TEAM FACTS
No. 23/20 Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 7-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (27-13) • 264-111 career record (13th Season)
Lindenwood Lions (Record: 3-5, 0-0 OVC)
Head Coach: Kyle Gerdeman • 6th Season at Lindenwood (57-91) • 57-91 career record (6th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network+
Play-by-Play: Jake Hromada
Color: Kermit Davis
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. LINDENWOOD
This is the first meeting between Ole Miss and Lindenwood on the basketball court. The Rebels will face an opponent for the first time in three games this season, Purdue, Lindenwood, and Queens.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Lindenwood brings a 3-5 record to Oxford, picking up wins over University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis, Stonehill College, and East-West University. They have dropped games against Oklahoma, New Orleans, Robert Morris, Valparaiso, and Missouri.
The Lions have three players averaging around 12 points per game offensively, in Markeith Browning II (12.4), Anias Futrell (12.1), and Jadis Jones (11.9). The team’s leading rebounder as well at 6.5 per game, Jones was named the 2023-24 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in Missouri and turned in a double-double to open the season against Oklahoma.
Lindenwood ranks among the nation’s best in forcing turnovers and steals on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 16.9 forced turnovers per game (13th in NCAA) and 10.5 steals per game (11th in NCAA). Their top three scorers have also totaled over 10 steals each on the season, with 16 from Browning II, 14 from Jones, and 13 from Futrell.
Head coach Pat Kelsey in his sixth season at the helm of Lindenwood, leading the team through their transition from Division II to Division I after the 2021-22 season. He joined the program after seven seasons on staff with Central Michigan, and was previously an assistant coach with Southeast Missouri State.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Following an even seven-to-seven split in year one, this year’s SEC/ACC Challenge was dominated by the Southeastern Conference 14-2, with Ole Miss playing it’s part. Led by senior Dre Davis’ season-high 20 points, the Rebels picked up a 23-point win at Louisville on Tuesday, December 3, 86-63.
Ole Miss is 2-0 in two seasons of the event, winning each of their games handily following a 20-point win over NC State a year ago.
AP FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, BUTTER, AND WATER
Ole Miss has dominated the turnover battle this year, currently leading all of college basketball in turnovers per game (8.1) and ranking fourth in turnover margin (+8.0). The Rebels are forcing nearly twice as many turnovers than they commit, with an average of 16.1 per contest which ranks 26th in the NCAA. Ole Miss’ assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.92 also ranks among the nation’s best at sixth, led by Jaylen Murray with a season ratio of 6.0. They’ve been a force on the defensive end with an average of 10.0 steals per game (No. 22 in NCAA), paced by Matthew Murrell and Sean Pedulla, who each rank among the top-40 in steals per game nationally.
EASY TO HANDLE – A DIME BY THE DOZEN
Recording an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.35 in his first season with Ole Miss, senior Jaylen Murray has taken his point guard play to an even higher level, beginning the 2024-25 year with 36 assists to just six turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 6.0 ranks third in the nation, and has helped Ole Miss record a team ratio of 1.92, the sixth-highest figure in the country. “Juju” has registered five or more assists in five games for the Rebels this season and ranks fourth in the SEC with 4.5 assists per game.
During his time at Ole Miss, Murray is averaging 4.08 assists per game, the fifth best career average in program history.
Career Assists Average
1. 7.09, Sean Tuohy (830 assists, 117 games, 1979-82)
2. 4.89, Bob Mahoney (329 assists, 74 games, 1973-75)
3. 4.43, Rod Barnes (456 assists, 103 games, 1985-88)
4. 4.36, Dave Shepherd (218 assists, 50 games, 1974-75)
5. 4.08, Jaylen Murray (163 assists, 40 games, 2023-pres.)
6. 3.96, Jarvis Summers (530 assists, 134 games, 2012-15)
7. 3.93, Chris Warren (452 assists, 115 games, 2008-11)
8. 3.60, Henry Jackson (378 assists, 105 games, 1976-79)
9. 3.53, Todd Abernethy (431 assists, 122 games, 2004-07)
10. 3.52, Deandre Burnett (225 assists, 64 games, 2016-18)
“HE A FREE THROW”
Through the first seven games, Jaylen Murray has gone 24-25 from the free throw line for a percentage of 96.0, ninth-best in all of college basketball. Entering the game with Purdue, Murray had not missed a shot from the charity stripe, and was one of six players in all of college basketball to remain perfect. The Bronx native also connected on his first two free throws during the Purdue game to extend his consecutive made shots at 32 dating back to the 2023-24 season, tying Murray with Stefan Moody for the second-longest streak in school history, trailing only David Rhodes’ 37 during 1972.
LET’S PLAY DEFENSE
A staple of success for head coach Chris Beard has always been his team’s defensive play, and it’s been evident on this year’s Ole Miss roster to start the season. With a turnover margin of +8.0 through six games, the Rebels rank fourth in all of college basketball, forcing 16.1 per game (No. 26 in the NCAA) while committing just 8.1 to lead the NCAA.
Ole Miss ranks among the top teams in the nation in steals per game at 10.0, the 22nd-best clip in college basketball, helping lead to a scoring margin of +15.4 which ranks 46th in the nation. Sean Pedulla currently averages 2.6 steals per game, ranking 15th in the NCAA, while Matthew Murrell averages 2.4 and ranks 39th in the country.
