The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, March 12
Nashville, Tenn.
6 p.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Georgia
Men's Basketball Ready for Second Round Matchup at SEC Tournament
3/12/2026 | Men's Basketball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following an opening-round victory over Texas on Wednesday night, the Ole Miss men's basketball team prepares for their next opponent on the bracket in Georgia, taking on the Bulldogs Thursday, March 12 at 6 p.m. in Bridgestone Arena and on the SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 13-19, 4-14 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (57-43) • 294-141 career record (14th Season)
Georgia Bulldogs (Record: 22-9, 10-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Mike White • 4th Season at Georgia (78-55) • 321-183 career record (15th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart
Analyst: Dane Bradshaw
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway
SERIES HISTORY VS. GEORGIA
The Rebels and Bulldogs have played in 127 total games, beginning with a 44-37 win for Ole Miss back in 1928 in Athens. Georgia enters this matchup with a lead in the series 78-49 overall including 9-2 in the SEC Tournament. One of the Rebels' victories over the Bulldogs in the conference tournament came in 1981, where head coach Bob Weltlich led Ole Miss to their first-ever SEC Tournament crown, defeating eventual bracket MVP and future NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.
LAST MEETING: January 14, 2026 (W, 97-95 (OT), Athens, Ga.)
• Ole Miss rebounded from a five-point deficit at the half to force overtime, before Patton Pinkins jumped up and tipped an offensive board through the hoop as the buzzer sounded to pick up a second consecutive win.
• AJ Storr (Ole Miss): 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals.
• Jeremiah Wilkinson (Georgia): 32 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Georgia finished their regular season schedule with a record of 22-9 overall, going 10-9 during SEC action. They closed out their regular season slate with three wins over South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi State. They earned the seventh seed in the SEC Tournament due to their finish in the standings, and currently hold a ranking of 31st in the NET and 32nd in KenPom. Entering the SEC Tournament, Georgia is projected to earn a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
The Bulldogs are led by Jeremiah Wilkinson, who averages 17.3 points per game including 71 makes from three. All-SEC Defensive Team honoree Somto Cyril leads the conference in blocks with 74, averaging 2.4 per game, while Wilkinson grabs 1.7 steals per game. Marcus Millender helps orchestrate the offense with 4.0 assists per game, ranking seventh in the conference.
Notable NCAA Team Statistical Rankings:
- Fastbreak points per game, 20.0, 1st
- Blocks per game, 6.2, 2nd
- Points per game, 90.4, 3rd
- Bench points per game, 34.4, 7th
- Scoring margin, +11.1, 30th
- Three point attempts per game, 28.5, 30th
- Turnover margin, +3.1, 30th
Head coach Mike White is in his fourth year with the Georgia program, holding a record of 78-55 in Athens. He previously spent seven seasons at Florida, where he compiled a 142-88 record and earned four NCAA Tournament berths. He got his first head coaching job at Louisiana Tech in 2011, where he coached for four years and led the Bulldogs to a 101-40 record. Prior to entering the head coaching ranks, White spent seven seasons as an assistant for the Ole Miss program under head coaches Rod Barnes and Andy Kennedy. A graduate of Ole Miss himself, White was a four-year starter for the Rebels basketball team, helping them win two SEC West titles and a trio of NCAA Tournament berths. His 370 career assists rank as the seventh-most in school history, after leading the team in assists per game all four of his seasons on campus.
SURVIVE AND ADVANCE
Facing each other for the first time ever in the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss picked up the lone victory for the lower seeds in the first round, defeating Texas 76-66 on Wednesday night. Behind a strong defensive performance, blazing start by Malik Dia, and season-best 50 points in the paint, the Rebels earned another day of basketball as they moved on to the second round. A season-high 12 steals combined with six blocks kept the Longhorns at bay, while Ole Miss matched the SEC Tournament record with just three turnovers.
SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Since playing in their first SEC postseason tournament back in 1933, Ole Miss has gone 35-61 all-time. They've come out on top of the bracket twice. First in 1981 as the six seed under Bob Weltlich by defeating Dominique Wilkins and Georgia in the final, and once again in 2013 led by tournament MVP Marshall Henderson.
"SAFETY FIRST, THEN TEAMWORK"
In 32 games played this season, Ole Miss has had 10 or less turnovers in 20 contests, including 15 of their 19 games against SEC foes. Their season average of 9.6 turnovers per game is the 22nd-best mark in the nation and second in the conference, while their clip of 8.8 per game was second best in the SEC during regular season 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 (10.8), giving him the three-best marks in school history.
During Beard's three years in Oxford, Ole Miss leads the SEC in fewest turnovers per game at 9.8, and is the only program averaging under 10.0.
HOT BENCH
Averaging 30.0 points of the bench per game, Ole Miss ranks 26th in the country and third in the SEC. Spearheading the output is senior guard AJ Storr, who has been coming off the bench in each of the last 18 games. He's posted seven 20-point games during that span, including a pair of season-best 27-point performances, and has averaged 17.9 points per game. Including his lone start in conference play, Storr averaged 17.5 points per game in regular season SEC games, the 13th-best mark overall and most among non-starters.
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.
Among SEC programs, Pinkins led all qualifying players averaging at least 20 minutes per game with just eight turnovers during the regular season, and is the only player with less than 10.
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.
