The Ole Miss men’s basketball team is set to conclude its regular season with a home game against South Carolina on Saturday, March 7 at noon in the SJB Pavilion. The matchup will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Ole Miss enters the contest with a 12-18 overall record and a 4-13 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Head coach Chris Beard is in his third season leading the Rebels, holding a 56-42 record at Ole Miss and an overall coaching record of 293-140 across 14 seasons.
South Carolina also holds a 12-18 record but has gone 3-14 in conference games this season. Lamont Paris, now in his fourth year as head coach for the Gamecocks, has compiled a 61-67 record at South Carolina and a career total of 148-139 over nine seasons as a Division-I head coach.
Saturday’s game marks the 51st meeting between Ole Miss and South Carolina since their first encounter in 1960. Ole Miss leads the all-time series, 26-24, and has been especially successful at home with a 15-5 advantage in Oxford. In their last meeting on February 12, Ole Miss secured a road win over South Carolina by four points (72-68), led by Malik Dia’s 18 points.
South Carolina is led by Meechie Johnson, who averages 17.3 points per game and ranks among national leaders for free throws made. Mike Sharavjamts leads the team in rebounding with an average of 5.4 per game. The Gamecocks have notable NCAA statistical rankings including eighth nationally in free throw percentage (78.6%) and are among the top teams for fewest turnovers per game (9.8).
Lamont Paris was recognized as SEC Coach of the Year in 2024 after guiding South Carolina to a program-best regular season win total that year.
Ole Miss has focused on ball security throughout this season, averaging just under ten turnovers per game—one of the best marks both nationally and within the SEC—and continuing a trend established under Chris Beard’s tenure.
Bench production has been significant for Ole Miss this year, ranking third in the SEC for bench scoring at an average of more than thirty points per game. Senior guard AJ Storr has played an important role off the bench recently, recording multiple high-scoring performances.
Freshman Patton Pinkins delivered standout moments during conference play, including scoring twenty-five points against Oklahoma and hitting decisive shots against ranked opponents Georgia and Mississippi State. Among qualifying SEC players logging significant minutes, Pinkins stands out for having only seven turnovers all season.
Defensively, Ole Miss averages over four blocks per game—a statistic where every player who has seen action this year has contributed at least one block.
Looking ahead to next season, Ole Miss announced two new signees: Jaron Saulsberry from Georgia’s Wheeler High School—ranked among his state’s top prospects—and Yohance Connor from Charlotte, North Carolina—also highly ranked within his state and nationally as a combo guard.
For further updates on Ole Miss men’s basketball activities or recruiting news, fans can follow official team accounts on X (@OleMissMBB), Facebook (Ole Miss Men’s Basketball), or Instagram (olemissmbb).
