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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, February 15
Oxford, Miss.
5 p.m.
Ole Miss
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Mississippi State
No. 19 Men's Basketball Hosts Rival Mississippi State Saturday in SJB Pavilion
2/14/2025 | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – The seventh ranked matchup of their SEC schedule, the No. 19 Ole Miss men's basketball team is set to welcome No. 22 Mississippi State to the SJB Pavilion on Saturday, February 15 at 5 p.m. and on ESPN2.
TEAM FACTS
No. 19/23 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 19-6, 8-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (39-18) • 276-116 career record (13th Season)
No. 22/RV Mississippi State Bulldogs (Record: 17-7, 5-6 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Jans • 3rd Season at Mississippi State (59-34) • 202-78 career record (9th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: John Schriffen
Analyst: Richard Hendrix
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
SOLD OUT!
Tickets for Saturday's game are sold out through the Ole Miss Athletics ticket office. Fans can check SeatGeek, the official secondary marketplace of the Rebels, for other options. Please download your mobile tickets prior to arriving at the stadium to ensure the swiftest entry.
ARRIVE EARLY!
With a large crowd anticipated, fans are encouraged to arrive early. Gates open at 3 p.m. for students and 3:30 p.m. for ticketed fans.
GAMEDAY PROMOS
Fans are encouraged to wear powder blue, with powder blue poms available to all fans.
CELEBRATING THE 2025 ALL-GIRLS DIVISION 1A NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The Ole Miss cheer team will be available pregame in the concourse for autographs in the All-American hallway. Photos on the concourse with the team and National Championship trophy will be available as well. The team will be recognized on the court at halftime.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE
The 12th most-played matchup in all of college basketball, this will be the 272nd meeting between the Rebels and Bulldogs dating back to 1914. While Mississippi State holds the all-time series lead at 151-120, Ole Miss leads when playing in Oxford 89-47. With Ole Miss at No. 19 and Mississippi State at No. 22 in the latest AP Poll, this will be the second-ever matchup between the two programs while both ranked, with the first coming just last month in Starkville. In their first of two meetings during the regular season this year, the Bulldogs won in a tight 84-81 overtime battle. The two schools split the series last season, with Ole Miss coming out on top in Oxford 86-82 before Mississippi State won 83-71 on their home court a few weeks later.
LAST MEETING: January 18, 2025 (L, 81-84 (OT), Starkville, Miss.)
• The 15th-ranked Bulldogs took an early lead on the Rebels, leading by eight at halftime. Ole Miss would battle back in the second, with Matthew Murrell hitting a clutch three at the top of the arc to send the game to overtime, before the home team won by three.
• Jaemyn Brakefield (Ole Miss): 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal.
• Riley Kugel (Mississippi State): 21 points, three rebounds, two assists, one block, two steals.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State comes to Oxford with a season record of 17-7, having gone 5-6 in conference action. They picked up notable wins in non-conference action against Utah, SMU, No. 18 Pittsburgh, and No. 21 Memphis. In SEC play, the Bulldogs began with wins over South Carolina and Vanderbilt, before an overtime win over No. 21 Ole Miss, South Carolina once again in overtime, and at Georgia. State owns a ranking of 22nd in the recent AP Poll, and is receiving votes in the Coaches Poll. They sit in ninth in the latest SEC standings, and own a NET Ranking of 30.
Sophomore guard Josh Hubbard leads the Bulldogs and ranks fourth in the conference with an average of 17.6 points per game, and ranks second in the SEC sinking 3.21 three-pointers per contest. Averaging 4.0 assists as well, Hubbard's assist-turnover ratio of 3.35 ranks second in the SEC and ranks 10th in the nation. They're led in rebounding by KeShawn Murphy at 7.5 per game. On the defensive end, Cameron Matthews averages a conference-high 2.50 steals per outing, which ranks ninth nationally.
Similar to Ole Miss, Mississippi State has had plenty of success taking care of the ball, as they rank No. 36 in the nation in both turnover margin (+3.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.48). Just like the Rebels, they generate many of their turnovers off steals, averaging 9.3 per game to rank 22nd in the country and third in the SEC. The Bulldogs rank 19th in the NCAA in bench points per game, scoring an average of 30.4 per outing outside of their starters.
