Ole Miss Men’s Basketball fell to Alabama 92-84 in the third annual Ballin in Boutwell exhibition series in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, Oct. 15. This matchup was the first opportunity for the 2026-27 Rebel basketball team to play an opponent other than themselves on American soil.
New Rebel Corey Stephenson led Ole Miss with 25 points in the loss. The starting lineup for Ole Miss was Budd Clark, Santiago Trouet, Ilias Kamardine, Roman Siulepa and Patton Pinkins. Of the starters, only Trouet stands over 6 feet 7 inches.
The venue, the historic Boutwell Auditorium, did not host a basketball game for almost 45 years until 2024. It serves as an event venue, concert hall and warming station. A sold-out crowd created an exhilarating atmosphere for the exhibition game.
First half
The Rebels started the game with strong defense, holding Alabama to four points going into the first media timeout. Alabama head coach Nate Oats is famous for his high-speed, offense-focused game plan. In previous seasons, the Crimson Tide frequently scored in triple digits.
Clark, a senior guard transfer from Seton Hall, drained two difficult turnaround jumpers early.
Corey Stephenson, a fifth-year transfer from FIU, subbed into the game. Stephenson is one of two Rebel players who are under temporary court orders that currently allow them to prepare for the upcoming season. The other, Micah Handlogten, did not suit up for the contest. Stephenson announced his presence in the first half with an emphatic two-handed slam.
A native of Birmingham, Stephenson spoke about what playing in his hometown meant to him after the game.
“I’m from Birmingham, so this was huge for me,” Stephenson said.
Alabama put together a scoring barrage to take the lead 17-14 halfway through the first half. NBA draft prospect Amari Allen led the charge for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama picked up eight fouls before the eight-minute mark. Despite this, Alabama retained the lead. The score was 29-24 in favor of Alabama with six minutes left in the half.
Ole Miss gave up several offensive rebounds, resulting in Crimson Tide 3-pointers. Looking for size on his bench, Rebel head coach Chris Beard went to Dasear Haskins, a senior forward transfer from St. Joseph’s.
An and-one from Stephenson stopped an Alabama run. He lost balance, recovered and then finished through contact.
A 10-2 Rebel run cut the deficit to three points at halftime. Despite not connecting on a single 3-pointer all half, Ole Miss still managed to score 39 points. Unfortunately for the Rebels, Siulepa picked up his third foul late in the half.
Outside of the poor 3-point shooting, the Rebels put together a solid first half. At times, it looked like Alabama would break open the game, yet the Rebels stayed within striking distance.
Siulepa and Clark led the Rebels in scoring at the half with eight points each. Clark handling the point guard duties made a huge difference for Ole Miss. It allowed Kamardine to play off-ball, which never happened last season.
Second half
With Siulepa in foul trouble, Beard started Stephenson in his place for the second half. He did not sit long. The Australian tandem of Siulepa and Ben Henshall entered the game two minutes in.
Alabama started the second half with a shower of threes. The strong shooting and poor defensive rebounding from Trouet resulted in a 56-46 Tide lead early in the half.
To stop the run, Beard called a timeout with under 14 minutes remaining in the contest. Alabama’s physicality overpowered the Rebels. Handlogten’s presence was sorely missed. Ole Miss simply could not keep up with the Crimson Tide’s size and aggression.
Post play is a clear area for improvement. The Rebels lost the rebounding battle 28 to 45. Trouet played the majority of the game at center, while Stefan Cicic contributed five minutes. Regardless of Handlogten’s eligibility, those two need to be more physical on the boards.
Coach Beard addressed rebounding woes in his postgame press conference.
“Rebounding is something we have to work on,” Beard said. “That’s not just the players, that’s the whole organization. We have to figure something out.”
Zach Day connected on the first 3-point basket of the game for Ole Miss with eleven minutes left in the game. The basket ignited a Rebel run to cut an 18-point deficit to 11. Haskins missed a wide-open layup that would have put Ole Miss down nine.
Ole Miss shot 4-of-20 from the three point line. Alabama shot 11-of-32. A 3-point disparity like that is tough for any college basketball team to overcome. However, it is encouraging that Ole Miss was able to remain competitive despite only making four 3-pointers.
In the postgame press conference, Beard was optimistic about Ole Miss’ 3-point game.
“We will continue to work on (3-pointers). I think the 3-point shot will be a weapon for us this year,” Beard said.
Stephenson and Clark put together solid offensive possessions, scoring on three straight trips. Alabama responded with back-to-back threes, forcing a Beard timeout with six minutes remaining.
Stephenson had a strong second half. He has a silky jumper and uses his well-built frame to overpower smaller guards. If his fifth year is granted, he will be one of the top options for the Rebels.
With a little over three minutes left in the game, Clark drove to the rim and lifted a soft layup over the head of an Alabama big man. On the next possession, Stephenson converted two free throws to cut the lead to six.
Unhappy with a hard foul, Oats exhibited one of his trademark outbursts. His antics resulted in a technical foul. Pinkins made both free throws.
The Tide led the Rebels 86-83 with two minutes left in the game. Siulepa fouled Allen with 45 seconds left in the game. Allen put Alabama up two possessions at the line.
After knocking down a few late free throws, Alabama won the contest 92-84.
Since this was an exhibition, Ole Miss can take the lessons learned from the game and work on them without worrying about any numbers in the loss column.
“I’m really thankful for Nate (Oats) and Alabama for giving us this opportunity,” Beard said “This was awesome for us.”
What’s next?
Ole Miss will finish its preseason schedule with a home exhibition against UAB on Tuesday, Oct. 27. That game will tip off at 7:30 p.m..
They start the regular season in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion on Monday, Nov. 2 against Alcorn State at 7:30. SEC Network+ will broadcast the game.
