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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, January 20
Oxford, Miss.
8 p.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Auburn
Men's Basketball Returns to SJB Pavilion for Tuesday Night Match with Auburn
1/19/2026 | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – Following a pair of victories on the road, the Ole Miss men's basketball team looks forward to returning home as they host Auburn in the SJB Pavilion on Tuesday, January 20 at 8 p.m. and broadcast on ESPNU.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 11-7, 3-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (55-31) • 292-129 career record (14th Season)
Auburn Tigers (Record: 11-7, 2-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Steven Pearl • 1st Season at Auburn (11-7) • 11-7 career record (1st Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPNU
Play-by-Play: Dave Neal
Analyst: Dane Bradshaw
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway
SERIES HISTORY VS. AUBURN
The Tigers and Rebels have played in 150 games during their history, with Auburn owning the series lead 86-64. When playing in Oxford, Ole Miss holds a series lead 43-27, but are searching for their first win against the Tigers since the 2020-21 season.
LAST MEETING: March 14, 2025 (L, 57-62, Nashville, Tenn.)
• A quarterfinal matchup in the SEC Tournament, this was the third game between these two teams during the 2024-25 season. Despite trailing by seven at the half, Ole Miss battelled back and outscored Auburn in the second frame but would bow out of the tournament in Nashville.
• Dre Davis (Ole Miss): 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, one block.
• Johni Broome (Auburn): 23 points, 15 rebounds, one assist, one steal.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Auburn comes to Oxford with a record of 11-7 on the season, having begun SEC play with a 2-3 record. During their non-con action, the Tigers picked up notable wins over Oregon, No. 14 St. John's, and NC State. Their two wins during conference play have come over No. 15 Arkansas and South Carolina, while their losses were to No. 23 Georgia, Texas A&M, and Missouri. They own a ranking of No. 36 in the latest NET Rankings, and are 34th in KenPom ratings.
UCF transfer forward Keyshawn Hall paces Auburn offensively, averaging 20.2 points per game for the third-best clip in the SEC, while pulling in a team-high 7.6 rebounds as well. Much of his production comes from drawing fouls, as he leads all of college basketball with 125 made free throws while shooting 86.2 percent from the charity stripe.
Led by Hall, the Tigers have been one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the free throw line, averaging 28.1 attempts per game (4th in NCAA) and 20.4 free throws made per game (5th in NCAA). They've also been one of the better teams at keeping their offensive possessions alive, ranking 12th in the country and third in the SEC with an average of 14.2 offensive rebounds per game.
In his first season at the helm, Steven Pearl took over for his father Bruce Pearl this past offseason after spending 2023-25 as an associate head coach and 2017-23 as an assistant coach at Auburn. He previously played for his father while at Tennessee from 2007-11.
I THOUGHT I TOLD YA, I'M A STARR
A key component in the consecutive SEC wins over Missouri, No. 21 Georgia, and Mississippi State was senior guard AJ Storr. In a home game with Mizzou, Storr caught fire early, knocking down four three-point shots in the first half before finishing with a then season-best 26 points. He followed that up with a strong game on the road at No. 21 Georgia, scoring 18 points in the second half and overtime period combined to finish with a season-best 27 points and eight rebounds, adding three steals on defense. Storr helped Ole Miss come out on top of a battle in Starkville with 17 points, bringing his average of the three-game stretch to 23.3 points per game.
"SAFETY FIRST, THEN TEAMWORK"
In their 18 games this season, Ole Miss has had 10 or less turnovers in 10 contests, including each of their five SEC games. Their average of 10.1 turnovers per game is the 36th-best mark in the nation, and fourth in the conference. After finishing last year with an average of 9.0 turnovers per game and setting a new school record, their current average would rank second, just ahead of Chris Beard's first season in Oxford, giving him the three-best marks in school history.
AS SWEET AS SUGAR
Heading into hostile territory against a ranked opponent, Ole Miss entered Stegeman Coliseum on January 14 to take on the No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs, a facility that had the longest active win streak in the SEC against unranked foes. Trailing by five at the half, the Rebels continued to scrap with the top-ranked scoring offense in all of college basketball, keeping pace behind 16 second-half points from AJ Storr and 14 from Travis Perry. Trailing by four with under a minute to play, Storr cut the deficit to two, 87-85 with 38 seconds remaining. Following a missed layup from the Bulldogs, Storr collected the rebound and drove the length of the floor for a bucket to force overtime.
With 18 seconds left in OT, Storr dropped in a quick layup off an inbound pass to go up 95-94. The home team would go 1-2 on the other end of the floor from the free throw line, before a missed floater from Storr was batted to Patton Pinkins, who tipped in the rebound as the clock hit zeros for a game-winning score.
