This college basketball season hasn’t gone the way Ole Miss hoped, and while the Rebels’ biggest goals are still technically on the table, getting there now probably requires a long winning streak to close the regular season and a deep run in the SEC Tournament.
That’s the reality for any team sitting two games under .500 and riding a six‑game losing streak. And Wednesday night’s loss to Alabama felt a lot like the others in this stretch.
Ole Miss hung around, played well in stretches, and kept things competitive until the final minutes, when the opponent pulled away.
Sometimes that’s been on the Rebels. Other times, like against Alabama, it’s been a case of running into a team that gets red‑hot and stays that way.
Either way, the pattern has pushed Ole Miss well outside the NCAA Tournament bubble. There are seven games left to “right the ship,” and here are a few takeaways from the 93-74 loss that’ll shape what happens next.
Eduardo Klafke’s Intense Play
One of the most noticeable things Wednesday was how often Klafke found himself around loose balls. The 6‑foot‑5, 200‑pound Brazilian was constantly crashing the boards and chasing down anything that hit the floor. He ended up in more than a few scrums, too.
At one point, he literally wrestled the ball away from an Alabama player while both were on the ground. When he popped up and held the ball over his head, SJB Pavilion exploded.
“I thought (Eduardo) Klaffke played another just kind of physical game, rebounded the ball, played with a lot of courage,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said after Wednesday’s game.
Klafke finished with a team‑high nine rebounds and added 12 points on 5‑of‑8 shooting — the second‑most points for the Rebels. It’s his third straight game in double figures, and he was a huge part of the comeback push at Texas last Saturday when he scored 16 on 7‑of‑10 shooting.
Expect Klafke to keep seeing plenty of minutes as the Rebels head into the final stretch of the regular season.
Kezza Giffa Injury
A surprise injury popped up for Ole Miss on the gameday Student‑Athlete Availability Report. Kezza Giffa wasn’t listed on the initial release, but he was ruled out for Wednesday’s game.
“Kezza got popped in the (Texas) game. I think it was a play where he might have ran into the goal. He played the rest of the game just through adrenaline and stuff and then just has a problem with his leg,” Beard said. “Nothing serious where it’s going to impact his career. I’m hopeful he’ll be back with us this season. But I would say kind of week‑by‑week at this point. I don’t anticipate him playing Saturday. But I do think he’ll rejoin the team at some point.”
Giffa had been averaging 8.9 points per game on 45 percent shooting across 23 appearances, including seven starts. Beard said he thought Giffa played his best game of the season against Texas, so he likely would’ve logged heavy minutes against Alabama.
His absence will be felt for however long it lasts. But it also raises a fair question: why wasn’t he listed on the initial report
If the injury happened last Saturday, Ole Miss almost certainly knew something about its severity. That matters, or at least deserves clarity, given the policy:
“If an institution has knowledge that a student-athlete may not be able to participate in the upcoming game for any reason (including, but not limited to, injury, illness, suspension, ineligibility, or personal matter), the institution must accurately designate the student-athlete’s participation status on the Initial Report.”
Malik Dia’s Playing Time
Entering the season, most Ole Miss fans would’ve penciled in Malik Dia as one of the Rebels’ best players. And for a good chunk of the year, he was exactly that.
But during this six‑game losing streak, Dia has gone 0‑for‑8 from three and is shooting just 29.5 percent from the field. Against Alabama, he logged only eight minutes — his lowest total of the season.
Part of that was matchup‑based, but part of it was simply inconsistency.
“Just need more consistency from Malik. Tonight, Alabama went small. They only had one big on the floor. As a matter of fact, for some of the game, they had no bigs on the floor,” Beard said. “Augusto (Cassia) continues to be deserving of an opportunity. Corey (Chest) did a couple good things when he was in there. James (Scott) played hard tonight. So, it’s basically, trying to play four players in one position. So, it’s a coaching decision.”
If Ole Miss is going to salvage the season and finish on a positive note, they need Dia to look like the player he was earlier in the year — not the one struggling through this recent stretch.
