The Ole Miss Rebels’ five-game win streak turned into a two- game losing streak after upsetting losses to the Iowa Hawkeyes and Utah Utes in the 2025 Acrisure Classic on Nov. 25 and 26.
The disappointing losses revealed areas of improvement for the Rebels. Their depth and ability to perform against high level teams in a different territory were tested. The missed opportunities and lack of consistency under pressure are crucial areas that will need to be addressed for the season ahead.
Iowa
The Rebels kicked off the series with a 69-74 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 8:30 p.m. CST in Palm Desert, Calif.
The Rebels started forwards Malik Dia and James Scott, as well as guards AJ Storr, Ilias Kamardine and Kezza Giffa.
Ole Miss fell behind Iowa throughout the first half because there were numerous missed shots and turnovers. The Rebels dominated the half defensively. They forced Iowa to a shot clock violation and led in defensive rebounds and blocks.
The Rebels went scoreless for over six minutes after Kamardine scored the first two points.
Augusto Cassiá and Kamardine’s back-to-back dunks tied the score for the first time with about seven minutes left in the half. Kamardine noticeably gained confidence and increased his assertiveness on the court. He followed his dunk with four more points to put the Rebels up for the first time.
Storr gained five points for the Rebels with only one turnover through the half. He drew fouls and went 5-of-6 in free throws.
Giffa’s buzzer-beating three point jump shot, with three seconds left in the half, tied the game 31-31 going into halftime.
The Rebels were outscored by five points in the second half. Ole Miss struggled to gain possession from Iowa for most of the half, only forcing one turnover from an offensive foul on Storr.
Storr continued to lead in points. He ended scoring for the Rebels with a jumpshot to make the score 74-69. He shot 60% from the field, 50% from long-range and 80% from the free throw line.
Storr dominated all-around performance. He scored a season high of 22 points, five rebounds and two assists throughout the game. His two turnovers came from offensive fouls in the first and second half.
Ole Miss shot 46.9% from the field, 35.2% from long-range and 85% from the free throw line.
The Rebels did not achieve their keys to the game of limiting Bennett Stirtz and forcing turnovers, according to CBS Sports. Stirtz gained 29 points over the Rebels and Iowa had six turnovers compared to the Rebels’ 12.
Utah
The Rebels continued the series against the Utah Utes on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 11 p.m CST in the Acrisure Classic consolation game. The Utes lost 93-85 to the Cal Poly Mustangs on Tuesday.
The Rebels started the same forwards as they did against Iowa and gained possession first. Dia’s dunk started the scoring for the night.
Guard Patton Pinkins was on fire throughout the first half. He led the Rebels offensively with eight points. He was 3-of-5 on field goal shots and 2-of-2 on 3-pointers. Kamardine led with three assists.
Scott followed with seven points. He was on 3-of-3 field goal shots, 1-of-2 on free throws and had three rebounds.
Ole Miss and Utah went back-to-back in scoring for most of the first half until about the five-minute mark when the Rebels offense stalled and did not score until Scott’s back-to-back dunks. Pinkin’s three-pointer followed by Storr’s layup ended Ole Miss’ scoring for the half.
Ole Miss was outscored by eight points going into the half and trailed 42-34. They had a 50% field goal percentage, 43% on 3-pointers and 60% on free throws.
The Rebels continued to trail the Utes for most of the second half. The Utes defensive pressure made it hard for Ole Miss to put points on the board.
Dia ramped up his point scoring assertiveness in the second half, taking the game leader title by the time the buzzer sounded. He contributed across the board with 17 points in the 26 minutes he played.
He made 5-of-9 field goal shots and 7-of-9 free throws, Dia showed up offensively, with four rebounds and an assist. Defensively he had five rebounds, one steal and three blocks.
The Rebels and the Utes returned to their back-and-forth scoring towards the end of the game. Ole Miss was unable to take the lead throughout the half until the final five minutes when Kamardine stepped up and made a shot from beyond the arc followed by a layup.
Ole Miss’ lead was almost lost to the Utes when Kamardine gained a personal foul. The Utes did not make their free throws and Dia followed with four free throws.
Kamardine responded to the Utes with a jump shot in the final minute while trailing and defended until the last few seconds when the Utes were able to gain possession.
Storr’s tripping foul on Utes guard Terrence Brown in the last four seconds allowed the opposition to take the lead, once again. The Utes eight point lead in the first half decreased to one point in the second. Ole Miss fell 75-74.
Ole Miss had a 50% field goal percentage, 29% on 3-pointers and 82% on free throws. The Rebels field goal percentage stayed the same while their 3-pointer consistency decreased.
CBS Sports keys to the game for the Rebels were to “dominate glass” and “Utah’s 3s.” Ole Miss had a rebound margin of 10 with 10 offensive rebounds and 20 defensive rebounds. Utah was 10-of-19 on 3-pointers.
What’s next?
The Rebels will take on the University of Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion as a part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
