Omaha Rebs? Ole Miss Basketball Earns New Tournament Projection From Joe Lunardi

Could the Ole Miss Rebels reach Omaha this postseason? And this time, we don't mean the baseball program.

After a disappointing game on the hardwood this week against the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Ole Miss Rebels saw their positioning shift in NCAA Tournament projections this week, but they did remain in the field.

According to Joe Lunardi's most recent bracketology projections, Ole Miss receives one of the "last four byes" in the NCAA Tournament field, coming in as an 11-seed against the six-seed BYU Cougars in Omaha, part of the Los Angeles portion of the bracket.

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The Cougars currently hold a 16-6 record and a 4-5 mark in conference play as of this writing on Saturday. The Rebels (18-5, 5-5 SEC) have dropped back-to-back games within the Southeastern Conference, first to the Auburn Tigers (91-77) followed by the aforementioned loss to South Carolina (68-65).

The goal for Ole Miss moving forward remains the same: continue to improve its standing within the NCAA Tournament field and ensure that it remains in the bracket as a whole. The way to do that boils down to acquiring conference wins down the stretch, something that the Rebels have plenty of opportunities to obtain moving forward.

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The next game, however, is certainly a test. The Rebels will travel to face the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena on Tuesday with an opportunity to pick up a win over one of the biggest brands in college basketball in the process. In Lunardi's projections, Kentucky is currently pegged as a six-seed in the East Region of the tournament.

Tip-off between Ole Miss and Kentucky on Tuesday is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.