In this series, we’ll look ahead at Missouri’s opponents in the upcoming 2025-26 season. We continue by previewing the Ole Miss Rebels.

Date & Location: Jan. 10 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss.

2024-25 Record: 21-10, 10-8 SEC

2025 NCAA Tournament Finish: Defeated 11 seed North Carolina in Round of 64, 71-64, defeated 3 seed Iowa State in Round of 32, 91-78, lost to 2 seed Michigan State in Sweet 16, 73-70

Torvik Preseason Rank: 43

KEY LOSSES

Ja’Von Benson (transferred), John Bol (transferred), Mikeal Brown-Jones (graduated), TJ Caldwell (transferred), Robert Cowherd (transferred), Jaemyn Brakefield (graduated), Dre Davis (graduated), Jaylen Murray (graduated), Matthew Murrell (graduated), Sean Pedulla (graduated)

KEY RETURNERS

Malik Dia (10.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 0.8 apg), Eduardo Klafke (1.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.4 apg)

KEY INCOMING TRANSFERS

Augusto Cassia (Butler, 5.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.8 apg), Corey Chest (LSU, 6.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.7 apg), Kezza Giffa (High Point, 14.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg), Hobert Grayson (Ouchita Baptist, 21.8 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.3 apg), Koren Johnson (Louisville, 3.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.5 apg in two games), Travis Perry (Kentucky, 2.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.6 apg), James Scott (Louisville, 7.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.4 apg), AJ Storr (Kansas, 6.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.7 apg)

KEY INCOMING FRESHMEN (rankings from 247Sports)

Niko Bundalo (No. 40), Tylis Jordan (No. 77), Patton Pinkins (No. 95), Ilias Kamardine (international)

OUTLOOK

Chris Beard brought Ole Miss back to relevance in his second season at the helm, leading the Rebels to their highest number of wins and their deepest run in the NCAA Tournament since the 2012-13 season. With the large majority of that roster moving on this offseason, Beard faces a big reset heading into his third year.

The good news for Ole Miss is that they hung onto returning senior Malik Dia, a key starter who found his rhythm during SEC play. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 12.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game over his final 23 appearances of the season, and dialed in his range, hitting 40.4% of his 3-pointers on 2.5 attempts per contest over the same stretch. Heading into his final year of eligibility, Dia figures to be a crucial fixture for the team again this year. Beard also did a good job of giving himself plenty of options to pair with Dia in the post, bringing in experienced veterans through the portal such as Louisville transfer James Scott, LSU transfer Corey Chest and Butler transfer Augusto Cassia, as well as signing a pair of four-star freshmen in Niko Bundalo and Tylis Jordan.

Beard took some bigger swings on the perimeter, however, Kansas transfer AJ Storr chief among them. The 6-foot-5 wing was an All-Big Ten Second Team selection for Wisconsin in 2023-24, averaging 16.8 points, put saw his production and efficiency crater after transferring to the Jayhawks last year. Ole Miss is betting big on a resurgence, with the alternatives on the wing being mostly unproven players such as returning sophomore Eduardo Klafke, who played a small but consistent role in last year’s rotation, four-star freshman Patton Pinkins and NCAA Division II All-American Hobert Grayson.

Koren Johsnon seems in line to take over at point guard — the redshirt junior played big minutes in two year with Washington and averaged 11.1 points as a sophomore but suffered a season-ending after just two appearances with Louisville last year. At the other starting guard spot, it’ll likely come down to Kezza Giffa, a starter for a High Point team that won the Big South championship last year and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and Ilias Kamardine, a 21-year-old French import who put up 8.0 points and shot 39.8% from three playing for JDA Dijon in his native country’s top-tier league. Kentucky transfer Travis Perry, a former four-star recruit, could also work his way into the rotation after playing spot minutes for the Wildcats a season ago.

The Rebels have a lot of gelling to do before they reach SEC play. But if Beard can get his players to click, it won’t be surprising to see Ole Miss back in the Big Dance.

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