Rebel Basketball Historical Timeline
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January 28, 1909
Ole Miss plays its first organized basketball game, but the celebration is cut short by a 12-11 loss to the Memphis Physicians. Legend has it that Ole Miss led 7-6 at the half, but lost out in the second half when "with the wind at their backs, the Physicians overcame our half-time lead for a narrow victory." The game was reportedly played outdoors on a court located behind the Lyceum on the Oxford campus.
February 17, 1909
Ole Miss decides to save the best for last as the team records its first ever victory the last game of the season with a 28-11 win over Mississippi College. Ole Miss finishes the 1909 season 1-4.
1922
One year after the organization's formation, Ole Miss joins the Southern Conference.
January 27, 1925
With a 35-17 victory over Centenary, Ole Miss collects its 100th victory in the program's history.
May 1, 1926
A 38-23 loss to North Carolina in the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament ends a win streak for Ole Miss, as the team rolled out a 12-game overall and nine-game away/neutral win streak. The 12-game streak, which started Jan. 16, 1926, with a road victory over rival LSU, remained the longest in school history until the 2007-08 squad put together 13 straight wins.
February 28, 1928
After rattling off victories over N.C. State, LSU and Kentucky, a 31-30 win over Auburn made Ole Miss Southern Conference Tournament Champions. (see story inset) Coach Homer Hazel's Mississippians finished the 1928 season 10-9.
December 8-9, 1932
At the annual Southern Conference meeting in Knoxville, Tenn., Ole Miss along with the other 12 schools west and south of the Appalachian Mountains reorganized to form the Southeastern Conference. Ten of those charter members (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt) still remain as members of the SEC.
January 10, 1936
In the first game of the 1936 season, Ole Miss reached is 200th win in the program's history with a 41-40 squeaker over Memphis Coca-Cola. Forward George Clay led the attack for Ole Miss with 13 points.
May 5, 1938
A 58-47 loss to Georgia Tech in the SEC Tournament Championship Game ends a nine-game overall SEC win streak by the Rebels that started Feb. 5, 1938, with a 45-44 win over in-state rival Mississippi State.
1937-38
Bonnie Graham leads the SEC in scoring with his 17.4 average, the first player to ever average more than 17 a game in the SEC. In the conference tournament, he scores 71 points and a single-game high of 27. Graham also becomes Ole Miss' first basketball All-America selection.
February 26, 1945
Ole Miss achieves its 300th win in the last regular-season game of the year with a 76-24 stomping of Arkansas State. Three Rebels hit double-digit scoring that night with M.C. McMullen collecting 20, Doug Krell posting 13 and Bob McCain with 12.
December 10, 1953
A new record is set for the Rebels as the team reaches the most points scored by Ole Miss in a single game with a 118-82 win over Union. Cob Jarvis leads the way with 37 points on 13 field goals and 11 free throws. Denver Brackeen follows close behind with 31 points.
January 17, 1955
With former Rebel B.L. "Country" Graham as head coach, Ole Miss records its 400th win in program history by beating Vanderbilt 77-63.
1954-55
While being chosen as UPI's SEC Player of the Year and AP's SEC Most Valuable Player, center Denver Brackeen becomes the program's second player selected to All-America honors. His 27.2 scoring average leads the league.
1956-57
After becoming only the second player in SEC history to average more than 30 points, forward Joe Gibbon is named to multiple All-America teams.
February 22, 1958
Coach Graham once again makes Ole Miss history as he collects his 100th win as head coach, making him the first Ole Miss coach to reach the century mark. The Rebels helped accomplish this with an 83-68 victory over Tulane.
1963-64
A star on the court and on the baseball diamond, guard Don Kessinger is named an All-American after setting 18 Ole Miss basketball records.
January 30, 1965
After edging out Tulane with a 62-60 win in Oxford, Ole Miss reaches the 500-win mark for the program's history. Two Rebels had double-doubles with Fred Stanley collecting 21 points and 12 rebounds and Jim Robbins posting 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jack Steinhart and James Bobe also greatly contributed with 17 rebounds and 11 points, respectively.
