Undefeated No. 25 Ole Miss Will Have Their Flawless Record Tested Against Troy

The Ole Miss basketball program regained prominence under the leadership of first-year head coach Chris Beard. 

Beard’s contribution led the Rebels to achieve a Top 25 ranking, a feat they had not reached since January 2019. No. 25 Ole Miss (10-0) will confront Troy on Tuesday in Oxford, Miss., as they aim to prolong their best start since 2007, which saw them win their initial 13 games.

Coming off a triumphant 88-78 triumph over Cal on Saturday in San Antonio, the Rebels are one of the four unbeaten teams in college basketball. During the game, Jaemyn Brakefield, a senior at Ole Miss, delivered career highs of 27 points and five 3-pointers. Matthew Murrell tallied 19 points while Jaylen Murray collected 14 for Beard’s squad.

Beard expressed his thoughts,

“To begin the season in this manner is a testament to our players. I believe we are a team that must command some respect. I am not sure about the number of undefeated teams remaining, but I presume there are very few. There is minimal discussion about our team at present. I think our players are utilizing that. We seem to be a team with a chip on our shoulder.”

The Rebels’ impressive start to the season has been attributed to the performance of Allen Flanigan, a transfer from Auburn. The fifth-year senior is the leading scorer on the team with an average of 17.4 points per game, followed by Murrell with 15.9 and Murray with 14.6.

With a string of significant victories already accomplished, the Rebels have witnessed a substantial improvement from the previous season. Beard was appointed as head coach at Ole Miss on March 13, just four days after they suffered their 21st loss of the season in the SEC Tournament.

Troy, led by head coach Scott Cross, has encountered inconsistency during the 10 games played this year. Despite entering the season after two consecutive 20-win seasons, the Trojans have struggled to secure back-to-back victories and only two of their wins have come against Division I teams. They arrive in Oxford following a 110-63 win over Southern-New Orleans, with Christyon Eugene contributing 19 points and Randarius Jones adding 15.

“For us to progress, we need to enhance our defensive capabilities,” stated Cross. “It must be a priority for every individual. We need to find ways to elevate our game.”..
Eugene is the lead scorer for Troy at an average of 16 points per game, followed by Aamer Muhammad with 11 points per game and Tayton Conerway with 10.8.

Tuesday’s game will not mark the first encounter between Cross and Beard. In Beard’s solitary season at Little Rock in 2015-16, his team faced Cross’ UT-Arlington team twice. They also crossed paths in 2020 when Beard’s Texas Tech team confronted Troy. As of now, Beard has a 3-0 record against Cross. Ole Miss has maintained an undefeated record of 10-0 against the Trojans, with the upcoming match being their first meeting since December 2015.

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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