Ole Miss basketball earned a crucial SEC win Wednesday night, defeating rival Arkansas 73-66 in Bud Walton Arena, the program's first victory there since January of 2015. After the game, Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard broke down what worked well for his team in the win,

Ole Miss forward Malik Dia set his season and Ole Miss high in points against Arkansas. The Rebels' win was a building moment for him and Chris Beard.

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 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.

Jerry Palm of CBS projected Ole Miss as a No. 8 seed. Palm has Ole Miss facing No. 9 Dayton. Lunardi has 13 SEC teams in the field with two bubble teams (Missouri and LSU) just mi

Predictions and picks as Ole Miss faces Arkansas and John Calipari this college basketball season. Plus, injury updates and the latest news.

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.