Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Falls 89-86 to No. 22 Vanderbilt in Overtime

OXFORD, Miss. — After leading for a majority of the game, the Ole Miss men’s basketball team fell in overtime to the Vanderbilt Commodores by a final score of 89-86. This was the Rebels’ second overtime loss in a week.

Final in OT from Oxford. pic.twitter.com/6InZgu63Im

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) March 4, 2026

The Rebels only trailed for six minutes and 28 seconds of the contest. Ole Miss (12-18, 4-13 SEC) came out swinging and taking the lead, but the Commodores (23-7, 10-7 SEC) quickly adapted and punched back. It was a day for the Rebels that was marred somewhat by questionable officiating and turnovers — Ole Miss had its second-most turnovers of the season with 17.

Ilias Karmadine finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Malik Dia finished with 11 points and three rebounds, but unfortunately fouled out as they headed to overtime. Patton Pinkins and AJ Storr also reached double figures, with 16 and 14, respectively. Travis Perry shot 100 percent from the field, all of which came in the first half. He did not attempt a single shot or free throw in the second half.

First half highlights

The Rebels dominated much of the first half, scoring the eight points of the game. Ole Miss grew its lead to as big as 12 points as the Commodores were ice cold to begin the contest.

The Rebels simply looked like the better team early. Then, they committed some uncharacteristic turnovers that allowed Vanderbilt to start to storm back, with the game falling to a two-point Ole Miss lead. Back-and-forth play continued, as both teams were getting looks in the paint and from the three-point line.

With three minutes left to play in the half, the Commodores made a shot to tie the game. It would then be a race to half to see who would go into the break with the advantage. Vanderbilt did not take a lead in the game until 2:52 left to play in the first half, showcasing how well the Rebels had been playing. With 0.1 seconds left to play in the half, Patton Pinkins nailed two free throws to give the Ole Miss a four-point lead, with the team up 37-33 going into intermission.

The first half belonged to Karmadine and Perry. Karmadine notched 10 points, five rebounds, and one assist, while Perry recorded nine points, shooting 100 percent from the field for the half. Momentum was in the Rebels’ favor, but could they keep it going?

Second half highlights

Eduardo Klafke got an and-one attempt early in the half, but the Rebels’ momentum died yet again, as the team started to turn the ball over, allowing the Commodores to get going. Those errors allowed Vanderbilt to stay in the game, something that would ultimately spell the beginning of the end for Ole Miss in the contest.

Vanderbilt tied the game and eventually took the lead with five minutes left to play. A Karmadine three gave the Rebels the lead with just under four to go, and we were in store for a back-and-forth finish.

Both teams then began trading free throws, with the leads not changing; in fact, it would stay tied. A Dia and-one with 1:17 to go gave the Rebels a lead; however, a jumper from Vanderbilt tied the game. Ole Miss was unable to score, and the Commodores got the last shot. They missed this shot, and the game would head into overtime tied at 76.

Overtime

Simply put, Vanderbilt controlled overtime. With Dia and James Scott both fouling out, Ole Miss lacked interior presence. Ole Miss had to play the foul game, which allowed the Commodores to extend their lead even more.

A Corey Chest dunk did bring the Rebels to within one point, and eventually they tied it. But free throws from Vanderbilt gave them a two-point lead. Karmadine went to the line with a chance to tie the game; he converted the first one, but missed the second. Vanderbilt shot two more free throws to push their lead to three. Ole Miss missed the three-pointer that would have tied the game, and fell by the final score, 89-86.

Notables

• Corey Chest secured a season high of 11 rebounds against Vanderbilt.
• Ilias Kamardine tied his season high by making a trio of three pointers.
• Patton Pinkins finished with 16 points, his sixth game with over 15 points this season, all of which have come in SEC play.

Next Up

Ole Miss moves on to Senior Night at home against South Carolina on March 7. The game is at noon and will be streamed on SEC Network.