Ole Miss guard AJ Storr watches a shot fall against Alabama in a SEC Tournament quarterfinal game in Nashville. | Ole Miss Athletics
Ole Miss guard AJ Storr watches a shot fall against Alabama in a SEC Tournament quarterfinal game in Nashville. | Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss’ Miracle Run Rolls On With Stunning 80-79 Upset of Alabama

BY Taylor Hodges

Ole Miss had only one path to extending its season past this week, and it required nothing short of a miracle run through the SEC Tournament.

Do not look now, but the Rebels are more than halfway through that miracle.

A team that won only four SEC games in the regular season just stunned No. 15 Alabama, 80-79, Friday night in Nashville. It was every bit as wild as Thursday’s 76-72 win over Georgia, only tighter, louder and somehow even more unbelievable.

Here is how one writer saw each half unfold.

First Half

Is Ole Miss about to do it again?

Let’s pause and acknowledge how wild this is: the Rebels, the tournament’s 15‑seed, are leading No. 2‑seed Alabama by six at halftime — and they’ve never trailed. Not tonight, and not at any point in more than 100 minutes of SEC Tournament basketball.

The 47-41 score is tighter than the Rebels’ wins over Texas (down 11) and Georgia (down 14), but that’s what happens when you’re facing the highest‑scoring offense in the country. A close game was always more likely.

One thing that is different tonight is how well Ole Miss is shooting. The Rebels are hitting 51.4% of their shots, while Alabama is at 46.7% with six made threes. That’s part of the story — but so is what’s happening on the glass.

Ole Miss is winning the rebounding battle 20-14, including five offensive boards, and that’s helped produce a 20-16 edge in paint points. James Scott has been central to that effort with six rebounds and four points.

Malik Dia and AJ Storr are playing well, but true freshman Patton Pinkins is giving them real minutes, too. Storr has 13 points (5-of-8), Pinkins has 11 (4-of-6), and Dia has 10 (4-of-8) with a pair of threes.

Sitting here at halftime, the question is simple: can Ole Miss sustain this level for another 20 minutes after doing it the previous two nights?

We’re about to find out.

Second Half

Yes. Yes, they can, and the miracle run continues.

Ole Miss has pulled off the most shocking upset of the tournament (until its next one), sending No. 15 Alabama home to await its NCAA Tournament fate.

This one matched the excitement of Thursday’s win over Georgia and followed a similar script, just with tighter margins.

The Rebels never trailed the entire game, which is a wild stat on its own. Their largest lead was 14 points in the first half. They held a 12-point lead midway through the second half and looked ready to ride that to a comfortable win.

But just like the Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide mounted their comeback. A 7-0 run in 63 seconds cut the deficit to four, and the game stayed tight from there.

Then, just like Thursday, Ole Miss led by three in the final minute and needed only to make its free throws to secure the upset.

The free throws came, and both were missed. That gave Alabama a chance to push the ball with nine seconds left, down by one.

But Scott, who had been everywhere all night, was waiting in the paint. He blocked an Aiden Sherrell layup with 0.8 seconds left and saved the game.

And just like that, Ole Miss advances to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, an outcome nobody saw coming.

Ole Miss Leaders

  • Points: AJ Storr, 17 (7-14 FG)
  • Rebounds: James Scott, 10 (2 offensive)
  • Assists: Ilias Kamardine, 4
  • Steals: Travis Perry, 2
  • Blocks: James Scott, 2

Next Up

For the first time this week, the Rebels don’t know who they’ll be playing next. That doesn’t matter to them though.

Ole Miss will be in the SEC Tournament semifinal game against the winner of the final quarterfinal game Friday between No. 11-seed Oklahoma and No. 3-seed Arkansas. Tipoff for that game is set for 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.

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