If the Slipper Fits: Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Advances to Semifinal of SEC Tournament with 80-79 win over No. 15 Alabama

OXFORD, Miss. — On Thursday night, the Ole Miss Rebels continued their magical SEC Tournament run, beating Alabama, 80-79, advancing to the semifinals.

Malik Dia, AJ Storr, Patton Pinkins, and Ilias Karmadine were simply immaculate tonight. With a combined 60 points, all four players simply played at another level. Entering the game, Ole Miss had not trailed a single second of the SEC Tournament, and that continued tonight. The Rebels were almost shockingly good, with each player playing his role to perfection.

This team has accomplished something I couldn’t have even imagined a week ago–they look like a serious competitor. This team looks like a completely different group than what we saw for much of the regular season. Head coach Chris Beard’s team is a force to be reckoned with, and they might even be able to win the whole thing and punch an unlikely ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

First half highlights

Dia got the game going with back-to-back three-point baskets. The Rebels led early, something that they have done for the entire SEC Tournament. Dia was unconscious early, making play after play. Storr had moments as well, as Ole Miss led big early on in the half.

Alabama started to close the gap a bit, bringing the game to single digits. Ole Miss held on and continued to keep the lead and expand it a bit more. The game went back and forth, with both teams scoring. The game stayed about as tight as it could get, with the lead being trimmed very close and the Rebels on the brink of trailing for the first time in the tournament.

Ole Miss dominated to end the half, however, with their lead being increased there came another push from Alabama that trimmed the lead to six. The Rebels headed into the locker room up, 47-41. Dia, Pinkins, and Karmadine all ended the half with double-digit points.

Second half highlights

The lead stayed around the same to begin the half. Both teams struggled to score, and the margin stayed the same. Ole Miss began to score, though, and the Rebels pushed their lead to double digits. Alabama was just ice cold from the field for a stretch, and the Tide simply just could not score. But Alabama began to make some baskets and started to push back. The Rebels’ lead would once again be trimmed to single digits.

Bad shooting from Ole Miss might have made some think they might be turning back into the team that only won four conference games this season. But they rallied and showed grit and perseverance as they stayed in front of the Tide. With 34 seconds left to play, Ole Miss was up 80-79. The Rebels held on to win by one point, and will continue their unimaginable run.

Next Up

The Rebels will play the winner of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The game is set for Saturday, March 14 with tipoff set for 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. The Rebel Walk will bring you coverage of that game, when it is announced.