The 97 points from Ole Miss marked the most scored against a ranked opponent on the road in school history.
TIGER TAMER
Ole Miss picked up their first conference victory with a 76-69 victory over Missouri in the SJB Pavilion on January 10. The Rebels survived an early onslaught of threes from the Tigers, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the first half to eventually win by seven. Coming off the bench, AJ Storr played 33 minutes and scored a game-high 26 points while grabbing five rebounds with zero turnovers. Ole Miss got another elite performance from forward Malik Dia, who recorded yet another double-double with 21 points and 11 boards, adding a steal and three blocks on the defensive end.
MALIK DIA-DIA
Entering this season with four career double-doubles, senior forward Malik Dia has matched that total number this year, hitting the milestone against St. John's, NC State, Alcorn State, and Missouri. Each of those double-doubles has come over the past 10 games alone.
THA BLOCK IS HOT
A strong defense has been a staple for Ole Miss under head coach Chris Beard, and this year's team has used their length and athleticism to average 4.9 blocks per game, the 31st-best mark in the nation. They have been led by forward James Scott, who's average of 1.4 blocks per contest ranks among the top 10 among SEC programs. So far this season, 13 different players have recorded a block paced by Scott's 23, 19 from Malik Dia and Corey Chest, and eight from Ilias Kamardine.
PATTON PINKINS PHRESHMAN PHENOM
In the team's SEC opener at Oklahoma, freshman guard Patton Pinkins scored a career-best 25 points on an impressive 9-11 (.818) shooting while draining four three pointers. His game-high 25 points were the most for a freshman at Ole Miss since November 2022, when Amaree Abram score 26 against Stanford.
In the previous two games, Pinkins has hit game-winning shots in an overtime win at No. 21 Georgia, and in hostiel territory at Mississippi State.
NON-CONFERENCE CLOSER
In their final game before SEC action, Ole Miss hosted Alcorn State on December 29, picking up a dominating 79-43 victory. Their success stemmed from impressive rebounding, posting a margin of +25 for the first time since 2008, led by Malik Dia and James Scott with 11 rebounds, and Corey Chest with 10. It had been nearly a decade since the Rebels had a trio of players with 10+ boards in a single game.
Paired with their 11 rebounds, both Dia and Scott posted double-doubles as well, marking the first time Ole Miss had two double-doubles in a single game since 2021. For Dia, that was his third double-double of the season, all of which occurred in a five-game stretch, and second in a row. He became the latest Ole Miss player to record double-doubles in back-to-back games since Sebastian Saiz in 2017. After beginning the season with an average of 4.8 rebounds per contest over the first six games of the season, Dia averaged 9.0 per game over the final seven in non-conference action.
50 VICTORIES
With an Ole Miss win over Southern Miss on Saturday, December 13, head coach Chris Beard picked up his 50th win at the helm in Oxford. He became the 13th coach to win 50 games at Ole Miss, the fifth coach to reach that mark in their third season, and the third-fastest to 50 in school history.
"WHEN IT'S TIME TO EAT A MEAL, I ROB AND STEAL"
In a heated road battle in Madison Square Garden with St. John's, Kezza Giffa played a key part in the Ole Miss second-half comeback attempt. On the floor for 17 of the final 20 minutes of action, Giffa helped keep one of the nation's best offenses at bay, collecting six steals to bring his game total to seven. He became one of 11 Rebels all-time to grab seven or more steals in a game, tying him for the fifth-most in school history. It was the most steals for an Ole Miss player in a single game since Matthew Murrell had seven as well against Grambling State on November 8, 2024.
BLACKJACK
For the third season in a row, the Ole Miss Rebels traveled down to Biloxi, Mississippi to take on Southern Miss in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Holding a narrow lead at halftime, 31-29, guard AJ Storr helped fuel a second-half surge where the team shot 63.6 percent from the field, their second-best shooting performance in a half this season. The senior guard finished with a season-best eight made shots and a game-high 21 points while adding three offensive rebounds, and a pair of steals.
The Ole Miss bench outscored Southern Miss 29-6, led by 13 points from Kezza Giffa and 12 from Patton Pinkins. For the third game in a row, the Ole Miss defense had 10 or more steals, led by Giffa with three.
KEEP THE FUTURE BRIGHT
The Ole Miss men's basketball program recently welcomed two signees to their 2026 recruiting class, adding small forward Jaron Saulsberry and combo guard Yohance Connor.
Saulsberry will come to Oxford from Marietta, Georgia and Wheeler High School, and is ranked as a top-10 player in his home state by both ESPN and 247Sports. A 6'6" four-star recruit, he is ranked as the No. 28 small forward in the class of 2026.
