NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Duke, and San Diego State rises in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
25. Mississippi (12-0)
No matter the team, the roster, or what they’ve dealt with, any team would take an undefeated start without blinking. We’re sitting here just before New Year’s and the Rebels have won each of their games. Chris Beard’s first season at Ole Miss couldn’t have started any better even if the schedule has been relatively week for an SEC team, whose only notable win is Memphis back in early December.
There weren’t any games on the Rebels’ schedule this past week, meaning great players like Matthew Murrell and Jaylen Murray continue to enjoy the Christmas break. We mentioned that win against Memphis, which looks better with each passing week, but they have had a few other nice performances. Mississippi has won true road games at both Temple and UCF and survived some close calls earlier in the season.
You could make a hundred arguments for or against the Rebels but being one of the last three unbeaten teams is a certain accomplishment. They’ve not been tested and certainly will face much harder challenges against the SEC in the months ahead. That begins by being absolutely thrown into the fire, as the Rebels head to Knoxville to face Tennessee this upcoming Saturday. Being unbeaten one week from now will be an undeniable accomplishment.