The University of Mississippi Athletics
11/4/2026 | Men's Basketball
SERIES HISTORY VS. CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Ole Miss owns a perfect 4-0 record all-time against Central Arkansas, including a 3-0 mark in games played in Oxford. The Rebels have won those four meetings by an average margin of 16.8 points. OM most recently faced UCA on Dec. 14, 2020, earning a 68-54 victory in Oxford.
LAST TIMEOUT: ALCORN STATE (W, 99-58)
• Budd Clark led the Rebel offense with a team-high 17 points (7-12 FG) and a team-high seven assists. Clark entered the game nine assists shy of 500 career assists.
• Clark made his 100th consecutive and career start.
• Clark has 45 career games with 10+ points and 5+ assists.
• Santiago Trouet stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points (6-8 FG), seven rebounds, five assists.
• Patton Pinkins recorded 16 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range (team-high), three rebounds, and three steals.
• Corey Stephenson added 10 points (4-7 FG), four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
• Christian Brown registered a career-high 12 points (5-6 FG) and four rebounds in nine minutes.
• Consecutive starts: Budd Clark (100), Ilias Kamardine (36), Roman Siulepa (34), Corey Stephenson (32) and Patton Pinkins (4). Ole Miss' five starters have combined active starting streaks of 206 games.
• Beard improved to 12-0 in season openers as a Division I head coach, including 4-0 at Ole Miss.
• It was the second most points scored by a Beard coached team in a regular season opener. (Texas Tech, 2020)
• The Rebels assisted on 25 of their 35 made shots, one shy of the arena record.
• Ole Miss had five players reach double figures, four of them were starters.
• The Rebels outscored Alcorn State 56-10 in the paint.
NEW BLOOD IN THE SIP
The Rebels' new roster features a blend of high-level college transfers and international experience, including four players who averaged at least 10.0 points per game last season: Budd Clark (12.7), Dasear Haskins (11.1), Roman Siulepa (10.0) and Corey Stephenson (18.0).
The group also includes 7-foot-1 Micah Handlogten, a former Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and Florida national champion, along with 7-foot Stefan Cicic. Clark brings 1,513 career points and 491 assists, while Stephenson scored 559 points last season at FIU, the fifth-most in a single season in program history. Ben Henshall brings a wealth of experience after playing three seasons with the Perth Wildcats in Australia.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Ole Miss men's basketball program also welcomed three signees to their 2026 recruiting class, adding Yohance Connor, Daniel Patton and Jaron Saulsberry.
Patton was ranked as one of the top players in his class from the state of Texas, listed as the 12th overall player by 247Sports. He joins the program a 3-star recruit and nearly cracked the top-200 nationally.
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.
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.
SHUFFLING THE STAFF
Petar Aleksić, Josh Baskin, Austin Cox, Anthony Fobb and Noah Stansbury joined the Ole Miss men's basketball staff this offseason.
Additionally, Brian Burg has been promoted to general manager, while Matt Eisele and Matt Winsberg have been elevated to assistant coach positions.
