21. Mississippi (14-2)
The SEC is filled with notable teams and these Rebels are certainly looking to make themselves known in the college basketball world. Chris Beard’s second season is trending in the right direction after struggling in league play last year, with Ole Miss faring well this season. Losses to Purdue and Memphis aren’t nightmares, and SEC play has started on the right foot.
That trend continued Wednesday with a 73-66 road win at Arkansas, giving the Rebels their second road win on the year. Malik Dia starred with 21 points and 8 rebounds in the important win away from home. Saturday’s action also went their way, as Ole Miss picked up a 77-65 victory over LSU. Dia sparkled again with 19 points and 7 rebounds while Jaemyn Brakefield added 16 points off the bench.
They’ve taken care of their business and now sit 3-0 in the SEC, though this team knows the real challenges are still coming. For now, this team can celebrate a great start to the season and that offense has shown signs of brilliance already. Next week’s road tests at Alabama and Mississippi State will show us a lot about this team and really start to reveal if this team can hang with their league rivals on the road. They achieved that in Arkansas, but it’s all about consistency.