February 21, 1966
Ole Miss basketball gets a new home in the Rebel Coliseum, later to be named after then-Athletics Director C.M. "Tad" Smith. However, Kentucky spoils the inaugural game by defeating the Rebels 108-65.
1970-71
Forward Johnny Neumann earns All-America honors in his first and only season as a Rebel, setting numerous school records along the way.
December 7, 1974
The program collects its 600th victory by defeating Texas in Oxford 82-74. Four Rebels scored in double digits with Bob Mahoney pacing the team with 21 points. Herb Wright followed with 18 points while Dave Shepard had 15 and Walter Actwood 13.
1978-79
After leading the SEC in scoring with 26.3 points per game, forward John Stroud receives All-America honorable mention plaudits.
March 6, 1980
Ole Miss earns its first postseason tournament victory after getting by Grambling 76-74 at Tad Smith Coliseum. The road to the NIT championship had to end, though, when Minnesota proved to be too much and defeated the Rebels 58-56.
1979-80
Earning the highest career point total in Ole Miss history and still the third-most in league annals with 2,328 points, John Stroud is selected to All-America honors for the second straight season.
March 7, 1981
Ole Miss played the role of Cinderella in capturing the 1981 SEC Tournament Championship. The underdog Rebels, who finished sixth in the league in the regular season, defeated Tennessee and Vanderbilt before earning the title with a 66-62 upset of Georgia in the final, propelling Ole Miss to its NCAA Tournament debut.
March 13, 1981
The Rebels play in their first NCAA Tournament and barely miss a second-round showing with a narrow 69-66 defeat to perennial power Kansas in Wichita.
December 18, 1982
Ole Miss posts the 700th win in program history with a 67-60 victory over Central Arkansas in Oxford. The Rebels sealed the victory behind Carlos Clark and Roger Steig's 16 points apiece.
1981-82
Forward Carlos Clark is named AP All-America honorable mention following a junior year in which he scored 21.1 points per game and helped Ole Miss to an 18-12 record and NIT appearance. Between his junior and senior seasons, Clark had a streak of 37 straight games in which he posted double-figure point totals.
1987-88
Becoming the first player in Ole Miss history to record 500 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists, guard Rod Barnes is named to an honorable mention All-American and finished third in the coaches' balloting for SEC Player of the Year.
March 4, 1989
Ole Miss defeats LSU 113-112 in overtime in perhaps the greatest one-on-one duel in Southeastern Conference history. LSU's Chris Jackson tallied 55 points, while the Rebels' Gerald Glass hit for 53. The 108 combined points is the most by two players in an SEC game. More importantly, Glass led Ole Miss to victory in dramatic fashion. With seven minutes left in overtime, Glass had 47 points, but had missed seven straight shots while going scoreless for the final four minutes of regulation and the first three minutes of overtime. LSU led 110-107, and Glass had been pestered by four different Tiger defenders to make him exhausted. But with a final surge, Glass tipped in a rebound to narrow the margin to one point, hit a 3-pointer to tie the score and drained the free throw with nine seconds left that gave Ole Miss the victory in the regular-season finale.
1988-89
In his first season as a Rebel, forward Gerald Glass is named an honorable mention All-American.
March 9, 1990
Ole Miss marks its 800th program victory with a 65-62 win over Vanderbilt during the SEC Tournament. Gerald Glass and Tim Jumper help the Rebels edge by the Commodores with their 15-point performances. Patrick Eddie played his part by recording a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
1989-90
After finishing his two-year career at Ole Miss with 1,564 points, Gerald Glass receives his second All-America honorable mention accolade.
January 11, 1997
Ole Miss upends No. 3-ranked and defending national champion Kentucky 73-69. The upset snapped the Wildcats' 14-game win streak and propelled the Rebels to their first top-25 ranking in school history, jumping to No. 20 in the AP poll. That season began an unprecedented Rebel run of six straight postseason appearances and back-to-back SEC Western Division championships.
