MCBB: Ole Miss jumps to No. 19 as Mississippi State returns to AP Top 25

Ole Miss has jumped up four spots and Mississippi State has returned to the Associated Press Top 25 following a successful, résumé building week for both programs.

In its latest poll, the AP ranked the Rebels No. 19, whereas the Bulldogs landed in the No. 25 spot.

Chris Beard’s Ole Miss club (8-1) experienced a surge in the rankings following a midweek thrashing of Louisville on the road in the SEC/ACC Challenge and a convincing 33-point win over Lindenwood on Saturday. Transfer guards Sean Pedulla and Dre Davis emerged as the Rebels’ primary offensive contributors, scoring a collective 57 points in the two most recent outings. On the downside, senior Matthew Murrell was ruled out for Saturday’s contest with a lower-body injury and is “day-to-day,” per Beard.

Ole Miss will return to the hardwood on Saturday against in-state foe Southern Miss in the Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. CT

Mississippi State (8-1) is back on the map after mounting arguably the most impressive performance of the SEC/ACC Challenge — a 90-57 blowout against then-No. 18 Pittsburgh on Wednesday — and squeaking out a close win over Prairie View over the weekend. KeyShawn Murphy shined for the Bulldogs versus the Panthers. Standout sophomores Josh Hubbard and Claudell Harris, Jr. stood out in the contest against Prairie View.

Next up for Chris Jans’ club is a Saturday matchup against Will Wade-led McNeese State on Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum. The game will begin at 5 p.m. CT.

As always, Ole Miss and Mississippi State basketball games are broadcast on participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations along with various television providers. The AP Top 25, which features nine SEC programs, can be found below: