Men's Basketball Defeats Iowa State to Advance in NCAA Tournament, Dances to Sweet 16

MILWAUKEE – A balanced offensive attack and stifling defense propelled the No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels (24-11, 10-8 SEC) to a 91-78, win over the No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones (25-10, 13-7 BIG 12) Sunday night at Fiserv Forum. The victory sends the Rebels dancing to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history.

SWEET 16 BOUND!!!#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/aZarQxxFkO
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 24, 2025

The first 10 minutes of play would be a defensive battle on both ends as Iowa State would lead 15-13, at the under 12 media timeout. Ole Miss utilized a 9-0 run over 2:16 of play to jump ahead 25-17, with 7:57 to play.

The Rebels got early offensive production from the duo of Sean Pedulla and Malik Dia. They combined for 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting over the first 12:03 of action.

Ole Miss would continue to look inside for Dia who helped stretch the Rebel lead to 36-24, with 2:58 remaining in the first half.

The Rebels would hold the Cyclones to just 37.5 percent shooting and 29 points over the first 20 minutes of action. Dia led all scorers with 14 in half one as Ole Miss took a 40-29, lead to the locker room.

Iowa State would throw the first jab of the second half getting the Cyclone faithful back on their feet at Fiserv Forum. Ole Miss responded by hitting 5-of-7 field goals to start, including three triples from Pedulla, Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield. The Rebels would push the lead to 17 forcing an Iowa State timeout at the 16:03 mark.

The Rebels never looked back offensively, shooting the rock at 67.9 percent 19-for-28 in the second half and 58.2 percent for the game.

ON FIRE ??
pic.twitter.com/YkMqUuDsum
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 24, 2025

Ole Miss poured in 11 three-pointers, tying a program record for the most threes made in an NCAA tournament game.

Coming out of an Ole Miss timeout, the Rebels were able to crack the Iowa State press for a Murrell layup. Ole Miss forced a Cyclone turnover on the following possession, putting the game on ice.

The Cyclones were led by Curtis Jones who scored 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting.

Ole Miss will head to Atlanta and take on the No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans (29-6, 17-3 BIG Ten). Tipoff is slated for 7:09 p.m. ET on CBS.

NOTABLES

Five players scored in double figures for the Rebels: Sean Pedulla (20), Jaemyn Brakefield (19), Malik Dia (18), Matthew Murrell (15) and Jaylen Murray (11). It marks the ninth game this season five players have scored 10 or more in a contest and 22nd time four players have hit double digits.
The Rebels set a new NCAA tournament record for their highest field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, and free throw percentage in a game. Ole Miss shot 58.2 percent (32-for-55) from the floor, 57.9 percent (11-19) from deep, and 76.2 (16-21) percent from the charity stripe.
The win marks the second Sweet 16 appearance for Ole Miss in program history. The 2000-01 team went (27-8, 11-5 SEC), making it to the third round of the big dance against Arizona in San Antonio, Texas.
Ole Miss has now made 291 three-pointers on the season. They surpassed the 2009-10 team (286) for the most three-point field goals in a single season.
The Rebel defense turned Iowa State over 15 times, holding a 20-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

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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