2025–26 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team

2025–26 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record15–20 (4–14 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaSJB Pavilion
2025–26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Florida 16 2   .889 27 7   .794
No. 18 Alabama 13 5   .722 24 9   .727
No. 14 Arkansas 13 5   .722 27 8   .771
No. 16 Vanderbilt 11 7   .611 27 8   .771
No. 23т Tennessee 11 7   .611 23 11   .676
Texas A&M 11 7   .611 22 11   .667
Georgia 10 8   .556 22 11   .667
Missouri 10 8   .556 20 13   .606
Kentucky 10 8   .556 22 13   .629
Texas 9 9   .500 20 14   .588
Oklahoma 7 11   .389 19 15   .559
Auburn 7 11   .389 18 16   .529
Mississippi State 5 13   .278 13 19   .406
South Carolina 4 14   .222 13 19   .406
Ole Miss 4 14   .222 15 20   .429
LSU 3 15   .167 15 17   .469
2026 SEC tournament winner
As of March 20, 2026
Rankings from AP poll

The 2025–26 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represented the University of Mississippi during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rebels, led by third-year head coach, Chris Beard, played their home games at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, and compete as members of the Southeastern Conference.

Previous season

The Rebels finished the 2024–25 season 24–12, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in a tie for sixth place in the conference. In the 2025 SEC tournament, held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, the Rebels defeated Arkansas, 83−80, in the second round before losing to Auburn, 62–57 in the quarterfinals. In the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Rebels defeated North Carolina, 71–64, in the first round, and Iowa State, 91–78, in the second round to reach their first Sweet Sixteen since 2001, and only the second in school history, where they eventually fell to Michigan State, 73–70.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Ole Miss Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes Ref.
Mikeal Brown-Jones 1 F 6'8" 220 Senior Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Graduated
TJ Caldwell 2 G 6'4" 190 Junior Dallas, Texas Transferred to Arkansas State [2]
Sean Pedulla 3 G 6'1" 195 Senior Edmond, Oklahoma Graduated
Jaemyn Brakefield 4 F 6'8" 220 Senior Jackson, Mississippi Graduated
Jaylen Murray 5 G 5'11" 175 Senior The Bronx, New York Graduated
Robert Cowherd 6 G 6'5" 195 Junior Grayson, Georgia Transferred to Southern Miss [3]
Davon Barnes 7 G 6'5" 215 Senior Memphis, Tennessee Graduated
John Bol 10 C 7'1" 190 Freshman Boma, South Sudan Transferred to UCF [4]
Matthew Murrell 11 G 6'4" 200 Senior Memphis, Tennessee Graduated
Dre Davis 14 F 6'6" 210 Senior Indianapolis, Indiana Graduated
Ja'Von Benson 21 F 6'8" 250 Senior Columbia, South Carolina Graduated

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Augusto Cassiá 88 F 6'8" 220 Junior Salvador, Brazil Butler
Corey Chest 1 F 6'7" 220 Sophomore New Orleans, Louisiana LSU
Kezza Giffa 13 G 6'1" 175 Senior Paris, France High Point
Hobert Grayson IV 5 F 6'5" 195 Senior Gonzales, Louisiana Ouachita Baptist
Koren Johnson 3 G 6'1" 175 Junior Seattle, Washington Louisville
Ilias Kamardine 6 G 6'4" 180 Senior Marseille, France JDA Dijon Basket
Travis Perry 11 G 6'1" 190 Sophomore Eddyville, Kentucky Kentucky
James Scott 4 F 6'11" 220 Junior Fayetteville, North Carolina Louisville
AJ Storr 2 G 6'5" 205 Senior Rockford, Illinois Kansas
[5]

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Niko Bundalo
#6 PF
Canton, Ohio Prolific Prep 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) May 20, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (87)
Tylis Jordan
#11 PF
Milledgeville, Georgia Wheeler HS 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jun 21, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (82)
Patton Pinkins
#13 SG
Lubbock, Texas Frenship HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jun 21, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (82)
Overall recruit ranking:    247Sports: 14
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Ole Miss 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved June 12, 2025.

