This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| University | University of Mississippi | ||||
| First season | 1909 (116 years ago) | ||||
| All-time record | 1,413–1,408 (.501) | ||||
| Athletic director | Keith Carter | ||||
| Head coach | Chris Beard (3rd season) | ||||
| Conference | Southeastern Conference | ||||
| Location | University, Mississippi | ||||
| Arena | The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss (capacity: 9,500) | ||||
| Nickname | Rebels | ||||
| Student section | Club Red | ||||
| Colors | Cardinal red and navy blue[1] | ||||
| Uniforms | |||||
| |||||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||||
| 2001, 2025 | |||||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||||
| 1981, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2025 | |||||
| Conference tournament champions | |||||
| 1928, 1981, 2013 | |||||
| Conference division regular-season champions | |||||
| 1997, 1998, 2001 | |||||

TheOle Miss Rebels men's basketball team represents theUniversity of Mississippi in the sport ofbasketball. The Rebels compete in theNCAA Division I and theSoutheastern Conference (SEC). They started the 2015–16 season playing home games atTad Smith Coliseum on the university'sOxford campus, but played their final game in that facility on December 22, 2015.[2] The Rebels opened a new on-campus arena,The Pavilion at Ole Miss, on January 7, 2016.[3] The Rebels were led by 12-year head coachAndy Kennedy until his resignation on February 18, 2018.[4] Tony Madlock, an assistant under Kennedy, served as the interim head coach for the remainder of the2017–18 season. On March 15, 2018, the school hired former Middle Tennessee head coachKermit Davis as the new head coach and was formally introduced on March 19.[5] Davis was fired in his sixth season on February 24, 2023, after posting a 2–13 conference record with two games remaining on the schedule. Assistant coachWin Case took over as interim coach for the remainder of the season.[6]
Ole Miss has appeared ten times in theNCAA tournament, most recently in 2025. The Rebels made their deepest tournament run in school history at the2001 NCAA tournament and the2025 NCAA tournament, reaching the Sweet 16 both seasons. The Rebels have participated in theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) 11 times. In2008 and2010, they made it to the NIT Semifinals atMadison Square Garden. The Rebels have won the SEC Western Division five times.
Rob Evans arrived in Oxford in 1992 as the school's first black coach in a revenue sport. He led the Rebels to only their second and third NCAA Tournament appearances in school history, in1997 and1998. These were also the first 20-win seasons in school history; the Rebels had been one of the few longstanding members of a "power conference" to have never tallied a 20-win season.
Evans left forArizona State in 1998. His top assistant,Rod Barnes, took over at Ole Miss and compiled a record of 141–109 during his eight-year tenure.[7] During his tenure, the Rebels reached the1999,2001, and2002 NCAA Tournaments. The 1998–99 team notched the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament win, while the 2001 team advanced all the way to the Sweet 16. His tenure crested at that point, however, and he would not have another winning season after 2002.
Following the 2005–06 season, Ole Miss hiredAndy Kennedy, and the Rebels tied for first place in the SEC West during the 2006–07 season.[8] Led by the senior trio of Clarence Sanders, Bam Doyne, and Todd Abernethy, the Ole Miss men finished the year with a 21–13 record, including a 16–1 record at home inside Tad Smith Coliseum. They advanced to the second round of the NIT, before falling atClemson. In his debut season with the Rebels, Kennedy was named the 2007 SEC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press after guiding Ole Miss, a preseason last-place pick in the SEC West, to its first division title and most wins since 2001.[9]
In the2012–13 season, Ole Miss won just their secondSEC tournament title and made theNCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. Ole Miss also set a school record for most SEC wins in a season. Kennedy was again named SEC Coach of the Year.[10] On February 23, 2013, Kennedy became the all-time winningest coach at Ole Miss.[11]
The Rebels have appeared in theNCAA tournament ten times. Their combined record is 7–10.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | No. 10 | First Round | No. 7Kansas | L 66–69 |
| 1997 | No. 8 | First Round | No. 9Temple | L 40–62 |
| 1998 | No. 4 | First Round | No. 13Valparaiso | L 69–70 |
| 1999 | No. 9 | First Round Second Round | No. 8Villanova No. 1Michigan State | W 72–70 L 66–74 |
| 2001 | No. 3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 14Iona No. 6Notre Dame No. 2Arizona | W 72–70 W 59–56 L 56–66 |
| 2002 | No. 9 | First Round | No. 8UCLA | L 58–80 |
| 2013 | No. 12 | First Round Second Round | No. 5Wisconsin No. 13La Salle | W 57–46 L 74–76 |
| 2015 | No. 11 | First Four First Round | No. 11BYU No. 6Xavier | W 94–90 L 57–76 |
| 2019 | No. 8 | First Round | No. 9Oklahoma | L 72–95 |
| 2025 | No. 6 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 11North Carolina No. 3Iowa State No. 2Michigan State | W 71–64 W 91–78 L 70–73 |
The Rebels have appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) 13 times. Their combined record is 15–13.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | First Round Second Round | Grambling State Minnesota | W 76–74 L 56–58 |
| 1982 | First Round Second Round | Clemson Virginia Tech | W 53–49 L 59–61 |
| 1983 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Alabama State South Florida DePaul | W 87–75 W 65–57 L 67–75 |
| 1987 | First Round | Southern Miss | L 75–93 |
| 1989 | First Round | St. John's | L 67–70 |
| 2000 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Charlotte SW Missouri State NC State | W 62–45 W 70–48 L 54–77 |
| 2007 | First Round Second Round | Appalachian State Clemson | W 73–59 L 68–89 |
| 2008 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | UC Santa Barbara Nebraska Virginia Tech Ohio State | W 83–68 W 85–75OT W 81–72 L 69–81 |
| 2010 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Troy Memphis Texas Tech Dayton | W 84–65 W 90–81 W 90–872OT L 63–68 |
| 2011 | First Round | California | L 74–77 |
| 2012 | First Round | Illinois State | L 93–96OT |
| 2017 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Monmouth Syracuse Georgia Tech | W 91–83 W 85–80 L 66–74 |
| 2021 | First Round | Louisiana Tech | L 61–70 |
| Player | Position | Year(s) | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ary Phillips | Guard | 1928 | Associated Press |
| B.L. "Country" Graham | Center | 1938 | Helms Athletic Foundation |
| Denver Brackeen | Center | 1955 | Helms Athletic Foundation, Associated Press |
| Joe Gibbon | Forward | 1957 | Helms Athletic Foundation, Associated Press, UPI |
| Don Kessinger | Guard | 1964 | Associated Press |
| Jack Waters (2) | Guard/Forward | 1969, 1971 | UPI |
| Johnny Neumann | Forward | 1971 | Helms Athletic Foundation, Associated Press, UPI, United States Basketball Writers Association, National Association of Basketball Coaches |
| John Stroud (2) | Forward | 1979 & 1980 | Associated Press |
| Carlos Clark | Forward | 1982 | Associated Press |
| Rod Barnes | Guard | 1988 | The Sporting News |
| Gerald Glass (2) | Forward | 1989, 1990 | |
| Ansu Sesay | Forward | 1998 | Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association, National Association of Basketball Coaches |
| Keith Carter | Guard | 1999 | Associated Press |
| Rahim Lockhart | Forward | 2001 | Basketball Times |
| Source:"Ole Miss All-Americas"(PDF). Ole Miss. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on January 10, 2015. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2015. | |||