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Ole Miss’ Hosting Hopes Slip Away in 74-67 Loss at Florida

Published

8 months ago

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No. 19 Ole Miss’ goal of hosting an NCAA Regional took a major hit Thursday night, and the Rebels didn’t do much to stop the slide in a 74-67 loss to unranked Florida.

The Gators controlled the paint, forced 14 turnovers and held Ole Miss to 39% shooting. It was the kind of performance that made it clear which team dictated the terms. For long stretches, Florida played with a sharper edge, and Ole Miss never fully matched it.

There were moments worth noting. Tianna Thompson’s 7‑for‑11 night from three kept the Rebels afloat early. Christeen Iwuala gave them stability inside when she was available. And Cotie McMahon did Cotie McMahon-like things.

But none of it outweighed Florida’s urgency. The Gators had been close in several chances against ranked opponents this season, and they played like a team tired of letting those opportunities slip away. Ole Miss simply couldn’t pull them back to earth.

The night got worse when Latasha Lattimore exited with a leg injury midway through the third quarter and didn’t return. With Sira Thienou already sidelined, the Rebels can’t afford another hit to their starting lineup.

Here’s how the game unfolded, half by half.

First Half Reaction

Ole Miss led for much of the first half, even as the teams traded the lead several times, but Florida controlled the final stretch before halftime.

After a slow first quarter, both teams opened the second with more pace, and the Gators sustained that surge while the Rebels cooled off.

Florida’s offense ran through Liv McGill, who shot a video game-like 80% from the field and led all scorers with 19 points. The Gators shot 64% overall and did most of their damage in the paint.

Ole Miss forward Christeen Iwuala picked up early foul trouble and played limited minutes in the second quarter, removing one of the Rebels’ top interior defenders. Florida capitalized, outscoring Ole Miss 26-10 in the paint despite being outrebounded 12-11.

Turnovers became an issue late in the half after Iwuala went to the bench. Jayla Murray, who averages 7.4 minutes per game, scored three points but committed three turnovers in the final 90 seconds.

Tianna Thompson led Ole Miss with 14 points, including four straight three‑pointers that kept the Rebels within reach.

Ole Miss, which emphasizes defensive pressure, forced no steals and recorded just one block in the half. Florida committed six turnovers, but the Rebels did not generate them, an area they will need to address in the second half.

Second Half Reaction

Ole Miss made a late push in the fourth quarter, cutting a double‑digit deficit to six during a 9-0 run in less than two minutes. With the way Thompson was shooting from deep, a comeback didn’t feel out of reach.

That surge was fueled by four Florida turnovers, and once the Gators settled down, they rebuilt their lead. Florida pushed the margin back to eight with 62 seconds left, but Thompson’s seventh three‑pointer of the night trimmed it to five with 40 seconds remaining as Ole Miss began extending the game with fouls.

Florida closed it out at the free‑throw line and secured the 74-67 win.

Ole Miss Top Performers

  • Points: Tianna Thompson, 25
  • Rebounds: Latasha Lattimore, 7
  • Assists: Debreasha Powe, 4
  • Steals: Christeen Iwuala, 2
  • Blocks: Latasha Lattimore, 2

Next Up

The Rebels have just one game left on their regular season schedule before the SEC Tournament tips off in Greenville, S.C. next week. Ole Miss will host Texas A&M on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on SECN+.

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Basketball

Ole Miss Basketball Appears in First Look at Expanded NCAA Tournament Field

Published

6 months ago

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May 8, 2026

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Ole Miss Men's Basketball during the game against Mississippi St. at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi on January 17, 2026. | Ole Miss Athletics

Most college sports fans saw Thursday’s news that the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are expanding to 76 teams. Eight additional teams will be added to what is currently the First Four, turning it into a 24‑team play‑in stage with 12 games across two days. The winners will join the 52 teams already slotted into the traditional first‑round bracket.

We already talked about what expansion means for both Ole Miss programs, and it’s still way too early to know which teams will actually benefit next season. But you know that won’t stop anyone from trying.

NCAA.com analyst Andy Katz posted his first 76‑team projection Friday morning, based on his initial Power 44 rankings for 2026‑27. Katz or his model must really like what Ole Miss has done this offseason. The Rebels show up at No. 39 in the Power 44 and land as a No. 10 seed in the South quadrant.

Again, it’s early. The last season ended a month ago. Ole Miss shouldn’t start booking hotel rooms in Pittsburgh just yet.

Still, this tells us two things about Ole Miss and the new tournament format.

First, it’s going to be hard for a middle‑of‑the‑pack SEC team to miss the field now. Second, if the bracket had been at 76 teams this past season, the committee would’ve had a real decision to make about the Rebels.

Maybe they get in. Maybe they don’t. Did they deserve a spot? Probably not, and adding eight more at‑large bids doesn’t change that much.

But the future looks better now for Ole Miss.

