Basketball
No. 21 Ole Miss stuns No. 4 Alabama for upset win
Ole Miss Rebels remain unbeaten SEC play after handing No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide its second loss of the 2024-25 campaign.
Defenses win championships, but defense can also win important conference games.
No. 21 Ole Miss held the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense in No. 4 Alabama to just 64 points in Tuesday night’s 74-64 win in Tuscaloosa, Ala. It’s one of the biggest upsets of the college basketball season, arguably surpassing then No. 8 Florida’s 30-point win against then-No. 1 Tennessee last week.
The 10-point win was the first win against a top 5-ranked opponent since a 79-78 overtime win against No. 4 Auburn on Ja. 22, 2000.
Culture Travels.
Culture Wins.#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/7wNCMzlUBd— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 15, 2025
Alabama (14-3, 3-1 SEC) actually outshot Ole Miss (15-2, 4-0 SEC) from the field, 42.6-38.6 percent. Ole Miss also held one of the nation’s best offensive rebound teams in the nation (15 offensive rebounds per game) to just four in 40 minutes of gameplay.
The Rebels’ defense slowed down the Crimson Tide in the second half too, outscoring them 42-28 to overcome a 36-32 halftime deficit and forcing seven turnovers in the first 7:50 of play of the second half.
The Rebels’ 30th-ranked scoring defense in the nation was disruptive throughout the game, especially early on as they forced seven turnovers in the first five minutes of play.
Offensive, Malik Dia continued his offensive hot streak for Ole Miss, leading the team in scoring for the third-straight game. Dia had 23 points and a career-high 19 rebounds and a career high 11 field goals in the win. The last Ole Miss player to have 20 pts. and 15 rebs. was Sebastian Saiz vs. South Carolina on March 4, 2017.
4-0 in the SEC. Proud of our players’ poise. TEAM effort #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/whRkWXovJg
— Chris Beard (@CoachBeard) January 15, 2025
The win gets the Rebels off to a great start on a difficult three-game stretch against top 15 opponents. Next up is No. 15 Mississippi State (14-3, 2-2 SEC) on Thursday in Starkville, Miss. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN2.
| Mon, Nov 4 |  | vs Long Island University | W, 90-60 |
| Fri, Nov 8 |  | vs Grambling | W, 66-64 |
| Tue, Nov 12 |  | vs South Alabama | W, 64-54 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Colorado State | W, 84-69 |
| Thu, Nov 21 |  | vs Oral Roberts | L, 100-68 |
| Thu, Nov 28 |  | vs BYU | W, 96-85 OT |
| Fri, Nov 29 |  | vs 13 Purdue | L, 80-78 |
| Tue, Dec 3 |  | @ Louisville | W, 86-63 |
| Sat, Dec 7 |  | vs Lindenwood | W, 86-53 |
| Sat, Dec 14 |  | vs Southern Miss | W, 77-46 |
| Tue, Dec 17 |  | vs Southern | W, 74-61 |
| Sat, Dec 21 |  | vs Queens University | W, 80-62 |
| Sat, Dec 28 |  | @ Memphis | L, 87-70 |
| Sat, Jan 4 |  | vs Georgia | W, 63-51 |
| Wed, Jan 8 |  | @ 23 Arkansas | W, 73-66 |
| Sat, Jan 11 |  | vs LSU | W, 77-65 |
| Tue, Jan 14 |  | @ 5 Alabama | W, 74-64 |
| Sat, Jan 18 |  | @ 17 Mississippi State | L, 81-84 |
| Wed, Jan 22 |  | vs 13 Texas A&M | L, 62-63 |
| Sat, Jan 25 |  | @ Missouri | L, 83-75 |
| Wed, Jan 29 |  | vs Texas | W, 72-69 |
| Sat, Feb 1 |  | vs 2 Auburn | L, 92-82 |
| Tue, Feb 4 |  | vs 10 Kentucky | W, 98-84 |
| Sat, Feb 8 | | @ LSU | 7:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 12 |  | @ South Carolina | 6:00 PM SECN |
| Sat, Feb 15 | | vs 17 Mississippi State | 5:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Feb 22 |  | @ Vanderbilt | 2:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 26 | | @ 2 Auburn | 6:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 1 |  | vs 12 Oklahoma | 1:00 PM TBA |
| Wed, Mar 5 |  | vs 1 Tennessee | 8:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 8 |  | @ 6 Florida | 5:00 PM SECN |