After a rare down year for Chris Beard, he and Ole Miss basketball look to turn it around in a competitive SEC
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Ole Miss basketball.
Through his entire career at McMurray, Angelo State, Little Rock, Texas Tech, Texas, and now Ole Miss. Chris Beard had never had a losing season. The year prior, he led Ole Miss to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000-2021. That all changed last year, where Ole Miss basketball won just 15 games total, and just four in conference play. They did make a miracle run to the SEC tournament semifinal, but it wasn’t enough to go dancing.
Now in year four with Ole Miss, they look to get back on track, and they’ll be led by the Frenchman Ilias Kamardine, who had a strong freshman year last year. He’s joined by Patton Pinkins, who also had a strong freshman year and is ready to take that leap. Perhaps their most important addition is Bud Clark, the Seton Hall transfer who can score with ease and command this offense.
The SEC has certainly taken a leap in the past few years, and Ole Miss basketball needs to make sure they don’t fall behind. With this roster on paper, their isn’t much optimism they can compete against the best of the best, but Chris Beard has shown you can trust him to win, and odds are he will once again.
Head coach: Chris Beard (15th season overall, 4th at Ole Miss)
2025-26 record: 15-20 (4-14)
2026 postseason finish: No Tournament
Notable departures:
- AJ Storr (15.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.9 APG)
- Malik Dia (14.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.8 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- Clemson (Nov 23 – Maui Invitational)
- BYU OR Washington (Nov 24 – Maui Invitational)
- Arizona/Colorado State/Providence/VCU (Nob 25 – Maui Invitational)
- at Virginia Tech (Dec 1)
Projected Rotation
PG: Adam “Bud” Clark (5-10, 165, Sr.)
2025-2026 stats: 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.9 APG, 2.0 SPG, 43.7 FG%, 74.6 FT% (Ole Miss)
SG: Ilias Kamardine (6-5, 185, Sr.)
2025-2026 stats: 11.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 42.1 FG%, 76.4 FT%
SF: Patton Pinkins (6-5, 200, So.)
2025-2026 stats: 9.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 46.5 FG%, 42.2 3P%, 85.9 FT%
PF: Roman Siulepa (6-6, 220, So.)
2025-2026 stats: 10.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 46.1 FG% (Pitt)
C: Santiago Trouet (6-11, 218, Jr.)
2025-2026 stats: 8.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 44.8 FG%, 78.3 FT% (Arizona State)
6: Ben Henshall (6-5, Fr.)
2025-2026 stats: 8.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 42.8 FG%, 85.1 FT% (Perth)
7: Dasear Haskins (6-8, 200, Jr.)
2025-2026 stats: 11.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 48.0 FG%, 67.6 FT% (Saint Joseph’s)
8: Stefan Cicic (7-0, 260, So.)
2025-2026 stats: 4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.8 BPG, 53.2 FG% (Pepperdine)
9: Christian Brown (6-8, 233, So.)
2025-2026 stats: 3.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 56.3 FG% (James Madison)
10: Yohance Connor (6-2, 170, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 140 ranked recruit
Ole Miss basketball team MVP: Ilias Kamardine
The 21 year old freshman from France had an impressive year at Ole Miss, leading the team in assists and steals per game, while also finishing third in points per game. He broke out in the third game of the season against Memphis, scoring 26 points on 11-14 shooting. He put up some other impressive scoring performance throughout the year, but his best trait is his passing and playmaking. He’s always looking for the best option, and is great in the halfcourt.
Defensively, he’s also great with his length. In the SEC Tournament run, he averaged 2.5 steals a game, and showed his impact consistently, guarding the best wings on the SEC opponents. Now, in year two, they’re hoping he fully takes control and leads this team, becoming not only the best player on this team, but one of the best players in the SEC. If he can hit his jumpers at a higher rate, he can absolutely be that.
Also warning, if you tune into an Ole Miss game and are confused why Tyrese Haliburton has the ball in his hands, it’s actually Kamardine, who just happens to look and play exactly like him.
Ole Miss basketball make-or-break player: Patton Pinkins
When Pinkins came to Ole Miss as a top 100 recruit, he was viewed as more of a role player in year one, and in the non-conference got the minutes to reflect that. That all changed when conference play rolled around. In the first conference play game, he played 30 minutes, the first time all season, and scored 25 points on 9-11 shooting. Three games later, he played 40 minutes in an overtime win, scoring 18 points on 7-9 shooting. He had his ups and downs all conference play, like when he scored 26 points in a win over Vanderbilt, then followed that up with 27 combined points in the next four games.
Now, in year two, with AJ Storr and Malik Dia gone, and Kamardine being a naturally pass first guard, Pinkins has the chance to be an elite scorer and a breakout star in college basketball. He’s shown the flashes, now it’s time for it all to come together, and when he chose to stay in Oxford instead of test the waters in the portal, it was clear that he trusts Coach Beard and they’ll work together to get him there. The lack of consistency is worrisome though, and if he has off nights, that might mean an off night for the entire team, so a lot of eyes on this valuable guard.
Key statistic: Fouls per game
Ole Miss basketball fouled A LOT last year. They averaged 19.3 fouls a game, most of any Power 5 school and 318th overall. Opponents shot 24 free throws a game, and the stars constantly found themselves in foul trouble, which obviously limited their ability. This team is always an aggresive defensive team, getting in your face and trying to force tough shots, but there’s a fine line between that and fouling and giving opponents free points.
It’ll be interesting to see if the new bigs Roman Siulepa and Santiago Truet can defend without fouling. Truet did a good job of it last year, but Siulepa did not.
Ole Miss basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 16th in the SEC Conference
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament first round exit/NIT Appearance