Currently in his third year with the program, head coach Chris Jans is one of the winningest coaches in college basketball, with a career percentage of 72.1 which ranks as the 13th best among active coaches. He's won 21 games in each of his first two seasons in Starkville, and joined the program from New Mexico State, where he accumulated 122 wins to just 32 losses over five seasons. He got his first Division I head coaching position at Bowling Green during the 2014-15 season, after years of success at the junior college level.
MAGIC NUMBER IN SIGHT
With 19 wins on the season, Ole Miss has their eyes set on a 20-win campaign for the second year in a row, a feat last accomplished in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. A win on Saturday, February 15 against Mississippi State would be the fourth-fastest to the 20-win-mark (26 games), after Ole Miss reached that point in 24 games during 2000-01, and 25 games in both 1997-98 and 1936-37. It would be the 19th 20-win season in program history, and the 14th since the year 2000.
"POLL" POSITION
In the latest top-25 polls released this past Monday, Ole Miss ranks No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Their current run of 12 straight weeks in the AP Top 25 is the longest streak since the 1997-98 season, when the Rebels held a ranking the entire season. Ranked No. 15 in the Coaches Poll on December 9, it was the highest ranking in a national poll since the Rebels were No. 14 in the AP Poll on January 4, 2010, and the highest position in the Coaches Poll since they sat in 15th on January 21 in 2008.
BATTLE TESTED
The schedule for Ole Miss has been, and continues to be, one of the most difficult in the nation. As of February 13, they own the nation's sixth-toughest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index. Their past opposition's win percentage of 63.4 ranks as the 10th-highest in the nation, while their remaining opponent's win percentage of 77.6 is the second-highest in all of college basketball. Their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 66.2 is the fourth highest in the country.
SPECIAL WEAPON OFF THE BENCH
A consistent starter over the past three seasons at Ole Miss, Jaemyn Brakefield has embraced a role off the bench this season and still been one of the best players on the court. With a season average of 10.9 points per game, Brakefield leads the conference with 17 double-digit point games when coming off the bench.
Double-Digit Scoring Off The Bench - SEC
1. 17 - Jaemyn Brakefield, Ole Miss
2. 16 - Aden Holloway, Alabama
3. 14 - Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
LUNARDI SAYS "DANCE"
Updated each Tuesday and Friday, the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as a five seed in the West Region. They are projected to face 12-seed McNeese in Providence, R.I., paired with four-seeded Wisconsin vs. 13th-seeded Akron. The highest seed for the Ole Miss program came in the 2001 tournament, when they were set as a three seed and reached the Sweet 16. Lunardi's latest projections has 13 teams from the SEC earning a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a number that would be the most for a single conference all time.
PROGRAM POINT PRESIDENTS
Seniors Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield have each surpassed the 1,000-point mark during their careers here in Oxford, and continue to climb the program leaderboard. Here's a snapshot of where they lie among the career points list at Ole Miss:
...
6. Breein Tyree - 1,797
7. Justin Reed - 1,785
8. Matthew Murrell - 1,689
9. Keith Carter - 1,682
...
21. Devontae Shuler - 1,319
22. Cob Jarvis - 1,313
23. Jaemyn Brakefield - 1,298
24. Stefan Moody - 1,294
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 21 in the nation. Since the ranking's first iteration at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, their ranking of 13th on January 20 is the highest-ever NET Ranking for the Ole Miss program.
As of February 13, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, eight in the top 25, and four in the top 10.
RECORD BOOK WRECKER
Senior guard Matthew Murrell enters his fifth season with Ole Miss and continues to put his name up and down the program record book. The Memphis native currently ranks eighth in school history in career points with 1,689, and fourth in three-point shots made (250) and in three-point attempts (708). He also ranks ninth in most field goal attempts at 1,378, and is sixth in career steals with 162.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell recently became the program's all-time leader in games played and minutes played. On January 22, Murrell passed Zach Graham at 135 games played for Ole Miss, and has since pushed his number to 142. At South Carolina on February 12, he surpassed Elston Turner for the most minutes played in a Rebel uniform, now with 4,127 minutes on the court for Ole Miss.
