Ole Miss Men’s Basketball faced North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum. The Rebels advanced to the Second Round, defeating No. 11 seed North Carolina 71-64. 

Despite the Rebels’ six seed, North Carolina entered the game as a 1.5 point favorite. 

Sean Pedulla led the team with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

First half 

The Rebels started off hot, finishing the first half with a promising 44-26 lead over North Carolina. 

Dre Davis was big for the Rebels’ offense early, going 3-3 in threes and notching 13 points halfway through the first half. Coming off the bench for Ole Miss, Jaemyn Brakefield hit double digits before the half with 10 points. 

A testament to the Rebels’ large lead at the half came from their shooting beyond the arc and defensive rebounds. Through 20 minutes of play, Ole Miss shot 53% from distance with Dre Davis’s three and Brakefield’s two. 

Every Rebel who saw the glass secured at least one defensive rebound. Ole Miss finished the half with 21 total rebounds, compared to the Tar Heels’ 12.  

The Tar Heels, who finished fourth in the ACC, fell behind, shooting 9-26 inside the paint and 3-11 from beyond the arc. Guard RJ Davis led the way with 10 points at the half. RJ Davis was the consistent point leader for the Tar Heels all season, averaging 17.3 points per game. 

North Carolina never saw the lead during the half, only securing a team high of a six-point run at the 15 minute mark. 

Second half

The Rebels took the first points of the second half, going on a fast 4-0 run to push them a 22-point lead just two minutes into the half. 

Things heated up when North Carolina made their statement, bringing the lead down to 14. The Rebels played a physical game, with Malik Dia and Matthew Murrell each having three fouls while Davon Barnes had four. 

The lead continued to shrink, and the Rebels had a hard time making up for it. Through seven minutes of play, Ole Miss only scored nine points, and the Tar Heels scored 20. 

In their 9-0 scoring run, the Tar Heels brought the lead back down to an uncomfortable six-point deficit with 5:40 on the clock. Ole Miss could not find the bottom of the net through their 5:42 scoring drought. Sean Pedulla broke the drought with a quick layup to bring the score to a close 65-59 with 2:49 on the clock.

Pedulla caught up in scoring, matching Brakefield and Dre Davis in double digits with 15, with 1:09 left; Ole Miss barely led 66-63. 

Ven-Allen Lubin of North Carolina showed out in the second half with 14 points, matching Davis. 

RJ Davis made his free throw to bring the score just within a bucket, but Pedulla answered right back, draining a three to put the Rebels lead ahead by five at 69-64. 

The Rebels held on after a few North Carolina fouls and knocked the Tar Heels out of the Tournament, winning 71-64. 

Dre Davis shared the feeling of knowing Ole Miss was the underdog in today’s game and how the Rebels plan to carry this winning momentum into the Second Round.

“We are dangerous, and at any given point, anyone can go off on us; so, we’ve got to start feeding off of each other,” Dre Davis said in an interview with The Daily Mississippian. “It was a big win for us. A lot of people didn’t think we were going to win this game, so to be able to come in step on them (is huge). We’re going to build off this momentum and get ready for the next one.”

Dia emphasized the support from Rebel Nation in Milwaukee in their first March Madness game since 2019.

“To have a whole Ole Miss section right behind us, and for them to travel out and support us, was amazing,” Dia said in an interview with The Daily Mississippian. “Shoutout to them for the support, and we appreciate it a lot.”

Who’s next? 

The Rebels will face No. 3-seeded Iowa State on Sunday, March 23 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.