EYES ON OXFORD
Ole Miss earned plenty of preseason recognition on the national stage leading into the 2024-25 season. Starting with the national polls, the Rebels were ranked in the preseason AP poll for just the second time in program history at No. 24, and earned a preseason ranking in the Coaches poll for the first time ever at No. 25. Ole Miss currently ranks No. 23 in the latest AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll.
Other outlets that had Ole Miss in preseason rankings include: “ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early’ Top 25” as high as No. 20, the “Field of 68” at No. 22, John Fanta’s preseason top-25 at No. 24, Jon Rothstein’s preseason rankings at No. 27, and a spot in the offseason bracketology by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, peaking at a No. 7 seed.
Outside of the national top-25 polls, Ole Miss holds high rankings in the latest NET (24th), KenPom (27th), Jeff Borzello’s ESPN Power Rankings (14th), Gary Parrish’s CBS Rankings (15th), and Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman’s Top 25 (17th).
A “DO-IT-ALL” SCHOOL
Ole Miss is one of four schools in the nation that currently hold a spot in the AP Top 25 in football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball. They are joined by Alabama, Illinois, and Iowa State. On the gridiron, the Rebels rank No. 15 while men’s hoops ranks No. 23 and the women No. 18.
HOOP IN THE ‘SIP
On November’s signing day, Chris Beard and staff added two top recruits to Athletic Financial Aid Agreements in Tylis Jordan and Patton Pinkins. The pair gives Ole Miss a consensus top-25 recruiting class for 2025, ranked No. 12 in the nation by Rivals, No. 16 by On3, and No. 25 by 247Sports.
Tylis Jordan, PF, 6-9, 210, Wheeler, Louisville, Ga.
Jordan is a consensus top-100 recruit for the class of 2025, owning a national ranking as high as No. 27 in the country by On3 and No. 28 by Rivals. Listed as a power forward, the 6’9″ Louisville, Ga. native is an incredibly skilled big man who can easily play with the ball in his hands.
He has the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting and is able to knock down threes. One of the top-ranked players in his class in the always-talented state of Georgia, Jordan averaged a double-double last season at Shiloh as a junior with 21.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and is currently playing his senior season at Wheeler.
Patton Pinkins, SG, 6-5, 170, Frenship, Wolfforth, Texas
Another top-100 recruit, Pinkins is ranked as high as No. 74 in his class nationally by ESPN and No. 78 by Rivals. A 6’5″ shooting guard from Wolfforth, Texas, he currently plays at Frenship High School, where he’s described as an efficient player with a shooting percentage of over 60 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three.
Pinkins, the son of current Ole Miss assistant coach Al Pinkins, possess a high basketball IQ with strong passing ability. His ability as an on-ball defender pairs well with his prowess at scoring the basketball at all three levels.
NET-WORKING
The 2024-25 NET Rankings made their debut on Monday, December 2 and Ole Miss has since climbed their way to No. 24. Since the ranking’s first iteration at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, 24th is the highest-ever NET Ranking for the Ole Miss program.
As of December 5, the entire SEC is ranked among the top 100, with 11 of the 16 programs sitting inside the top 50.
“I’M LIKE MAYONNAISE ‘CAUSE I’M SMOOTH AND DANGEROUS TO LEAVE OPEN”
This year’s roster possesses a mountain of shooting talent, notably from beyond the three-point arc. With over 900 career three-pointers made among the 2024-25 roster, the Rebels look to light it up from deep on offense this season. Among the current members of the Ole Miss roster, they made a total of 410 shots from three during the 2023-24 season, a total that would have ranked third in all of college basketball last year.
2023-24 Made Three Pointers (30+)
Matthew Murrell: 78
Jaylen Murray: 72
Davon Barnes: 59 (at Sam Houston)
Sean Pedulla: 53 (at Virginia Tech)
Malik Dia: 44 (at Belmont)
Jaemyn Brakefield: 38
Dre Davis: 35 (at Seton Hall)
PROGRAM POINT PRESIDENTS
Seniors Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield have each surpassed the 1,000-point mark during their careers here in Oxford, and have their sights set on the program leaderboard. Here’s a snapshot of where they lie among the career points list at Ole Miss:
…
11. Gerald Glass – 1,564
12. Don Kessinger – 1,553
13. Matthew Murrell – 1,532
14. Terence Davis – 1,512
…
35. Joe Ayers – 1,130
36. Fred Cox – 1,105
37. Jaemyn Brakefield – 1,104
38. Terrance Henry – 1,095
RECORD BOOK WRECKER
Senior guard Matthew Murrell enters his fifth season with Ole Miss and continues to put his name up and down the program record book. The Memphis native currently ranks 13th in school history in career points with 1,532, and fifth in both three-point shots made (227), and three-point attempts (645). A consistent member of the lineup for each of his seasons, Murrell recently entered the top-10 in both career minutes and games played. He currently sits in eighth with 3,701 minutes, just behind Keith Carter with 3,719, and has played in 128 games, tying him for ninth with Emmanuel Wade and just behind Sebastian Saiz with 129.
Murrell has his eyes set on entering the top-10 career lists in two other categories as well, on the verge in: Career field goal attempts (Murrell at 1,257, 10th is Carlos Clark at 1,297), and career steals (Murrell at 138, 10th is Rahim Lockhart at 148).
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men’s Basketball, follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men’s Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.