Survive and advance: Ole Miss moves on in SEC Tournament

· Yahoo Sports

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 11: Malik Dia #0 and Ilias Kamardine #6 of the Ole Miss Rebels react against the Texas Longhorns during the second half in the first round of the 2026 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 11, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Don’t let the Rebs get hot? Cinderella story? Why not us?

Any other cliches we want to cling to as Chris Beard attempts the greatest SEC Tourney run ever? Let’s be honest, being the 15 seed out of 16 does not inspire any kind of enthusiasm from the fan base and you would even be hard pressed as a player to not just mail it in and move on.

Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.

#13 Mississippi State and #14 South Carolina both got blown out and sent home while #16 LSU attempted to make it interesting before ultimately falling to Kentucky. Thus, Ole Miss was the only lower seed in Day 1 to advance. Next up, the seventh seeded Georgia Bulldogs.

I mentioned in the SEC Tournament Preview, that Malik Dia and AJ Storr both needed to show up if Ole Miss had any hope of advancing through this week. They did just that against Texas, combining for 41 of the team’s 76 points on the way to a 10 point victory, which essentially ended postseason aspirations for Beard’s former employer.

Just as important was the re-emergence of Ilias Kamardine. After an incredible start to the season, Kamardine kind of faded to the background, but he chipped in 16 points and put on a show:

If those three can combine for almost 60 points in a game, there’s a high probability the Rebs win that game.

Now it’s time for Georgia, who happens to be the Rebels’ best win on the season, beating them on the road 97-95. While Dia struggled, Storr and Kamardine combined for 40 and Patton Pinkins introduced himself to the SEC with 18 of his own.

Georgia is extremely guard heavy, a matchup that typically favors Ole Miss. Jeremiah Wilkinson is the head of the snake, scoring 32 in their previous matchup. Ole Miss just needs to tap into whatever they found yesterday and they could roll Georgia. They are well coached, but Ole Miss is just as talented. If it clicks again, I will be talking about how we match up with Alabama tomorrow!

Catch the game at 6:00 tonight on SEC Network.

Read full story at source