The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, March 1
Oxford, Miss.
1 p.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Oklahoma
Men's Basketball Back in SJB Pavilion, Hosting Oklahoma Saturday
2/28/2025 | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss men's basketball team is set to take on Oklahoma for the first time as SEC foes, as they host the Sooners on Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m. in the SJB Pavilion and on ESPN2.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 19-9, 8-7 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (39-21) • 276-119 career record (13th Season)
Oklahoma Sooners (Record: 17-11, 4-11 SEC)
Head Coach: Porter Moser • 4th Season at Oklahoma (71-56) • 364-298 career record (21st Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: John Schriffen
Analyst: Richard Hendrix
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
ARRIVE EARLY!
With a large crowd anticipated, fans are encouraged to arrive early. Gates open at 3 p.m. for students and 3:30 p.m. for ticketed fans.
SERIES HISTORY VS. OKLAHOMA
The first matchup between the Rebels and Sooners as members of the SEC, this will be the sixth-ever time to two programs have played. They first met in December of 1998 in Puerto Rico, when Ole Miss picked up a 75-72 victory, before Oklahoma responded with a win in Norman the following year. The Rebels hosted the Sooners in 2000 and won 60-55, with Oklahoma winning the latest two matchups in 2019 and 2022 on neutral courts.
LAST MEETING: November 27, 2022 (L, 55-59, Orlando, Fla.)
• Playing for the title of the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, Fla., Ole Miss held a two-point lead at the half before Oklahoma stormed back for the win, holding the Rebels to just 21 points in the second period.
• Amaree Abram (Ole Miss): 17 points, one rebound, five assists, two steals.
• Grant Sherfield (Oklahoma): 12 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals.
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
Oklahoma enters with a season record of 17-11, having gone 4-11 during conference play in their inaugural SEC season. The Sooners grabbed national attention by going a perfect 13-0 in non-conference play to start the season, picking up key wins over Providence, No. 24 Arizona, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, and No. 24 Michigan. Their four wins during SEC action have come over South Carolina, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and No. 21 Mississippi State. Oklahoma currently sits in 14th in the SEC Standings, and owns a NET Ranking of 50.
The team is led by senior forward Jalon Moore, in his second season at Oklahoma after spending his first two seasons at Georgia Tech. He leads the team with an average of 17.1 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per contest, while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field at 49.2 percent. Moore is joined by freshman Jeremiah Fears, who ranks second on the team with a clip of 16.0 points per game, and paces the team with an average of 4.0 assists per outing and a team-high 45 steals.
The Sooners have gotten a heavy output of their scoring from the free throw line this season, as they lead the SEC and rank 11th in the nation with a free throw percentage of 78.7, making an average of 17.1 per outing to rank 18th in the country. On the defensive end, they've thrived at suppressing their opponents from deep, as their defensie field goal percentage from three of 29.9 percent is the 21st-best mark in college basketball.
In his 21st season as a college basketball head coach, Porter Moser has been at the helm of Oklahoma for four seasons now, where he's picked up 71 victories with the Sooners thus far. Prior to his time in Norman, Moser spent 10 seasons as the head coach of Loyola Chicago, where he accumulated nearly 200 wins and helped turn them into a household name with a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, highlighted by a Final Four run in 2018. Moser had previous stops at Illinois State for four seasons from 2003-2007, and at Little Rock for three years from 2000-2003.
BATTLE TESTED
The schedule for Ole Miss has been, and continues to be, one of the most difficult in the nation. As of February 27, their remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index ranks 18th in the country. Their past opposition's win percentage of 63.5 ranks as the sixth-highest in the nation, while their remaining opponent's win percentage of 76.2 is the 10th-highest in all of college basketball. Their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 64.8 is the fourth highest in the country.
MAGIC NUMBER IN SIGHT
With 19 wins on the season, Ole Miss has their eyes set on a 20-win campaign for the second year in a row, a feat last accomplished in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. While just the 19th 20-win season in program history, it would be the 14th since the year 2000.
AP FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, BUTTER, AND WATER
Ole Miss has dominated the turnover battle this year, ranking fourth in the nation with a turnover margin of +5.6 while ranking second in college basketball in turnovers per game at 8.9. The Rebels are forcing an average of 14.5 turnovers per contest which ranks 36th in the NCAA. They lead the SEC in turnovers per game and turnover margin.
