Ole Miss Overlooked in Latest March Madness Projections

The Ole Miss Rebels haven't earned an NCAA Tournament berth since 2019, and are coming off a forgettable 2022-23 season that saw them post a 12-21 record and a 3-15 finish in SEC play.

Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball has put together a successful turnaround this offseason but will need to prove that it's a program on the rise before the hype is justified.

College basketball insider Andy Katz isn't buying the Ole Miss stock just yet, as he left the Rebels completely off the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket in his latest March Madness predictions released Friday. Instead, SEC teams like Arkansas, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

While all these teams are projected to be worthy of a spot in the tourney, expecting all seven of these programs to be better than a vastly-improved Ole Miss squad is a tough prediction to make.

Here's the full bracket:

FIRST 2023-24 BRACKET PREDICTION 🚨

Following the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline, @TheAndyKatz makes his first bracket prediction 💭

👉 https://t.co/yCT1MlwIrd pic.twitter.com/qsSSsPfQb4

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) June 2, 2023

The Rebels haven't earned an NCAA Tournament berth since 2019, and are coming off a forgettable 2022-23 season that saw them post a 12-21 record and a 3-15 finish in SEC play. The three conference wins marked the fewest for the program since the 1994-1995 season.

But the sudden arrival of coach Chris Beard this offseason has completely changed the feel of Ole Miss basketball in Oxford, and the results have shown in the transfer portal.

Along with retaining guard Matthew Murrell, who led the team in scoring last season (14.4), Ole Miss has already landed the likes of Auburn's Allen Flanigan, Oklahoma State's Moussa Cisse, St. Peter's' Jaylen Murray Georgetown's Brandon Murray, Arizona State's Austin Nunez and Western Kentucky's Jamarion Sharp.

With all the new additions in Oxford, one would think that the expectations are certainly climbing for a team that will now be projected to reach the NCAA Tournament.

But it's clear that it will take time before expectations mean anything for a program with tons to prove this upcoming season.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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