With just over 14 minutes remaining in the second half, junior Ole Miss basketball forward Malik Dia left the bench and trotted onto the floor Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena. What Dia did in Ole Miss' 73-66 win at Arkansas — and specifically in those 14 minutes — could pay long-term dividends for him as the No.

Arkansas forward Adou Thiero (3) helps up teammate Boogie Fland (2) as Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard (right) and forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) look on, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, during the second half of the Razorbacks' 73-66 loss to the Rebels at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. (Hank Layton/WholeHogSports)

Ole Miss did not make the NCAA tournament in coach Chris Beard's first season last year. The Rebels finished 20-12 (7-11 SEC) last season and were a bubble team. Beard has March Madness success on his resume. He took Texas Tech to the Final Four in 2019. The Red Raiders lost the national championship to Virginia in overtime.

Ole Miss is scheduled to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks on Wednesday night, and the Hogs are led by legendary head coach John Calipari. Rebels coach Chris Beard is anticipating a real challenge when Ole Miss hits the hardwood this week.

No. 22 Ole Miss has its first SEC road trip of the 2024-25 season Wednesday at Arkansas. Tipoff is 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The Rebels (12-2, 1-0 SEC) are coming off a 63-51 win over Georgia last weekend.

After getting a win to open SEC play, Ole Miss basketball was rewarded slightly in the polls. The Rebels (12-2, 1-0) are No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, up from No. 23 last week. Ole Miss is No.

Beard was then asked if he believed his team could legitimately contend for an SEC crown this year in a league that appears to be stacked from top-to-bottom. A total of 10 SEC teams were ranked in the latest AP Poll, and a whopping 13 were included in Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology update.