Hailing from Charlotte, N.C., Connor ranks among the best in his state, tabbed the No. 3 player in North Carolina by 247Sports and No. 5 by Rivals. He is listed as a four-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports, and ranked as the No. 5 combo guard in the class of 2026 by Rivals.
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
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 11-7, 3-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (55-31) • 292-129 career record (14th Season)
Auburn Tigers (Record: 11-7, 2-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Steven Pearl • 1st Season at Auburn (11-7) • 11-7 career record (1st Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPNU
Play-by-Play: Dave Neal
Analyst: Dane Bradshaw
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway
SERIES HISTORY VS. AUBURN
The Tigers and Rebels have played in 150 games during their history, with Auburn owning the series lead 86-64. When playing in Oxford, Ole Miss holds a series lead 43-27, but are searching for their first win against the Tigers since the 2020-21 season.
LAST MEETING: March 14, 2025 (L, 57-62, Nashville, Tenn.)
• A quarterfinal matchup in the SEC Tournament, this was the third game between these two teams during the 2024-25 season. Despite trailing by seven at the half, Ole Miss battelled back and outscored Auburn in the second frame but would bow out of the tournament in Nashville.
• Dre Davis (Ole Miss): 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, one block.
• Johni Broome (Auburn): 23 points, 15 rebounds, one assist, one steal.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Auburn comes to Oxford with a record of 11-7 on the season, having begun SEC play with a 2-3 record. During their non-con action, the Tigers picked up notable wins over Oregon, No. 14 St. John's, and NC State. Their two wins during conference play have come over No. 15 Arkansas and South Carolina, while their losses were to No. 23 Georgia, Texas A&M, and Missouri. They own a ranking of No. 36 in the latest NET Rankings, and are 34th in KenPom ratings.
UCF transfer forward Keyshawn Hall paces Auburn offensively, averaging 20.2 points per game for the third-best clip in the SEC, while pulling in a team-high 7.6 rebounds as well. Much of his production comes from drawing fouls, as he leads all of college basketball with 125 made free throws while shooting 86.2 percent from the charity stripe.
Led by Hall, the Tigers have been one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the free throw line, averaging 28.1 attempts per game (4th in NCAA) and 20.4 free throws made per game (5th in NCAA). They've also been one of the better teams at keeping their offensive possessions alive, ranking 12th in the country and third in the SEC with an average of 14.2 offensive rebounds per game.
In his first season at the helm, Steven Pearl took over for his father Bruce Pearl this past offseason after spending 2023-25 as an associate head coach and 2017-23 as an assistant coach at Auburn. He previously played for his father while at Tennessee from 2007-11.
I THOUGHT I TOLD YA, I'M A STARR
A key component in the consecutive SEC wins over Missouri, No. 21 Georgia, and Mississippi State was senior guard AJ Storr. In a home game with Mizzou, Storr caught fire early, knocking down four three-point shots in the first half before finishing with a then season-best 26 points. He followed that up with a strong game on the road at No. 21 Georgia, scoring 18 points in the second half and overtime period combined to finish with a season-best 27 points and eight rebounds, adding three steals on defense. Storr helped Ole Miss come out on top of a battle in Starkville with 17 points, bringing his average of the three-game stretch to 23.3 points per game.
"SAFETY FIRST, THEN TEAMWORK"
In their 18 games this season, Ole Miss has had 10 or less turnovers in 10 contests, including each of their five SEC games. Their average of 10.1 turnovers per game is the 36th-best mark in the nation, and fourth in the conference. After finishing last year with an average of 9.0 turnovers per game and setting a new school record, their current average would rank second, just ahead of Chris Beard's first season in Oxford, giving him the three-best marks in school history.
AS SWEET AS SUGAR
Heading into hostile territory against a ranked opponent, Ole Miss entered Stegeman Coliseum on January 14 to take on the No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs, a facility that had the longest active win streak in the SEC against unranked foes. Trailing by five at the half, the Rebels continued to scrap with the top-ranked scoring offense in all of college basketball, keeping pace behind 16 second-half points from AJ Storr and 14 from Travis Perry. Trailing by four with under a minute to play, Storr cut the deficit to two, 87-85 with 38 seconds remaining. Following a missed layup from the Bulldogs, Storr collected the rebound and drove the length of the floor for a bucket to force overtime.
With 18 seconds left in OT, Storr dropped in a quick layup off an inbound pass to go up 95-94. The home team would go 1-2 on the other end of the floor from the free throw line, before a missed floater from Storr was batted to Patton Pinkins, who tipped in the rebound as the clock hit zeros for a game-winning score.
The 97 points from Ole Miss marked the most scored against a ranked opponent on the road in school history.
