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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, January 31
Nashville, Tenn.
5 p.m.
Ole Miss
at
Vanderbilt
Men's Basketball Prepares for Road Game at Vanderbilt
1/30/2026 | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following a schedule adjustment, the Ole Miss men's basketball team will hit the road to face No. 15 Vanderbilt on Saturday, January 31 at 5 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium, broadcasting on the SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 11-9, 3-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (55-33) • 292-131 career record (14th Season)
Vanderbilt Commodores (Record: 18-3, 5-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Mark Byington • 2nd Season at Vanderbilt (38-16) • 258-153 career record (14th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Richard Cross
Analyst: Pat Bradley
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway
SERIES HISTORY VS. VANDERBILT
The two schools will meet on the basketball court for the 130th time, dating back to 1925 when Vandy defeated the Rebels 19-18 on January 8. The Commodores own the all-time series lead 80-49 and 52-11 in Nashville, with the last Ole Miss win in Memorial Gymnasium coming in 2019.
LAST MEETING: February 22, 2025 (L, 72-77, Nashville, Tenn.)
• Vanderbilt took an eight-point lead into halftime, holding off a late push from the Rebels to win by five.
• Malik Dia (Ole Miss): 22 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks, one steal.
• Chris Manon (Vanderbilt): 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist, three blocks, four steals.
SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
Entering with an SEC-best 18 wins on the season, Vanderbilt picked up notable non-con victories over UCF, VCU, Saint Mary's, SMU, Memphis, and Wake Forest. They've gone 5-3 to begin conference action, recently hosting Kentucky and winning 80-55. Vandy currently sits in fourth in the SEC standings, ranks No. 15 in the Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the AP Poll, and holds the No. 13 spot in the latest NET Rankings and No. 12 spot in KenPom.
Four players average double figures in scoring for one of the higher-powered offenses in the country, led by guard Tyler Tanner at 17.5. The Commodores are led on the boards by returning forward Devin McGlockton at 7.0 per outing. Sharpshooter Tyler Nickel leads the SEC and ranks among the nation's best from beyond the arc, making 71 total shots while shooting 45.8 percent from deep.
Notable NCAA Team Statistical Rankings:
- Assist-to-turnover ratio: 1.85, 6th
- Three-point defensive percentage: 28.7, 10th
- Points per game: 89.6, 11th
- Scoring margin: +16.5, 12th
- Blocks per game: 5.3, 15th
- Turnover margin: +4.0, 19th
- Fewest turnovers per game: 9.6, 20th
- Free throw percentage: 77.3, 22nd
- Steals per game: 9.2, 25th
Head coach Mark Byington is in his second year in Nashville, leading the Commodores to a 20-win campaign in year one. Prior to joining the Commodores, Byington spent four years at James Madison, highlighted by a 32-4 season in 2023-24 where he was one of three teams to begin the season 13-0 in the nation (also Ole Miss) and finished it off with an upset over No. 5 seed Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. Before his time at James Madison, he was the head coach of Georgia Southern for seven seasons, after getting his first action at the helm as an interim head coach at College of Charleston in 2011-12.
"SAFETY FIRST, THEN TEAMWORK"
In their 20 games this season, Ole Miss has had 10 or less turnovers in 12 contests, including each of their seven SEC games. Their season average of 9.9 turnovers per game is the 31st-best mark in the nation and fourth in the conference, while their clip of 7.7 per game is the best in the SEC during conference play.
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.
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 before scoring a team-high 18 against Auburn. Over the past five games, Storr is averaging 21.6 points, while his clip of 18.3 points per game during conference play ranks 10th in the SEC.
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.
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 4.7 blocks per game, the 44th-best mark in the nation. They have been led by forward James Scott, who's average of 1.3 blocks per contest ranks among the top 10 among SEC programs. Thirteen different players have recorded a block paced by Scott's 25, 21 from Malik Dia, and 19 from Corey Chest.
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. Pinkins has also hit game-winning shots in an overtime win at No. 21 Georgia, and in hostile territory at Mississippi State this season.
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.
"WHOOP" THERE IT IS
Ole Miss defended their home court to move to 3-0 on the new season in a tough matchup, taking down Memphis 83-77 in front of a raucous crowd. While the two would go back-and-forth to begin the matchup, the Tigers held their final lead midway through the first half as Ole Miss stepped in front and held the visitors at bay.
Newcomer Ilias Kamardine continued to dazzle and impress, as he paced the Rebels with 26 points by going 11-14 from the field, knocking down a trio of three pointers while adding four rebounds, four assists and a block and steal on defense. Senior guard Kezza Giffa made his first start of the season and took advantage of his opportunity with 15 points while dishing out five assists with zero turnovers.
The win gave Ole Miss a win in six of the last nine meetings with Memphis, while the Rebels have won five straight games when playing in Oxford.
