The Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team’s 2025-26 season did not go as expected. The Rebels went through plenty of bleak moments — their four-game losing streak in nonconference play and their ten-game losing streak in SEC play. Despite their final regular season record of 15-20 (4-14 SEC), there were some bright moments amid the struggle.
Nonconference play
Prior to the start of the regular season, the Rebels made headlines when they reportedly defeated the Houston Cougars 70-56, a team that would go on to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Sweet 16, in a preseason scrimmage.
The Rebels continued to fuel high expectations by opening the regular season with a five-game win streak. Newcomer guards AJ Storr and Ilias Kamardine emerged as top performers: Storr posted 19 points in the Rebels’ 86-65 win over University of Louisiana-Monroe, and Kamardine scored 26 points in the 83-77 win against Memphis.
Then came the Rebels’ first skid of the season. They suffered a four-game losing streak, beginning with a 74-69 defeat at the hands of Iowa on Nov. 25.
The Rebels got back in the win column with a 71-65 victory over Southern Miss, but thanks to a loss against NC State, they entered SEC play with a record of 8-5.
Early SEC play: Rebels regain their footing
The Rebels opened SEC play in January with losses against Oklahoma and No. 15 Arkansas. While not a great start for the Rebels, fans could overlook these losses thanks to the three-game win streak that followed.
The Rebels took down the Missouri Tigers 76-69 on Jan. 10. They followed this with a thrilling overtime road victory over Georgia when a buzzer-beating putback from freshman Patton Pinkins earned the Rebels a 97-95 win over the Bulldogs — who, at the time, were ranked No. 21 nationally with the No. 1 scoring offense in the country.
The Rebels continued their streak with a 68-67 victory over Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. With big highlights, such as a huge dunk from James Scott, morale was high.
Mid-season struggles carry over into late season
That three-game stretch proved to be the best basketball that the Rebels put together for the entirety of the regular season. Following the victory over Mississippi State, the Rebels lost 10 straight games, a skid which lasted over a month.
During this stretch, the Rebels looked tired and lacked stamina. They lost by an average of 11.3 points per game.
In a press conference after a 19-point loss to Florida on Feb. 21, head coach Chris Beard promised that improvements would be made.
“My promise to them (the fans) — and I don’t make a lot of promises, but I’ll deliver on this — is there will be better days, sooner than most people think,” Beard said.
The Rebels seemed to take Beard’s message to heart. On Feb. 25, they took the LSU Tigers into double overtime. However, they ultimately lost, 106-99. This loss brought the Rebels’ losing streak to 10, which marked not only Beard’s longest career losing streak, but also the longest losing streak for the Rebels since the 2002-03 season.
On Feb. 28, the Rebels finally snapped their streak with an 85-79 victory over Auburn thanks to highlight performances from Pinkins and Storr, who had 26 points each.
The win over the Tigers lifted the Rebels out of last place in the SEC. After two more losses to close out the regular season, the Rebels landed at No. 15 (second to last) in the conference standings.
Deep SEC Tournament run to close the season
When the Rebels showed up to Nashville, Tenn., for the SEC Tournament they boasted just one SEC win in the previous 51 days — a factor which, in hindsight, made their tournament run all the more remarkable.
As the No. 15 seed, the Rebels faced a tough first round battle against No. 10 Texas. The Rebels got off to an early lead against the Longhorns; they followed up their offense with excellent defense and held on for a 76-66 win.
In the second round, the Rebels faced No. 7 seed Georgia. They led 34-20 at the half and, in the second half, survived Georgia’s late push to win 76-72.
In the quarterfinals, the Rebels faced No. 2 seed Alabama, yet another stingy opponent. Like the Georgia game, the Rebels jumped to an early lead but slipped toward the end; still, they escaped with a 80-79 win, due in large part to clutch shots from Kamardine.
While Beard joked in the press conference that Kamardine’s performance and the team’s tournament journey was thanks to “good coaching,” he reassured fans that the Rebels were the ones who should be applauded.
“I’m just really happy for our players — they deserve all the credit,” Beard said. “They’ve refused to quit. We’re executing game plans. We’re playing good basketball.”
However, the Rebels’ fairy tale run came to an end in the semifinals, when they lost 93-90 in overtime against No. 3 seed Arkansas. Though they ultimately fell short of the conference tournament victory, which would have earned them an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, they managed to end the season on a high note.
What’s next?
This season was an unprecedented one for Beard. In his previous 10 seasons coaching college basketball, his lowest season win percentage was 56.3%; this season, it was 42.9%.
It seemed like the Rebels faced too many new parts this season. Forward Malik Dia was the only returnee from last season’s team; now-familiar names like Storr, Kamardine and Travis Perry were all new additions. The team did not appear to gel together until the SEC Tournament.
This upcoming season, Ole Miss may benefit from a large number of returnees. Though the transfer portal will reshape the roster, Dia and Storr are currently the only starters set to depart, since they have no eligibility remaining.
In a press conference after the SEC Tournament loss to Arkansas, Beard emphasized his gratitude to the fans as well as his belief that Ole Miss will bounce back next season.
“Our fan base was nothing short of just (being) supportive this year,” Beard said. “We’re going to keep building this program, we’re just getting started.”
