebels need to get something going to close the season out. They’ve shown fight and the ability to battle through adversity, but they’ve struggled to execute many aspects of the game. But the thing is, they’ve proven they can win. When the chemistry and energy are flowing, the team can easily get hot and compete with anyone. With Ole Miss returning to Oxford with the fans to cheer them on from the stands, the Rebels have everything they need to cook up an upset in Oxford and gain some momentum.

Ole Miss still has eight games left to win, and with no ranked games on the road and only two ranked teams remaining in all, the stretch from here on out is very manageable. But again, the Rebels will first need to get back on track and build some confidence with a win in their return home. If Ole Miss can make the needed adjustments, then a win on Wednesday night is entirely realistic. The Rebels could take that energy and bring it back into SJB Pavilion on Saturday to face their rival in Mississippi State, a team they’ve already beaten. Earning back-to-back victories like that would put Ole Miss in great circumstances as the team attempts to close the season out.

Game info

• Matchup: Alabama at Ole Miss, Wednesday, February 11
• Time: 6 p.m. CT
• Location: SJB Pavilion, Oxford, MS.
• TV: SEC Network