March 12, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard AJ Storr (2) drives to the basket past Georgia Bulldogs guard Blue Cain (0) in the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images No. 15 seed Ole Miss will look to extend its run Friday night against No. 15 and No. 2 seed Alabama, the highest-rated opponent it has faced so far in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
The Rebels (14-19) advanced to the quarterfinals in Nashville after their second straight wire-to-wire upset, most recently with a 76-72 win over seventh-seeded Georgia on Thursday, where they squandered all but two of a 23-point second-half lead but held on.
“We set this up as a four-team tournament,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said Thursday. “We will come back, recover as best we can and then start the next four-team tournament tomorrow.
“What we want to do is make sure there are no regrets. It’s no different than when you’re in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament is a week early.”
Ole Miss, which lost 12 of 13 games to close the regular season, fell short of a 76-66 victory over Texas in the first round on Wednesday. The Rebels held No. 10 seed Texas to 35.2 percent shooting from the field. Georgia had 36.4% on Thursday.
The Bulldogs averaged 90.4 points per game.
“We probably played 3 1/2 of our best defenses all year,” Beard said.
Alabama will present its own challenges for the Ole Miss defense.
The Crimson Tide is averaging 92.1 points per game in Division I and has won nine of 10 games since losing 100-77 to current SEC Tournament top seed Florida on Feb. 1 in Gainesville, Florida.
Alabama, expected to be a No. 3 or 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, has played the toughest schedule in Division 1, according to KenPom. The only way for Ole Miss to make the NCAA field ranked 68th is to win the SEC Tournament.
Other problems arose as the Crimson Tide advanced to the quarterfinals, coach Nate Oats said.
“It’s hard enough saying goodbye for the first time,” Oats said. “His challenge is to not lose his form and get enough rest. He has to play sharp.”
The Crimson Tide are led by guards Lavaron Pilon Jr. (21.5 points, 4.8 assists per game) and Aden Holloway (16.8 points, 3.9 assists).
Pilon was named to the five-man All-SEC first team, while Holloway was named to the third team. Forward Amari Allen (11.9 points, 7.0 rebounds) was named to the All-Freshman team.
“There are a lot of guys that are playing their best basketball at the right time,” Oats said.
AJ Storr came off the bench to lead the Rebels with 19 points against Georgia. Malik Dea added 17 points and Tyler Perry 16 on Thursday as Ole Miss took a 55-32 lead with 13 minutes remaining. Ilias Camardin had eight points, four assists and four steals.
Storr had 37 points in two tournament games.
“We’ve been in those situations all season,” Dia said of the string of close games. “I feel like we are finally starting to see a breakthrough at this critical moment.
“Until Selection Sunday, this team is fighting every game. We don’t want the season to end. We want to be in the big dance.”
–Field level media
