Ole Miss has taken its share of tough losses this season, but none of them hit quite like the one that closed the regular season on Saturday.
If you’ve followed this team at all, you’ve seen the late‑game swings, the near‑misses, the “almost” moments. This one still managed to land differently.
The Rebels had South Carolina tied at 61-61 with the clock winding down, the kind of situation where you just want to force overtime and regroup.
Instead, Meechie Johnson caught an in‑bounds pass, took a couple of dribbles, and let it fly from a distance that most players don’t even consider a real shot. It dropped in cleanly with 0.7 seconds left. Ballgame. Season finale over in a blink.
MEECHIE FOR THE WIN 🤯
📺 » SEC NETWORK pic.twitter.com/S0yankdnTU
— South Carolina Men's Basketball (@GamecockMBB) March 7, 2026
Ole Miss had one last heave, but there wasn’t much left to do except watch the Gamecocks celebrate a 64-61 win and walk off the floor with another close loss in a season full of them.
And that’s really the story of the afternoon. Ole Miss didn’t play poorly. They didn’t fold. They didn’t get run out of their own building. They just couldn’t finish the final possession, which has been a theme far too often.
The Rebels dug themselves a hole early, trailing 34-28 at halftime after struggling to generate much from the perimeter. One-for‑14 from three‑point range is a tough number to overcome, especially when South Carolina hit nine of them. That alone explains most of the margin.
But to their credit, Ole Miss pushed back.
The second half looked more like the version of this team that can make things interesting in Nashville next week. Malik Dia kept attacking and finished with 22 points. The defense tightened up. The Rebels chipped away, tied it, even grabbed a brief lead. They just couldn’t land the final punch.
That’s been the difference all year. Not always effort, not buy‑in, not competitiveness. Just the last few of minutes of games.
Storr finds Scott for the Dunk💪#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/jSdmIudZ2Z
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 7, 2026
The loss drops Ole Miss to 12-19 and 4-14 in SEC play heading into the conference tournament. It’s not the finish they wanted, and it’s not the momentum they hoped to carry into Nashville.
But the reality is the Rebels have been in almost every game they’ve played. They just haven’t been able to close them.
Saturday was the clearest example yet. A 30‑footer at the horn isn’t something you can scheme around. It’s just the kind of shot that finds you when your season has gone this way.
Now the only thing left is to see whether Ole Miss spoil a team or two’s post season dreams at the SEC Tournament.
Ole Miss Leaders
- Points: Malik Dia, 22
- Rebounds: Eduardo Klafke, 6
- Assists: Ilias Kamardine, 4
- Steals: Eduardo Klafke/Travis Perry/Patton Pinkins, 2
- Blocks: James Scott, 2
Next Up
Ole Miss will head to Nashville for the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament this week. The tournament seeding hasn’t been finalized with several games still to be played. But the Rebels are guaranteed to play on the tournament’s first day, Wednesday, at either 2 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.