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: 11-9, 3-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (55-33) • 292-131 career record (14th Season)
Vanderbilt Commodores (Record: 18-3, 5-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Mark Byington • 2nd Season at Vanderbilt (38-16) • 258-153 career record (14th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Richard Cross
Analyst: Pat Bradley
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway
SERIES HISTORY VS. VANDERBILT
The two schools will meet on the basketball court for the 130th time, dating back to 1925 when Vandy defeated the Rebels 19-18 on January 8. The Commodores own the all-time series lead 80-49 and 52-11 in Nashville, with the last Ole Miss win in Memorial Gymnasium coming in 2019.
LAST MEETING: February 22, 2025 (L, 72-77, Nashville, Tenn.)
• Vanderbilt took an eight-point lead into halftime, holding off a late push from the Rebels to win by five.
• Malik Dia (Ole Miss): 22 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks, one steal.
• Chris Manon (Vanderbilt): 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist, three blocks, four steals.
SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
Entering with an SEC-best 18 wins on the season, Vanderbilt picked up notable non-con victories over UCF, VCU, Saint Mary's, SMU, Memphis, and Wake Forest. They've gone 5-3 to begin conference action, recently hosting Kentucky and winning 80-55. Vandy currently sits in fourth in the SEC standings, ranks No. 15 in the Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the AP Poll, and holds the No. 13 spot in the latest NET Rankings and No. 12 spot in KenPom.
Four players average double figures in scoring for one of the higher-powered offenses in the country, led by guard Tyler Tanner at 17.5. The Commodores are led on the boards by returning forward Devin McGlockton at 7.0 per outing. Sharpshooter Tyler Nickel leads the SEC and ranks among the nation's best from beyond the arc, making 71 total shots while shooting 45.8 percent from deep.
Notable NCAA Team Statistical Rankings:
- Assist-to-turnover ratio: 1.85, 6th
- Three-point defensive percentage: 28.7, 10th
- Points per game: 89.6, 11th
- Scoring margin: +16.5, 12th
- Blocks per game: 5.3, 15th
- Turnover margin: +4.0, 19th
- Fewest turnovers per game: 9.6, 20th
- Free throw percentage: 77.3, 22nd
- Steals per game: 9.2, 25th
Head coach Mark Byington is in his second year in Nashville, leading the Commodores to a 20-win campaign in year one. Prior to joining the Commodores, Byington spent four years at James Madison, highlighted by a 32-4 season in 2023-24 where he was one of three teams to begin the season 13-0 in the nation (also Ole Miss) and finished it off with an upset over No. 5 seed Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. Before his time at James Madison, he was the head coach of Georgia Southern for seven seasons, after getting his first action at the helm as an interim head coach at College of Charleston in 2011-12.
"SAFETY FIRST, THEN TEAMWORK"
In their 20 games this season, Ole Miss has had 10 or less turnovers in 12 contests, including each of their seven SEC games. Their season average of 9.9 turnovers per game is the 31st-best mark in the nation and fourth in the conference, while their clip of 7.7 per game is the best in the SEC during conference play.
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.
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 before scoring a team-high 18 against Auburn. Over the past five games, Storr is averaging 21.6 points, while his clip of 18.3 points per game during conference play ranks 10th in the SEC.
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.
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 4.7 blocks per game, the 44th-best mark in the nation. They have been led by forward James Scott, who's average of 1.3 blocks per contest ranks among the top 10 among SEC programs. Thirteen different players have recorded a block paced by Scott's 25, 21 from Malik Dia, and 19 from Corey Chest.
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. Pinkins has also hit game-winning shots in an overtime win at No. 21 Georgia, and in hostile territory at Mississippi State this season.
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.
"WHOOP" THERE IT IS
Ole Miss defended their home court to move to 3-0 on the new season in a tough matchup, taking down Memphis 83-77 in front of a raucous crowd. While the two would go back-and-forth to begin the matchup, the Tigers held their final lead midway through the first half as Ole Miss stepped in front and held the visitors at bay.
Newcomer Ilias Kamardine continued to dazzle and impress, as he paced the Rebels with 26 points by going 11-14 from the field, knocking down a trio of three pointers while adding four rebounds, four assists and a block and steal on defense. Senior guard Kezza Giffa made his first start of the season and took advantage of his opportunity with 15 points while dishing out five assists with zero turnovers.
The win gave Ole Miss a win in six of the last nine meetings with Memphis, while the Rebels have won five straight games when playing in Oxford.
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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HIGHLIGHTS: Men's Basketball vs. Auburn (1/20/26)
Tuesday, January 20
PRESSER: Chris Beard (Auburn Postgame)
Tuesday, January 20
PRESSER | Yolett McPhee-McCuin (01-20-26)
Tuesday, January 20
PRESSER | Chris Beard & Ilias Kamardine - Postgame at Mississippi State (01-17-26)
Saturday, January 17