Andy Katz’s Initial Power 44

1. Duke

2. Florida

3. Michigan

4. Illinois

5. Tennessee

6. UConn

7. Arizona

8. Arkansas

9. Texas

10. Michigan State

11. Vanderbilt

12. Virginia

13. Kansas

14. Houston

15. Louisville

16. Alabama

17. Nebraska

18. Iowa State

19. Purdue

20. USC

21. Gonzaga

22. St. John’s

23. Miami (FL)

24. Indiana

25. Missouri

26. VCU

27. Saint Louis

28. UCLA

29. Ohio State

30. BYU

31. Iowa

32. Texas A&M

33. North Carolina

34. Providence

35. Baylor

36. Wisconsin

37. Auburn

38. Xavier

39. Ole Miss

40. Marquette

41. Texas Tech

42. Kentucky

43. Maryland

44. New Mexico

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Basketball

What NCAA Tournament Expansion Means for Ole Miss Basketball

Published

6 months ago

on

May 7, 2026

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Ole Miss basketball players celebrate a SEC Tournament win against Alabama on Friday night. | Ole Miss Athletics

Missing the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments is about to get a lot harder.

Multiple outlets reported and the NCAA itself announced Thursday that the committees overseeing both tournaments have officially voted to expand the fields to 76 teams.

None of this should catch anyone off guard. The NCAA started exploring expansion about a year ago, and reports two weeks ago made it clear the process was in its final stages. Now it’s done. The new format will debut in 2027.

According to ESPN, top NCAA officials met with the tournament’s media partners to finalize the updated contracts before the vote. The committees required signed agreements before making anything official, and once those were in place, expansion moved forward.

The biggest change comes at the front end of the tournament. Eight additional teams will be added to what is currently the First Four. That round will grow into a 24‑team play‑in stage with 12 games spread across two days. The winners will join the 52 teams already slotted into the traditional first‑round bracket.

The NCAA is expected to rebrand the First Four language, but the structure stays familiar. The opening round will still include both automatic qualifiers and at‑large teams. All 16 seeds and half of the 15 seeds will make up half of the 24‑team group. The other half will come from the lowest‑seeded at‑large teams, including a mix of 11 and 12 seeds.

It’s a significant shift, but the goal is simple: more teams, more access, and fewer seasons ending on Selection Sunday with nothing to show for it.

What This Means for Ole Miss

On the women’s side, this doesn’t move the needle much. Yolett McPhee‑McCuin has raised the bar to the point where simply making the tournament isn’t the goal anymore.

Ole Miss wants to host a NCAA Regional for the first time in program history, and that standard doesn’t change with a bigger field.

The men’s side is a little different. It depends on the year. Two seasons ago, expansion wouldn’t have mattered. This past season, it would’ve changed everything.

Ole Miss finished 15-20 and sat at No. 80 in the NET. In a 76‑team bracket, that puts you on the bubble, and one more win in the SEC Tournament probably gets the Rebels into the field.

For programs in a league as deep as the SEC, the extra spots matter. The women’s side won’t feel much of a shift, but the men’s side absolutely will. Bubble teams in this conference won’t be living on the same razor’s edge anymore.

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Basketball

Ole Miss Basketball Transfer Portal Picture Comes Into Focus

Published

6 months ago

on

May 5, 2026

By

Ole Miss coach Chris Beard

It’s been two weeks since the transfer portal window closed, and after a slow start, Ole Miss is finally nearing the end of its roster‑building phase.

The Rebels have added seven transfers, plus TJ Clark who committed back in December. Four‑star recruits Jaron Saulsberry, Yohance Connor and Daniel Patton are also on the way this summer.

Those 10 newcomers will join Ilias Kamardine and Patton Pinkins, the only returning Rebels, to form the foundation of next year’s roster.

The question is whether that’s enough, and whether Chris Beard is actually done adding.

The honest answer is maybe and probably not.

Nobody knows yet if this group will be better or worse than what Ole Miss just put on the floor.

There’s no headline addition, but that doesn’t mean the roster can’t mesh, grow together and avoid needing a miracle run in March.

There’s also the chance it looks like last season, when the pieces never fully clicked.

Given the current guard‑heavy build, it feels likely Beard will look for more frontcourt help. Stefan Cicic gives Ole Miss a true 7‑footer and Santiago Trouet adds more size, but the Rebels could still use another proven interior presence.

One name to watch is former Florida Atlantic forward Devin Williams, who has reportedly met with Ole Miss over Zoom and is visiting Arizona this week. Williams finished fifth nationally in blocks last season at 2.58 per game, which would give Beard a real defensive anchor inside.

In the end, Ole Miss won’t know what this roster really is until the group gets on the floor together, but the picture is at least starting to take shape.

Beard has rebuilt almost the entire program for the second straight offseason, and there’s still room for one or two more pieces to round it out.

Whether this version ends up being better, worse, or simply different from last year’s team is impossible to know in May, but the next additions will tell us plenty about how the Rebels plan to finish the job.

Ole Miss Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker

Men

Outgoing

Incoming

  • Christian Brown, F, 6-8, Fr. (James Madison)
  • Stefan Cicic, C, 7-0, Fr. (Pepperdine)
  • Adam Clark, G, 5-10, Jr. (Seton Hall)
  • TJ Clark, G, 6-3 (Hermosillo)
  • Dasear Haskins, G, 6-8, So. (St. Joseph’s)
  • ND Okafor, F, 6-7, Jr. (Washington State)
  • Roman Siulepa, F, 6-6, Fr. (Pittsburgh)
  • Santiago Trouet, F, 6-10, Jr. (Arizona State)

Women

Outgoing

  • J’Adore Young, 6-4, C, Soph.
  • Sira Thinenou, 6-1, F, Soph.
  • Tianna Thompson, 5-10, G, Soph. (Baylor)

Incoming

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