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 4.3 blocks per game, the 52nd-best mark in the nation. All fifteen student-athletes that have played this season have recorded a block paced by James Scott's 38, 28 from Malik Dia, and 25 from Corey Chest.
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.
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: 13-19, 4-14 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (57-43) • 294-141 career record (14th Season)
Georgia Bulldogs (Record: 22-9, 10-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Mike White • 4th Season at Georgia (78-55) • 321-183 career record (15th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart
Analyst: Dane Bradshaw
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway
SERIES HISTORY VS. GEORGIA
The Rebels and Bulldogs have played in 127 total games, beginning with a 44-37 win for Ole Miss back in 1928 in Athens. Georgia enters this matchup with a lead in the series 78-49 overall including 9-2 in the SEC Tournament. One of the Rebels' victories over the Bulldogs in the conference tournament came in 1981, where head coach Bob Weltlich led Ole Miss to their first-ever SEC Tournament crown, defeating eventual bracket MVP and future NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.
LAST MEETING: January 14, 2026 (W, 97-95 (OT), Athens, Ga.)
• Ole Miss rebounded from a five-point deficit at the half to force overtime, before Patton Pinkins jumped up and tipped an offensive board through the hoop as the buzzer sounded to pick up a second consecutive win.
• AJ Storr (Ole Miss): 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals.
• Jeremiah Wilkinson (Georgia): 32 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Georgia finished their regular season schedule with a record of 22-9 overall, going 10-9 during SEC action. They closed out their regular season slate with three wins over South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi State. They earned the seventh seed in the SEC Tournament due to their finish in the standings, and currently hold a ranking of 31st in the NET and 32nd in KenPom. Entering the SEC Tournament, Georgia is projected to earn a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
The Bulldogs are led by Jeremiah Wilkinson, who averages 17.3 points per game including 71 makes from three. All-SEC Defensive Team honoree Somto Cyril leads the conference in blocks with 74, averaging 2.4 per game, while Wilkinson grabs 1.7 steals per game. Marcus Millender helps orchestrate the offense with 4.0 assists per game, ranking seventh in the conference.
Notable NCAA Team Statistical Rankings:
- Fastbreak points per game, 20.0, 1st
- Blocks per game, 6.2, 2nd
- Points per game, 90.4, 3rd
- Bench points per game, 34.4, 7th
- Scoring margin, +11.1, 30th
- Three point attempts per game, 28.5, 30th
- Turnover margin, +3.1, 30th
Head coach Mike White is in his fourth year with the Georgia program, holding a record of 78-55 in Athens. He previously spent seven seasons at Florida, where he compiled a 142-88 record and earned four NCAA Tournament berths. He got his first head coaching job at Louisiana Tech in 2011, where he coached for four years and led the Bulldogs to a 101-40 record. Prior to entering the head coaching ranks, White spent seven seasons as an assistant for the Ole Miss program under head coaches Rod Barnes and Andy Kennedy. A graduate of Ole Miss himself, White was a four-year starter for the Rebels basketball team, helping them win two SEC West titles and a trio of NCAA Tournament berths. His 370 career assists rank as the seventh-most in school history, after leading the team in assists per game all four of his seasons on campus.
SURVIVE AND ADVANCE
Facing each other for the first time ever in the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss picked up the lone victory for the lower seeds in the first round, defeating Texas 76-66 on Wednesday night. Behind a strong defensive performance, blazing start by Malik Dia, and season-best 50 points in the paint, the Rebels earned another day of basketball as they moved on to the second round. A season-high 12 steals combined with six blocks kept the Longhorns at bay, while Ole Miss matched the SEC Tournament record with just three turnovers.
SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Since playing in their first SEC postseason tournament back in 1933, Ole Miss has gone 35-61 all-time. They've come out on top of the bracket twice. First in 1981 as the six seed under Bob Weltlich by defeating Dominique Wilkins and Georgia in the final, and once again in 2013 led by tournament MVP Marshall Henderson.
"SAFETY FIRST, THEN TEAMWORK"
In 32 games played this season, Ole Miss has had 10 or less turnovers in 20 contests, including 15 of their 19 games against SEC foes. Their season average of 9.6 turnovers per game is the 22nd-best mark in the nation and second in the conference, while their clip of 8.8 per game was second best in the SEC during regular season 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 (10.8), giving him the three-best marks in school history.
During Beard's three years in Oxford, Ole Miss leads the SEC in fewest turnovers per game at 9.8, and is the only program averaging under 10.0.
HOT BENCH
Averaging 30.0 points of the bench per game, Ole Miss ranks 26th in the country and third in the SEC. Spearheading the output is senior guard AJ Storr, who has been coming off the bench in each of the last 18 games. He's posted seven 20-point games during that span, including a pair of season-best 27-point performances, and has averaged 17.9 points per game. Including his lone start in conference play, Storr averaged 17.5 points per game in regular season SEC games, the 13th-best mark overall and most among non-starters.
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.
Among SEC programs, Pinkins led all qualifying players averaging at least 20 minutes per game with just eight turnovers during the regular season, and is the only player with less than 10.
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.
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 4.3 blocks per game, the 52nd-best mark in the nation. All fifteen student-athletes that have played this season have recorded a block paced by James Scott's 38, 28 from Malik Dia, and 25 from Corey Chest.
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.
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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