It’s Year 2 for Chris Beard, and he’s looking to prove that Ole Miss basketball is a continual postseason program
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Ole Miss basketball.
Ole Miss basketball has been far from a focus for the school and for a reason. They’ve only won one tournament game in the last decade, and have only made the second weekend once. However, they took a step in the right direction when they hired Chris Beard last year. Beard is a tremendous coach who has off-the-court issues but wins wherever he goes.
In year 1, they won 20 games, and this year they bring in an even more talented team to the SEC. This is led by Matthew Murrell, who is coming off a season averaging 16 a game and will most likely be an All-SEC player next year. They also bring back Jaylen Murray and Jaemyn Brakefield, who averaged double digits for Ole Miss last year.
Then, you look at the transfers. They bring in five transfers who averaged double-digit scoring for their programs, including Sean Pedulla, one of the better point guards in the country last year, and Dre Davis, who had a breakout year last year. They also bring in two extremely talented mid-major bigs who will make an impact from Day 1.
If they can win five more games this year and finish at .500 in conference play, the tournament is in their sight. They have the talent and the coaching, it’s all about bringing it together for this Ole Miss team.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Chris Beard (2nd season at Ole Miss, 10th season overall)
2023-24 record: 20-12 (7-11)
2024 postseason finish: No Tournament
Notable departures:
- Allen Flanigan (14.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.8 APG)
- Moussa Cisse (4.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 0.3 APG)
- Brandon Murray (4.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.4 APG)
- Jamarion Sharp (3.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.6 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Colorado State (November 16)
- vs. BYU (November 28)
- vs. Louisville (December 3)
- at Memphis (December 28)
Projected Rotation
PG: Sean Pedulla (6-1, 195, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 16.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 42.4 FG%, 80.1 FT% (Virginia Tech)
SG: Matthew Murrell (6-4, 205, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 16.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 46.4 FG%, 39.8 3P%, 73.9 FT%
SF: Dre Davis (6-6, 215, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 15.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 49.2 FG%, 35.0 3P%, 84.0 FT% (Seton Hall)
PF: Jaemyn Brakefield (6-8. 225, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 47.7 FG%, 36.2 3P%, 76.5 FT%
C: Malik Dia (6-9, 250, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 16.9 PPG, 5,8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 48.8 FG% (Belmont)
6: Mikeal Brown-Jones (6-8, 225, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 18.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 54.0 FG%, 43.1 3P%, 78.7 FT% (UNCG)
7: Jaylen Murray (5-11, 165, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 41.1 FG%, 37.3 3P%, 76.6 FT%
8: TJ Caldwell (6-4, 190, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 74.5 FT%
9: Davon Barnes (6-4, 205, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 42.1 FG%, 39.1 3P%, 83.7 FT% (Sam Houston State)
10: John Bol (7-2, 210, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #71 ranked recruit
Ole Miss Basketball Team MVP: Matthew Murrell
The highest-rated recruit in program history certainly played like it last season, averaging over 16 points a game on great shooting splits. He’s a smart player and had a terrific February as the team tried to make a run. He did struggle against better competition, but with a better supporting cast this year, the load will be taken off of him and allow him to succeed at a higher level.
What really stands out is his three point shooting. He can get streaky, making five or more threes in a game four times last season, and shot just under 40% on the season. If he can continue this level of efficiency and take a few more shots, he can be a 20 PPG scorer and one of the top players in the country.
Ole Miss Basketball make-or-break player: Malik Dia & Mikeal Brown-Jones
Last season, Ole Miss brought in two talented bigs Moussa Cisse and Jamarion Sharp to man the post. They did a great job defensively but provided no offensive production, which really made the offense struggle at times. So, they brought in two more proven offensive guys to try to solve the problem. Dia broke out at Belmont last year at Belmont, averaging 17 points as just a sophomore, and Brown-Jones averaged 19 at UNC Greensboro.
Neither of these players will make up defensively for the previous group, but if they can pose as offensive threats, it will create more focus on them, and open up the offense for the talented scorers on the wing. We know that taking the leap to a power conference team is difficult, and if they can’t perform at a high level there can be major issues down low.
Key analytic: Blocks per Game
Having Cisse and Sharp defensively was a blessing, and they were the reason why Ole Miss was 7th in the country in blocks per game. Both are gone though, as well as Flanigan, who was third in blocks per game, so will they be able to replicate this performance. Chris Beard has always been a defense-first coach, and the combination of Dia, Davis, and Brown-Jones averaged 3 blocks a game last year.
Blocks aren’t the key to success, but if there was one thing Ole Miss was dominant in, it was that, and Beard should put his team in a position to be one of the best again.
Ole Miss Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 9th in the SEC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Exit