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
TEAM FACTS
No. 19/23 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 19-6, 8-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (39-18) • 276-116 career record (13th Season)
No. 22/RV Mississippi State Bulldogs (Record: 17-7, 5-6 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Jans • 3rd Season at Mississippi State (59-34) • 202-78 career record (9th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: John Schriffen
Analyst: Richard Hendrix
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
SOLD OUT!
Tickets for Saturday's game are sold out through the Ole Miss Athletics ticket office. Fans can check SeatGeek, the official secondary marketplace of the Rebels, for other options. Please download your mobile tickets prior to arriving at the stadium to ensure the swiftest entry.
ARRIVE EARLY!
With a large crowd anticipated, fans are encouraged to arrive early. Gates open at 3 p.m. for students and 3:30 p.m. for ticketed fans.
GAMEDAY PROMOS
Fans are encouraged to wear powder blue, with powder blue poms available to all fans.
CELEBRATING THE 2025 ALL-GIRLS DIVISION 1A NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The Ole Miss cheer team will be available pregame in the concourse for autographs in the All-American hallway. Photos on the concourse with the team and National Championship trophy will be available as well. The team will be recognized on the court at halftime.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE
The 12th most-played matchup in all of college basketball, this will be the 272nd meeting between the Rebels and Bulldogs dating back to 1914. While Mississippi State holds the all-time series lead at 151-120, Ole Miss leads when playing in Oxford 89-47. With Ole Miss at No. 19 and Mississippi State at No. 22 in the latest AP Poll, this will be the second-ever matchup between the two programs while both ranked, with the first coming just last month in Starkville. In their first of two meetings during the regular season this year, the Bulldogs won in a tight 84-81 overtime battle. The two schools split the series last season, with Ole Miss coming out on top in Oxford 86-82 before Mississippi State won 83-71 on their home court a few weeks later.
LAST MEETING: January 18, 2025 (L, 81-84 (OT), Starkville, Miss.)
• The 15th-ranked Bulldogs took an early lead on the Rebels, leading by eight at halftime. Ole Miss would battle back in the second, with Matthew Murrell hitting a clutch three at the top of the arc to send the game to overtime, before the home team won by three.
• Jaemyn Brakefield (Ole Miss): 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal.
• Riley Kugel (Mississippi State): 21 points, three rebounds, two assists, one block, two steals.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State comes to Oxford with a season record of 17-7, having gone 5-6 in conference action. They picked up notable wins in non-conference action against Utah, SMU, No. 18 Pittsburgh, and No. 21 Memphis. In SEC play, the Bulldogs began with wins over South Carolina and Vanderbilt, before an overtime win over No. 21 Ole Miss, South Carolina once again in overtime, and at Georgia. State owns a ranking of 22nd in the recent AP Poll, and is receiving votes in the Coaches Poll. They sit in ninth in the latest SEC standings, and own a NET Ranking of 30.
Sophomore guard Josh Hubbard leads the Bulldogs and ranks fourth in the conference with an average of 17.6 points per game, and ranks second in the SEC sinking 3.21 three-pointers per contest. Averaging 4.0 assists as well, Hubbard's assist-turnover ratio of 3.35 ranks second in the SEC and ranks 10th in the nation. They're led in rebounding by KeShawn Murphy at 7.5 per game. On the defensive end, Cameron Matthews averages a conference-high 2.50 steals per outing, which ranks ninth nationally.
Similar to Ole Miss, Mississippi State has had plenty of success taking care of the ball, as they rank No. 36 in the nation in both turnover margin (+3.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.48). Just like the Rebels, they generate many of their turnovers off steals, averaging 9.3 per game to rank 22nd in the country and third in the SEC. The Bulldogs rank 19th in the NCAA in bench points per game, scoring an average of 30.4 per outing outside of their starters.
