Ole Miss Men's Basketball Returns to AP Top 25 After Dominant Week

The Ole Miss Rebels are back in the national rankings after pushing their record to 5-0 last week.
Nov 21, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Jaylen Murray (5) reacts with guard Matthew Murrell (11) during the second half against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Nov 21, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Jaylen Murray (5) reacts with guard Matthew Murrell (11) during the second half against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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The Ole Miss Rebels have begun this season on the right foot, quickly jumping out to a 5-0 start, and they have now made another appearance in the AP Top 25 Poll

Despite being ranked to start the year, with some close matchups against Grambling State and South Alabama, the Rebels were excluded from last week's poll. After a pair of dominating wins, however, Ole Miss has jumped back into the rankings, finding itself at No. 23, the highest ranking since Week 6 last season.

The Rebels' jump was helped by Arizona losing two games (including a loss at home to Duke) dropping them to 2-2, Rutgers losing its undefeated season yesterday on the road against Kennesaw State, and with Illinois taking a loss to Alabama.

The Rebels' new spot in the rankings does not just fall into the hands of other teams, however. Opening the season at 5-0 with big wins against Colorado State by 15 points and Oral Roberts (where they won by 32 and scored 100 points) prove how dominate they can be, at least in non-conference play.

The season is still young, but the Rebels will look to keep their hot streak rolling as they head out to San Diego against BYU in the Rady Children's Invitational on Thursday. The game will be televised on FS1 at 4:30 p.m. CT.


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John Macon Gillespie
JOHN MACON GILLESPIE

John Macon Gillespie is the publisher of The Grove Report and has experience on the Ole Miss beat spanning five years.