Chris Beard has demonstrated that, regardless of how a regular season unfolds, a team’s chances can still shine brightly when tournament time arrives—if they find a way to seize the moment. Ole Miss has embraced this philosophy, transforming the highs and lows of their season into a powerful drive that allows them to perform under pressure in the SEC tournament gauntlet.
In a thrilling finish after Georgia’s second-half rally, the Ole Miss men’s basketball team fought back late in the game to clinch their second victory at the 2026 SEC Tournament, edging out the Bulldogs 76-72 on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The Rebels are now gearing up for a quarterfinal showdown against No. 15 Alabama, the tournament’s second seed, later this evening.
Matchup Snapshot
- Crimson Tide:
- Record: 13-5 against SEC opponents; 10-3 in non-conference play.
- Defensive Strength: Averaging 26.7 defensive rebounds per game, led by Amari Allen with an impressive 5.4 rebounds per game.
- Rebels:
- Record: 6-14 against SEC teams.
- Defensive Stats: They rank sixth in the SEC, allowing an average of 75.5 points per game while holding opponents to a shooting percentage of just 43.4%.
Alabama excels from beyond the arc, averaging 12.8 made three-pointers per game—4.4 more than what Ole Miss allows (8.4). While Ole Miss scores an average of 75.3 points, they give up 83.6 points, highlighting their defensive challenges.
The two teams will face off for the second time this season; Alabama triumphed in their previous matchup on February 12 with a score of 93-74. In that match-up, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. led Alabama with 21 points, while AJ Storr shined for Ole Miss with an impressive 27 points.
Key Players
- Labaron Philon (Alabama):
- Scoring: Averaging 21.5 points per game alongside 3.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
- Aden Holloway (Alabama):
- Performance: Contributing an average of 16.3 points and shooting at a solid rate of 47.6% over his last ten games.
- AJ Storr (Ole Miss):
- Consistency: Averaging around 15.2 points.
- Travis Perry (Ole Miss):
- Long-range Threat: Averaging about 1.3 made three-pointers over his last ten outings.
Last 10 Out
- Crimson Tide Last Ten Games:
- Record: 9 wins – 1 loss
- Scoring Averages: 94 points scored and 86.2 points allowed.
- Rebels Last Ten Games:
- Record: 3 wins – 7 losses
- Scoring Averages: 78.7 points scored and 83.3 points allowed.
Despite being seen as underdogs—now entering the quarterfinals as the No. 15 seed—the Rebels have found new life by playing fearlessly with nothing to lose; this mindset has sparked renewed energy within the team as they head into Music City tonight.
However, analytics still favor Alabama heavily with a projected win probability of 79% compared to Ole Miss’s 21% chance of victory.
Will the Rebels remain hot in Music City tonight?