Ole Miss Men’s Basketball defeated Texas 72-69 at home on Wednesday, Jan. 29, snapping their three-game losing streak. The win could keep the Rebels ranked among the AP Top 25 teams, and an NCAA Tournament bid is still reachable.
This was not the most dominant win, as Ole Miss was outrebounded 42-33. The Rebels were down 38-34 in the first half but rallied and outscored the Longhorns 38-31 in the second half.
This was also the first meeting between head coach Chris Beard and his former team. Beard was fired from the University of Texas in 2023 weeks after he was charged with a third-degree felony for family violence. A prosecutor later dropped the charges.
First Half
The first half started poorly for Ole Miss. Just five minutes into the game, the Rebels were severely outrebounded and outscored. The team was 0-5 from the field and made only two free throws to trail 11-2.
They were able to shake this off after the first TV timeout, going on a run to bring the game back to an even 12-12 score. Leading the Rebels was guard Sean Pedulla’s three pointer and guard Dre Davis’ three pointer, on top of a pair of free throws.
Ole Miss and Texas continued a back-and-forth battle until about halfway through the first half, when the Longhorns’ rebounding ability caught up to the Rebels. At one point, Texas was up 32-19 and seemed to be in control of the game; however, Ole Miss pushed back to end the half on a relatively good note at 38-34.
Second Half
In the second half, Texas committed six more turnovers. The Rebels allowed only one turnover in the second half. Texas’ rebounding dominance faltered, and both teams grabbed 18 rebounds in the second half. No team had a lead more than five for the whole half.
Longhorns guard Tre Johnson was the main proponent of the Texas offense, ending the night with 22 points. Johnson was especially good from the free throw line as he went 8-8 and contributed to the 12-14 free throws for the Longhorns.
Ole Miss went 19-25 from the line. The free throws are what tipped the game in the Rebels’ favor, as Texas made only two more field goals and two fewer three pointers than Ole Miss.
Ole Miss was up three with eight seconds left in the half. Texas brought the ball down the court, but Johnson bricked the three-pointer that would drive the game into overtime. The Rebels hung on for a much needed victory in SEC play.
Offensive MVPs
The big three for Ole Miss included Pedulla, Davis and forward Jaemyn Brakefield. They were responsible for 75% of Ole Miss’ scoring, combining for 54 points. Pedulla was especially efficient as he was 50% from the field and over 50% from three. He also had four rebounds and five assists to lead the Rebels to a victory.
Ole Miss hosts No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, Feb 1. Tip off is set for 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN.