Ole Miss' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.66 also ranks among the nation's best at eighth, led by Jaylen Murray with a season ratio of 2.73 (28th in NCAA, second in SEC). They've been a force on the defensive end with an average of 8.9 steals per game (27th in NCAA), paced by Sean Pedulla, who ranks among the top 50 in the country in steals with 54.
The Rebels have efficiently turned their opponent's turnovers into offense, besting their foes in points-off-turnovers in 21 games, with a season total of 459 (16.4 per game) compared to their opposition's 272 (9.7 per game).
LET'S PLAY DEFENSE
A staple of success for head coach Chris Beard has always been his team's defensive play, and it's been evident on this year's Ole Miss roster to start the season. With a turnover margin of +5.6, the Rebels own the fourth-best average in all of college basketball, forcing 14.5 per game (No. 36 in the NCAA) while committing just 8.9 to rank second in the NCAA.
Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 8.9, the 27th-best clip in college basketball, and blocks per game at 4.4 to rank 50th.
LUNARDI SAYS "DANCE"
Updated each Tuesday and Friday, the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as a seven seed in the West Region. They are projected to face 10-seed VCU in Milwaukee, Wis., paired with two-seeded Iowa State vs. 15th-seeded Norfolk State. Lunardi's latest projections has 13 teams from the SEC earning a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a number that would be the most for a single conference all time.
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 27 in the nation. Since the ranking's first iteration at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, their ranking of 13th on January 20 is the highest-ever NET Ranking for the Ole Miss program.
As of February 27, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, seven in the top 25, and four in the top 10.
RECORD BOOK WRECKER
Senior guard Matthew Murrell enters his fifth season with Ole Miss and continues to put his name up and down the program record book. The Memphis native currently ranks eighth in school history in career points with 1,709, and fourth in three-point shots made (252) and three-point attempts (716). He also ranks ninth in most field goal attempts at 1,395, and is sixth in career steals with 166.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell recently became the program's all-time leader in games played and minutes played. On January 22, Murrell passed Zach Graham at 135 games played for Ole Miss, and has since pushed his number to 145. At South Carolina on February 12, he surpassed Elston Turner for the most minutes played in a Rebel uniform, now with 4,197 minutes on the court for Ole Miss.
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: 19-9, 8-7 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (39-21) • 276-119 career record (13th Season)
Oklahoma Sooners (Record: 17-11, 4-11 SEC)
Head Coach: Porter Moser • 4th Season at Oklahoma (71-56) • 364-298 career record (21st Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: John Schriffen
Analyst: Richard Hendrix
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes
ARRIVE EARLY!
With a large crowd anticipated, fans are encouraged to arrive early. Gates open at 3 p.m. for students and 3:30 p.m. for ticketed fans.
SERIES HISTORY VS. OKLAHOMA
The first matchup between the Rebels and Sooners as members of the SEC, this will be the sixth-ever time to two programs have played. They first met in December of 1998 in Puerto Rico, when Ole Miss picked up a 75-72 victory, before Oklahoma responded with a win in Norman the following year. The Rebels hosted the Sooners in 2000 and won 60-55, with Oklahoma winning the latest two matchups in 2019 and 2022 on neutral courts.
LAST MEETING: November 27, 2022 (L, 55-59, Orlando, Fla.)
• Playing for the title of the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, Fla., Ole Miss held a two-point lead at the half before Oklahoma stormed back for the win, holding the Rebels to just 21 points in the second period.
• Amaree Abram (Ole Miss): 17 points, one rebound, five assists, two steals.
• Grant Sherfield (Oklahoma): 12 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals.
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
Oklahoma enters with a season record of 17-11, having gone 4-11 during conference play in their inaugural SEC season. The Sooners grabbed national attention by going a perfect 13-0 in non-conference play to start the season, picking up key wins over Providence, No. 24 Arizona, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, and No. 24 Michigan. Their four wins during SEC action have come over South Carolina, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and No. 21 Mississippi State. Oklahoma currently sits in 14th in the SEC Standings, and owns a NET Ranking of 50.
The team is led by senior forward Jalon Moore, in his second season at Oklahoma after spending his first two seasons at Georgia Tech. He leads the team with an average of 17.1 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per contest, while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field at 49.2 percent. Moore is joined by freshman Jeremiah Fears, who ranks second on the team with a clip of 16.0 points per game, and paces the team with an average of 4.0 assists per outing and a team-high 45 steals.