Currently in his third year with the program, head coach Chris Jans is one of the winningest coaches in college basketball, with a career percentage of 72.1 which ranks as the 13th best among active coaches. He's won 21 games in each of his first two seasons in Starkville, and joined the program from New Mexico State, where he accumulated 122 wins to just 32 losses over five seasons. He got his first Division I head coaching position at Bowling Green during the 2014-15 season, after years of success at the junior college level.
MAGIC NUMBER IN SIGHT
With 19 wins on the season, Ole Miss has their eyes set on a 20-win campaign for the second year in a row, a feat last accomplished in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. A win on Saturday, February 15 against Mississippi State would be the fourth-fastest to the 20-win-mark (26 games), after Ole Miss reached that point in 24 games during 2000-01, and 25 games in both 1997-98 and 1936-37. It would be the 19th 20-win season in program history, and the 14th since the year 2000.
"POLL" POSITION
In the latest top-25 polls released this past Monday, Ole Miss ranks No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Their current run of 12 straight weeks in the AP Top 25 is the longest streak since the 1997-98 season, when the Rebels held a ranking the entire season. Ranked No. 15 in the Coaches Poll on December 9, it was the highest ranking in a national poll since the Rebels were No. 14 in the AP Poll on January 4, 2010, and the highest position in the Coaches Poll since they sat in 15th on January 21 in 2008.
BATTLE TESTED
The schedule for Ole Miss has been, and continues to be, one of the most difficult in the nation. As of February 13, they own the nation's sixth-toughest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index. Their past opposition's win percentage of 63.4 ranks as the 10th-highest in the nation, while their remaining opponent's win percentage of 77.6 is the second-highest in all of college basketball. Their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 66.2 is the fourth highest in the country.
SPECIAL WEAPON OFF THE BENCH
A consistent starter over the past three seasons at Ole Miss, Jaemyn Brakefield has embraced a role off the bench this season and still been one of the best players on the court. With a season average of 10.9 points per game, Brakefield leads the conference with 17 double-digit point games when coming off the bench.
Double-Digit Scoring Off The Bench - SEC
1. 17 - Jaemyn Brakefield, Ole Miss
2. 16 - Aden Holloway, Alabama
3. 14 - Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
LUNARDI SAYS "DANCE"
Updated each Tuesday and Friday, the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as a five seed in the West Region. They are projected to face 12-seed McNeese in Providence, R.I., paired with four-seeded Wisconsin vs. 13th-seeded Akron. The highest seed for the Ole Miss program came in the 2001 tournament, when they were set as a three seed and reached the Sweet 16. Lunardi's latest projections has 13 teams from the SEC earning a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a number that would be the most for a single conference all time.
PROGRAM POINT PRESIDENTS
Seniors Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield have each surpassed the 1,000-point mark during their careers here in Oxford, and continue to climb the program leaderboard. Here's a snapshot of where they lie among the career points list at Ole Miss:
...
6. Breein Tyree - 1,797
7. Justin Reed - 1,785
8. Matthew Murrell - 1,689
9. Keith Carter - 1,682
...
21. Devontae Shuler - 1,319
22. Cob Jarvis - 1,313
23. Jaemyn Brakefield - 1,298
24. Stefan Moody - 1,294
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 21 in the nation. Since the ranking's first iteration at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, their ranking of 13th on January 20 is the highest-ever NET Ranking for the Ole Miss program.
As of February 13, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, eight in the top 25, and four in the top 10.
RECORD BOOK WRECKER
Senior guard Matthew Murrell enters his fifth season with Ole Miss and continues to put his name up and down the program record book. The Memphis native currently ranks eighth in school history in career points with 1,689, and fourth in three-point shots made (250) and in three-point attempts (708). He also ranks ninth in most field goal attempts at 1,378, and is sixth in career steals with 162.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell recently became the program's all-time leader in games played and minutes played. On January 22, Murrell passed Zach Graham at 135 games played for Ole Miss, and has since pushed his number to 142. At South Carolina on February 12, he surpassed Elston Turner for the most minutes played in a Rebel uniform, now with 4,127 minutes on the court for Ole Miss.
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
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