Bracket Watch: Where Does Ole Miss Basketball Land Entering Crucial Home Matchup?

The Ole Miss Rebels remained firmly in the NCAA Tournament projections in the latest edition of bracketology.

John Macon Gillespie | Feb 14, 2025

Feb 12, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Malik Dia (0) attempts a three point basket against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

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Ole Miss Rebels

The No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels have found a winning streak on the hardwood, and they are looking to ride that momentum into a crucial home matchup against No. 22 Mississippi State on Saturday evening. When the Rebels take the floor, where will their NCAA Tournament chances stand?

According to the latest bracketology update from Joe Lunardi, those chances are in good health.

The Rebels remained a 5-seed in Lunardi's latest projections, residing in the East (Newark) portion of the bracket. Ole Miss is projected to be playing alongside 12-seed McNeese, 4-seed Michigan and 13-seed Lipscomb in Seattle.

Coach Chris Beard's team is just one of 14 SEC programs who are projected to be in the field, the most of any conference in the country. The Big Ten is second with 10 teams in the projections.

Other SEC teams in the grouping include 1-seed Auburn, 1-seed Alabama, 1-seed Florida, 2-seed Tennessee, 2-seed Texas A&M, 3-seed Kentucky, 6-seed Missouri, 8-seed Mississippi State, 10-seed Oklahoma, 10-seed Vanderbilt, 11-seed Texas, 11-seed Arkansas and 11-seed Georgia.

Arkansas and Georgia are included in the "Last Four In" category, and Texas, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma occupy the "Last Four Byes" slots.

Ole Miss will look to gain another quality win on Saturday against Mississippi State in an attempt to split the season series with the Bulldogs. The Rebels lost in overtime earlier this season in Starkville, and they will look to return the favor on their home floor this weekend.

This game comes on the heels of Ole Miss picking up back-to-back road wins over LSU and South Carolina in contests that were close at the end. Prior to those wins, the Rebels took down nationally-ranked Kentucky in Oxford.

Tip-off between Ole Miss and Mississippi State on Saturday is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2.