The Sooners have gotten a heavy output of their scoring from the free throw line this season, as they lead the SEC and rank 11th in the nation with a free throw percentage of 78.7, making an average of 17.1 per outing to rank 18th in the country. On the defensive end, they've thrived at suppressing their opponents from deep, as their defensie field goal percentage from three of 29.9 percent is the 21st-best mark in college basketball.
In his 21st season as a college basketball head coach, Porter Moser has been at the helm of Oklahoma for four seasons now, where he's picked up 71 victories with the Sooners thus far. Prior to his time in Norman, Moser spent 10 seasons as the head coach of Loyola Chicago, where he accumulated nearly 200 wins and helped turn them into a household name with a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, highlighted by a Final Four run in 2018. Moser had previous stops at Illinois State for four seasons from 2003-2007, and at Little Rock for three years from 2000-2003.
BATTLE TESTED
The schedule for Ole Miss has been, and continues to be, one of the most difficult in the nation. As of February 27, their remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index ranks 18th in the country. Their past opposition's win percentage of 63.5 ranks as the sixth-highest in the nation, while their remaining opponent's win percentage of 76.2 is the 10th-highest in all of college basketball. Their cumulative strength-of-schedule win percentage of 64.8 is the fourth highest in the country.
MAGIC NUMBER IN SIGHT
With 19 wins on the season, Ole Miss has their eyes set on a 20-win campaign for the second year in a row, a feat last accomplished in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. While just the 19th 20-win season in program history, it would be the 14th since the year 2000.
AP FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, BUTTER, AND WATER
Ole Miss has dominated the turnover battle this year, ranking fourth in the nation with a turnover margin of +5.6 while ranking second in college basketball in turnovers per game at 8.9. The Rebels are forcing an average of 14.5 turnovers per contest which ranks 36th in the NCAA. They lead the SEC in turnovers per game and turnover margin.
Ole Miss' assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.66 also ranks among the nation's best at eighth, led by Jaylen Murray with a season ratio of 2.73 (28th in NCAA, second in SEC). They've been a force on the defensive end with an average of 8.9 steals per game (27th in NCAA), paced by Sean Pedulla, who ranks among the top 50 in the country in steals with 54.
The Rebels have efficiently turned their opponent's turnovers into offense, besting their foes in points-off-turnovers in 21 games, with a season total of 459 (16.4 per game) compared to their opposition's 272 (9.7 per game).
LET'S PLAY DEFENSE
A staple of success for head coach Chris Beard has always been his team's defensive play, and it's been evident on this year's Ole Miss roster to start the season. With a turnover margin of +5.6, the Rebels own the fourth-best average in all of college basketball, forcing 14.5 per game (No. 36 in the NCAA) while committing just 8.9 to rank second in the NCAA.
Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 8.9, the 27th-best clip in college basketball, and blocks per game at 4.4 to rank 50th.
LUNARDI SAYS "DANCE"
Updated each Tuesday and Friday, the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Ole Miss as a seven seed in the West Region. They are projected to face 10-seed VCU in Milwaukee, Wis., paired with two-seeded Iowa State vs. 15th-seeded Norfolk State. Lunardi's latest projections has 13 teams from the SEC earning a ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, a number that would be the most for a single conference all time.
NETWORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 27 in the nation. Since the ranking's first iteration at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, their ranking of 13th on January 20 is the highest-ever NET Ranking for the Ole Miss program.
As of February 27, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 14 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50, seven in the top 25, and four in the top 10.
RECORD BOOK WRECKER
Senior guard Matthew Murrell enters his fifth season with Ole Miss and continues to put his name up and down the program record book. The Memphis native currently ranks eighth in school history in career points with 1,709, and fourth in three-point shots made (252) and three-point attempts (716). He also ranks ninth in most field goal attempts at 1,395, and is sixth in career steals with 166.
I AM IRON MAN
A consistent member of the lineup for each of the past five seasons, Matthew Murrell recently became the program's all-time leader in games played and minutes played. On January 22, Murrell passed Zach Graham at 135 games played for Ole Miss, and has since pushed his number to 145. At South Carolina on February 12, he surpassed Elston Turner for the most minutes played in a Rebel uniform, now with 4,197 minutes on the court for Ole Miss.
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.
Players Mentioned
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