Feb 22, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Malik Dia (0) shoots over Vanderbilt Commodores forward Devin McGlockton (99) during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Where Does Ole Miss Basketball Rank Nationally Following Loss To Vanderbilt?

Originally posted on Ole Miss Rebels on SI
By Cole Thompson | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 4:31 PM ET

One loss won't mean much to voters among those sitting at the bottom of the pile.

A two-game losing streak could hurt Ole Miss basketball's chances of ending the year ranked in the polls.

The Rebels (19-8, 8-6 SEC) were unranked in the latest edition of both the Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 Poll released Monday. Despite receiving the fourth most votes among unranked teams, their back-to-back losses against Vanderbilt and in-state rival Mississippi State have Chris Beard's roster flirting with a dangerous line of being a higher-ranked seed in next month's tournament.

The Commodores might not be a lock to make the tournament, but their hot streaks have been prevalent throughout conference play in 2025. Despite it being a back-and-forth contest, the Rebels trailed by 19 in the first half but fought back to take a lead in the second half.

Ole Miss regained the lead, but let a 13-6 run over the final seven minutes sealed a victory for Vanberbilt.

"The difference in the game was obviously our poor start," Beard said postgame. "They were very aggressive out of the gate. We needed to take the first punch a little bit better than we did."

Beard pinpointed rebounding as a low point over the Rebels' two-game skid. Ole Miss was outrebounded 37-30 on Saturday and have struggled to create second-chance attempts in the past four games.

"We haven't really been playing our best ever since that second half against Kentucky," Pedulla said following the loss to Mississippi State. "I feel like since then it's just been on a steady decline."

The Rebels' schedule won't get easier heading into next month's conference tournament. They hit the road once more for a trip over to Auburn to take on the No. 1 Tigers on Wednesday evening. After Saturday's matchup with Oklahoma, Ole Miss closes out the regular season at home against No. 5 Tennessee and on the road against No. 3 Florida.

Here's a full look at the AP Poll's rankings entering Tuesday's conference matchups: