March Madness rolls on for two Mississippi teams, with the Ole Miss men competing in their second-ever Sweet 16 – the program’s first since 2001 – and the Ole Miss women playing in their second in three years.
The men are up first on Friday as the No. 6 seed Rebels (24-11, 10-8 SEC) square off with No. 2 seed Michigan State (29-6, 17-3 Big Ten). Ole Miss downed 11-seed North Carolina and 3-seed Iowa State for the right to take a swing at program history. In just the second season under head coach Chris Beard, the red and blue are one win away from advancing to their first-ever Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State is back to its 16th Sweet 16 in 30 years under legendary leader Tom Izzo. The Spartans are also taking aim at their ninth final four under Izzo and first national title since 2000.
On the women’s side, No. 5 seed Ole Miss (22-10, 10-6 SEC) takes the late slot Friday night against No. 1 seed UCLA (32-2, 16-2 Big Ten). The Rebels will play in their 12th all-time Sweet 16 appearance, with sights set on their sixth Elite Eight trip. In her seventh season as the boss in Oxford, Yolett McPhee-McCuin has her team in its second Sweet 16 in three years’ time after Ole Miss dropped 12-seed Ball State and 4-seed Baylor in the first two rounds.
UCLA was named the top overall seed in the women’s tournament for the first time in school history, considered the odds-on favorite to win the whole thing. Cori Close’s crew stormed through the first two rounds, beating 16-seed Southern and 8-seed Richmond by a combined 55 points.
Below you can find tip-off times, TV information, and key stats for both Sweet 16 contests.
Men: 6 Ole Miss vs. 2 Michigan State
Time: 6:09 p.m. CT
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Ga.
TV: CBS
Radio: Participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations and other Ole Miss men’s basketball radio affiliates
BetMGM line: Michigan State -3.5; over/under is 143.5
Top performers: Howell Trophy runner-up Sean Pedulla has averaged 15.2 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.9 steals per game this season, etching back-to-back 20-point performances in the NCAA Tournament. Malika Dia is averaging 1.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games and is coming off an 18-point contest in the win over Iowa State.
For Michigan State, Jaden Akins is scoring 12.7 points-per-game, along with 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Spartans. Fellow guard Jase Richardson leads the Spartans over the last 10 games with 15.8 points per contest.
Quick storyline: Friday’s clash is a head coaching rematch of the 2019 Final Four, when then-Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard led his team to a 61-51 win over Tom Izzo and Michigan.
Looking ahead: The winner of the Sweet 16 matchup will stay in Atlanta to take on the winner of No. 1 Auburn and No. 5 Michigan on Sunday.
Women: 5 Ole Miss vs. 1 UCLA
Time: 9:00 p.m. CT
Location: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Wash.
TV: ESPN
Radio: Participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations and other Ole Miss men’s basketball radio affiliates
BetMGM line: UCLA -8.5; over/under is 134.5
Top performers: Kirsten Deans averages 1.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Rebels, scoring 9.2 points while shooting 32.5% from beyond the arc. Howell Trophy winner Madison Scott is averaging 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game over the past 10 games.
For the top-seeded Bruins, sharpshooter Londynn Jones averages 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Bruins, scoring 8.8 points while shooting 35.6% from beyond the arc. 6-7 center Lauren Betts is averaging 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks over the past 10 games.
Quick storyline: Friday’s meeting in Spokane sets up to be strength vs. strength, with a stingy Ole Miss defense averaging 9.0 steals per game and holding opponents to 67.6 points per contest. Conversely, high-flying UCLA averages 77 points per game while shooting a blazing 47.2% from the field.
Looking ahead: Friday’s winner will take one of the other top three seeds remaining on this side of the bracket – 2 seed LSU or 3 seed NC State.