Roster

2025–26 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Malik Dia 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Belmont Murfreesboro, TN
F 1 Corey Chest 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So LSU New Orleans, LA
G 2 AJ Storr 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Kansas Rockford, IL
G 3 Koren Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Louisville Seattle, WA
F 4 James Scott 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Louisville Fayetteville, NC
F 5 Hobert Grayson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Ouachita Baptist Gonzales, LA
G 6 Ilias Kamardine 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr JDA Dijon Basket Marseille, France
F 7 Niko Bundalo 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Prolific Prep Canton, OH
G 8 Eduardo Klafke 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So NBA Academy Franca, Brazil
F 10 Tylis Jordan 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Wheeler HS Milledgeville, GA
G 11 Travis Perry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Kentucky Eddyville, KY
G 13 Kezza Giffa 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr High Point Paris, France
G 22 Max Smith (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Anderson HS Austin, TX
G 23 Patton Pinkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Frenship HS Lubbock, TX
G 31 Zach Day 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Midland Christian Midland, TX
F 88 Augusto Cassiá 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Butler Salvador, Brazil
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 26, 2025*
11:30 am
Saint Mary's L 53–68 
                  SJB Pavilion 
Oxford, MS
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+/ESPN+
Southeastern Louisiana W 88–58  1–0
 20  Dia   9  Scott   4  Tied  SJB Pavilion (8,883)
Oxford, MS
November 7, 2025*
6:30 pm, SECN+/ESPN+
Louisiana–Monroe W 86–65  2–0
 19  Storr   9  Chest   7  Kamardine  SJB Pavilion (8,212)
Oxford, MS
November 11, 2025*
8:00 pm, SECN
Memphis
Rivalry
W 83–77  3–0
 26  Kamardine   7  Scott   5  Giffa  SJB Pavilion (8,731)
Oxford, MS
November 14, 2025*
6:30 pm, SECN+/ESPN+
Cal State Bakersfield
Rod Barnes Tad Pad game
W 82–60  4–0
 14  Storr   6  Dia   3  Tied  Tad Smith Coliseum (4,362)
Oxford, MS
November 18, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+/ESPN+
Austin Peay
Acrisure Series on-campus game
W 72–65  5–0
 18  Dia   7  Tied   7  Kamardine  SJB Pavilion (7,473)
Oxford, MS
November 25, 2025*
8:30 pm, CBSSN
vs. Iowa
Acrisure Classic semifinals
L 69–74  5–1
 22  Storr   8  Scott   4  Kamardine  Acrisure Arena 
Palm Desert, CA
November 26, 2025*
11:00 pm, CBSSN
vs. Utah
Acrisure Classic third-place game
L 74–75  5–2
 17  Dia   9  Dia   3  Tied  Acrisure Arena 
Palm Desert, CA
December 2, 2025*
8:00 pm, SECN
Miami (FL)
ACC–SEC Challenge
L 66–75  5–3
 11  Tied   9  Dia   6  Kamardine  SJB Pavilion (9,373)
Oxford, MS
December 6, 2025*
7:00 pm, Peacock/NBCSN
at No. 23 St. John's L 58–63  5–4
 18  Dia   10  Tied   2  Tied  Madison Square Garden (14,799)
New York, NY
December 13, 2025*
2:00 pm, SECN+/ESPN+
vs. Southern Miss
Mississippi Coast Coliseum Classic
W 71–67  6–4
 21  Storr   6  Tied   2  Tied  Mississippi Coast Coliseum 
Biloxi, MS
December 17, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+/ESPN+
vs. Alabama A&M W 80–66  7–4
 27  Dia   7  Tied   8  Kamardine  Cadence Bank Arena (2,317)
Tupelo, MS
December 21, 2025*
12:00 pm, ESPN
vs. NC State L 62–76  7–5
 21  Perry   11  Dia   3  Klafke  First Horizon Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
December 29, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN
Alcorn State W 79–43  8–5
 14  Giffa   11  Tied   4  Pinkins  SJB Pavilion (8,362)
Oxford, MS
SEC regular season
January 3, 2026
2:30 pm, SECN
at Oklahoma L 70–86  8–6
(0–1)
 25  Pinkins   6  Dia   2  Tied  Lloyd Noble Center (7,040)
Norman, OK
January 7, 2026
8:00 pm, SECN
No. 15 Arkansas L 87–94  8–7