TIGER TAMER
Ole Miss picked up their first conference victory with a 76-69 victory over Missouri in the SJB Pavilion on January 10. The Rebels survived an early onslaught of threes from the Tigers, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the first half to eventually win by seven. Coming off the bench, AJ Storr played 33 minutes and scored a game-high 26 points while grabbing five rebounds with zero turnovers. Ole Miss got another elite performance from forward Malik Dia, who recorded yet another double-double with 21 points and 11 boards, adding a steal and three blocks on the defensive end.
MALIK DIA-DIA
Entering this season with four career double-doubles, senior forward Malik Dia has matched that total number this year, hitting the milestone against St. John's, NC State, Alcorn State, and Missouri. Each of those double-doubles has come over the past 10 games alone.
THA BLOCK IS HOT
A strong defense has been a staple for Ole Miss under head coach Chris Beard, and this year's team has used their length and athleticism to average 4.9 blocks per game, the 31st-best mark in the nation. They have been led by forward James Scott, who's average of 1.4 blocks per contest ranks among the top 10 among SEC programs. So far this season, 13 different players have recorded a block paced by Scott's 23, 19 from Malik Dia and Corey Chest, and eight from Ilias Kamardine.
PATTON PINKINS PHRESHMAN PHENOM
In the team's SEC opener at Oklahoma, freshman guard Patton Pinkins scored a career-best 25 points on an impressive 9-11 (.818) shooting while draining four three pointers. His game-high 25 points were the most for a freshman at Ole Miss since November 2022, when Amaree Abram score 26 against Stanford.
In the previous two games, Pinkins has hit game-winning shots in an overtime win at No. 21 Georgia, and in hostiel territory at Mississippi State.
NON-CONFERENCE CLOSER
In their final game before SEC action, Ole Miss hosted Alcorn State on December 29, picking up a dominating 79-43 victory. Their success stemmed from impressive rebounding, posting a margin of +25 for the first time since 2008, led by Malik Dia and James Scott with 11 rebounds, and Corey Chest with 10. It had been nearly a decade since the Rebels had a trio of players with 10+ boards in a single game.
Paired with their 11 rebounds, both Dia and Scott posted double-doubles as well, marking the first time Ole Miss had two double-doubles in a single game since 2021. For Dia, that was his third double-double of the season, all of which occurred in a five-game stretch, and second in a row. He became the latest Ole Miss player to record double-doubles in back-to-back games since Sebastian Saiz in 2017. After beginning the season with an average of 4.8 rebounds per contest over the first six games of the season, Dia averaged 9.0 per game over the final seven in non-conference action.
50 VICTORIES
With an Ole Miss win over Southern Miss on Saturday, December 13, head coach Chris Beard picked up his 50th win at the helm in Oxford. He became the 13th coach to win 50 games at Ole Miss, the fifth coach to reach that mark in their third season, and the third-fastest to 50 in school history.
"WHEN IT'S TIME TO EAT A MEAL, I ROB AND STEAL"
In a heated road battle in Madison Square Garden with St. John's, Kezza Giffa played a key part in the Ole Miss second-half comeback attempt. On the floor for 17 of the final 20 minutes of action, Giffa helped keep one of the nation's best offenses at bay, collecting six steals to bring his game total to seven. He became one of 11 Rebels all-time to grab seven or more steals in a game, tying him for the fifth-most in school history. It was the most steals for an Ole Miss player in a single game since Matthew Murrell had seven as well against Grambling State on November 8, 2024.
BLACKJACK
For the third season in a row, the Ole Miss Rebels traveled down to Biloxi, Mississippi to take on Southern Miss in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Holding a narrow lead at halftime, 31-29, guard AJ Storr helped fuel a second-half surge where the team shot 63.6 percent from the field, their second-best shooting performance in a half this season. The senior guard finished with a season-best eight made shots and a game-high 21 points while adding three offensive rebounds, and a pair of steals.
The Ole Miss bench outscored Southern Miss 29-6, led by 13 points from Kezza Giffa and 12 from Patton Pinkins. For the third game in a row, the Ole Miss defense had 10 or more steals, led by Giffa with three.
KEEP THE FUTURE BRIGHT
The Ole Miss men's basketball program recently welcomed two signees to their 2026 recruiting class, adding small forward Jaron Saulsberry and combo guard Yohance Connor.
Saulsberry will come to Oxford from Marietta, Georgia and Wheeler High School, and is ranked as a top-10 player in his home state by both ESPN and 247Sports. A 6'6" four-star recruit, he is ranked as the No. 28 small forward in the class of 2026.
Hailing from Charlotte, N.C., Connor ranks among the best in his state, tabbed the No. 3 player in North Carolina by 247Sports and No. 5 by Rivals. He is listed as a four-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports, and ranked as the No. 5 combo guard in the class of 2026 by Rivals.
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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