The 2026-27 season for Ole Miss Men’s Basketball began on a high note. Head coach Chris Beard’s squad opened the season with a dominant 99-58 victory against Alcorn State on Monday, Nov. 2 in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
The Rebels had six players finish in double figures, led by a trio of standout performances: Budd Clark’s 17 points and seven assists on 7-of-12 shooting, Patton Pinkins’ 16 points and three steals on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers, and Santiago Trouet’s 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 6-of-8 shooting.
The starting lineup for the Rebels on opening night featured two returning starters, senior guard Ilias Kamardine and guard Patton Pinkins, and three transfer portal additions: guard Clark, guard Corey Stephenson and forward Roman Siulepa. Florida transfer center Micah Handlogten did not dress for the Rebels on opening night.
The Rebel ball pressure was suffocating in the early going. The Rebels forced two turnovers in the first three minutes of play, and Braves head coach Jake Morton had to use his first timeout.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first four minutes of play. Out of the media timeout, Pinkins nailed a 3-pointer, Siulepa added an offensive rebound and putback layup and Pinkins also converted a free throw and fast break layup to extend the lead to 18-4.
The Rebels’ stifling defense forced seven turnovers and held the Braves to 1-of-7 shooting with the one field goal being a deep 3-pointer.
Immediately following a timeout, Stephenson stole the inbound pass and finished with a two-hand dunk. On the next defensive possession, Stephenson blocked a shot, which immediately led to Clark finishing on a layup on the fast break, extending the lead to 22-4 after nine minutes of action.
Scoring turned up a notch in the remainder of the first half, with the Rebels and Braves trading baskets. Ole Miss was able to maintain a double-digit lead throughout the first half.
Clark raced the length of the court in the final seven seconds and laid the ball over the front of the rim at the buzzer, giving the Rebels a 52-31 lead at the break. The Rebels shot 19-of-34 from the field and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line, while also burying four triples.
Pinkins led the Rebels in the first half with 14 points behind 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Clark added 12 points and two assists, and Trouet added nine points and three assists off the bench.
Ole Miss jumped out to a quick 8-0 run to begin the second half of play after two free throws from Pinkins, a 3-pointer by Kamardine and a free throw and dunk by forward Christian Brown. This quick spurt extended the lead to 29.
The Rebels started off strong in the second half and never looked back, outscoring the Braves 47-27 in the final half of play, leading by as many as 46 with less than a minute left.
The second half was a repeat of the first half’s trends, with Ole Miss continuing to dominate inside the paint and frequently visiting the free-throw line. The Rebels produced 56 points in the paint during the contest compared to the Braves’ 10, with the Braves relying on a hot 3-point shooting night (10-of-25 from beyond the arc).
The ball pressure from the Ole Miss defense prohibited the Alcorn State offense from finding easy looks around the rim, holding the Braves to 19-of-52 shooting on the night and forcing 26 turnovers.
What’s next?
The Rebels are back in action against Central Arkansas on Friday, Nov. 6 in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion. SEC Network+ will broadcast the game.