(0–2)
 16  Tied   6  Dia   4  Kamardine  SJB Pavilion (8,012)
Oxford, MS
January 10, 2026
5:00 pm, SECN
Missouri W 76–69  9–7
(1–2)
 26  Storr   11  Dia   5  Johnson  SJB Pavilion (7,859)
Oxford, MS
January 14, 2026
6:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 21 Georgia W 97–95 OT 10–7
(2–2)
 27  Storr   9  Chest   6  Kamardine  Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
January 17, 2026
7:30 pm, SECN
at Mississippi State
Rivalry
W 68–67  11–7
(3–2)
 17  Tied   11  Dia   5  Kamardine  Humphrey Coliseum (9,212)
Starkville, MS
January 20, 2026
8:00 pm, ESPNU
Auburn L 66–78  11–8
(3–3)
 18  Storr   5  Tied   4  Storr  SJB Pavilion (9,530)
Oxford, MS
January 24, 2026
10:00 am, ESPN
at Kentucky L 63–72  11–9
(3–4)
 20  Storr   10  Chest   4  Kamardine  Rupp Arena (19,831)
Lexington, KY
January 31, 2026
5:00 pm, SECN
at No. 18 Vanderbilt L 68–71  11–10
(3–5)
 16  Tied   5  Kamardine   1  Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (11,760)
Nashville, TN
February 3, 2026
6:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 25 Tennessee L 66–84  11–11
(3–6)
 15  Tied   4  Tied   1  Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,882)
Knoxville, TN
February 7, 2026
1:00 pm, ESPN2
at Texas L 68–79  11–12
(3–7)
 14  Klafke   6  Tied   3  Tied  Moody Center 
Austin, TX
February 11, 2026
6:00 pm, SECN
Alabama L 74–93  11–13
(3–8)
 27  Storr   9  Klafke   5  Kamardine  SJB Pavilion (8,148)
Oxford, MS
February 14, 2026
5:30 pm, ESPN2
Mississippi State
Rivalry
L 78–90  11–14
(3–9)
 32  Dia   7  Dia   5  Tied  SJB Pavilion (8,476)
Oxford, MS
February 18, 2026
6:00 pm, SECN
at Texas A&M L 77–80  11–15
(3–10)
 21  Storr   5  Dia   6  Johnson  Reed Arena (8,594)
College Station, TX
February 21, 2026
11:00 am, ESPN
No. 12 Florida L 75–94  11–16
(3–11)
 24  Dia   6  Dia   4  Perry  SJB Pavilion (8,051)
Oxford, MS
February 25, 2026
8:00 pm, SECN
LSU L 99–106 2OT 11–17
(3–12)
 26  Kamardine   7  Tied   10  Kamardine  SJB Pavilion (7,357)
Oxford, MS
February 28, 2026
7:30 pm, SECN
at Auburn W 85–79  12–17
(4–12)
 26  Tied   8  Klafke   4  Tied  Neville Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
March 3, 2026
8:00 pm, SECN+
No. 24 Vanderbilt L 86–89 OT 12–18
(4–13)
 16  Pinkins   11  Chest   3  Scott  SJB Pavilion (7,300)
Oxford, MS
March 7, 2026
12:00 pm, SECN
South Carolina L 61–64  12–19
(4–14)
 22  Dia   6  Klafke   4  Kamardine  SJB Pavilion (7,543)
Oxford, MS
SEC tournament
March 11, 2026
6:00 p.m., SECN
(15) vs. (10) Texas
First round
W 76–66  13–19
 23  Dia   9  Scott   3  Kamardine  Bridgestone Arena (10,701)
Nashville, TN
March 12, 2026
6:00 p.m., SECN
(15) vs. (7) Georgia
Second round
W 76–72  14–19
 19  Storr   13  Scott   4  Kamardine  Bridgestone Arena (11,457)
Nashville, TN
March 13, 2026
6:00 p.m., SECN
(15) vs. (2) No. 15 Alabama
Quarterfinal
W 80–79  15–19
 17  Storr   10  Scott   4  Kamardine  Bridgestone Arena (15,085)
Nashville, TN
March 14, 2026
2:30 p.m., ESPN
(15) vs. (3) No. 17 Arkansas
Semifinal
L 90–93 OT 15–20
 24  Storr   9  Scott   3  Tied  Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.
[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Rittenberg, Adam (March 24, 2025). "Ole Miss cruises past Iowa State, seals spot in Sweet 16". Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ESPN. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  2. ^ "TJ Caldwell Signs with A-State Men's Basketball". Arkansas State athletics. April 29, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  3. ^ "𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛 😏". Southern Miss athletics. May 20, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "Transfer Center John Bol Joins Men's Hoops". UCF athletics. April 17, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  5. ^ "2025 Ole Miss Basketball Transfer Portal". Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  6. ^ "The D1 Docket". d1docket.blogspot.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.