February 26, 1997
Coach Rob Evans leads the Rebels to win their first SEC Western Division title after defeating LSU 74-68 in the last home game of the regular season.
February 11, 1998
Ole Miss hits 900 victories with an 87-76 win over Vanderbilt. All-Americans Keith Carter and Ansu Sesay push the Rebels to the victory. Carter collected 17 points, three assists and three rebounds, while Sesay posted 14 points, including a 2-for-2 night from behind the arc, and 12 rebounds.
February 28, 1998
The program gets its second straight SEC Western Division title after recording a 74-67 win versus Auburn in the regular-season finale. Ole Miss went on to receive a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but a little-known team from Valparaiso spoils the Rebels' postseason plans.
December 29, 1998
Ole Miss claims its largest margin of victory in a single game with a 111-50 win over Prairie View. The game also marked the third time that season that Ole Miss broke triple digits in scoring.
1997-98
One of two Rebels to ever record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 assists, forward Ansu Sesay is named a consensus All-American, as well as receiving SEC Player of the Year honors. "We Say Sesay" becomes a familiar chant among Rebel fans, and Sesay does his part by scoring in double figures for the final 53 games of his career.
March 12, 1999
After losing a heartbreaker at the buzzer to Valparaiso just the season before in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Rebels record their first NCAA Tournament win by defeating Villanova 72-70. Ole Miss did not make it to the Sweet 16 because Michigan State defeated the Red and Blue 74-66 in the second round.
January 13, 1999
Homecourt advantage was an understatement for the Rebels in the late 1990s. From Jan. 11, 1997 to this date Ole Miss went on a 29-home game winning streak. However, all good things must come to an end, and Auburn ended the streak for the Rebels with a 74-59 win.
1998-99
Finishing atop the Ole Miss three-pointers chart with 249 for his career, guard Keith Carter is named an honorable mention All-American.
March 3, 2001
After crushing Alabama 105-71, Ole Miss earns its third SEC Western Division title. Jason Holmes tallies a game-high 26 points on the night after going 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Jason Flanigan contributes 17 points with 10 of those coming from the free throw line.
March 18, 2001
It took the smallest Rebel of all time to hit the biggest shot in Ole Miss hoops history. Coming off only their second NCAA Tournament win ever, the Rebels found themselves trailing Notre Dame by one point with a minute remaining in the second round of the 2001 Big Dance. With the shot clock running down and 48 seconds left, 5-foot-5 Jason Harrison drilled a deep three from the top of the arc to hand Ole Miss a two-point advantage that it would not relinquish en route to a 59-56 victory. One of the more memorable moments of the 2001 tourney, Harrison's trey propelled Ole Miss to the program's first Sweet 16 appearance and highlighted the finest season in school history, as the Rebels finished No. 9 in the nation with a 27-8 mark and a third SEC Western Division title in five years.
2000-01
Forward Rahim Lockhart, whose 13.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game helped Ole Miss to such great success in 2001, is named an All-America selection.
December 1, 2001
On December 19, 1995, Ole Miss beat Southern Miss 113-107 in two overtimes, starting a 44-game non-SEC homecourt win streak that ended with a 71-70 loss to George Mason. During this time, the streak was the second longest in the nation.
December 28, 2002
Ole Miss collects its 1,000th win in program history by rolling over Arkansas-Pine Bluff 71-38 at Tad Smith Coliseum. Justin Reed leads the Rebels by posting a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
February 10, 2007
Rebel fans pack Tad Smith Coliseum, as a record "Tad Pad" crowd of 9,452 watches Ole Miss upset No. 18 Alabama 75-69. Clarence Sanders scores 11 of the Rebels' last 12 points to cap a comeback on the Crimson Tide.
March 3, 2007
Ole Miss clinches its fourth SEC Western Division championship and first since 2001 with a thrilling victory over Auburn in the regular-season finale. With both teams playing for the crown, the Rebels force consecutive turnovers to outscore the Tigers 9-2 over the final 40 seconds. With the game tied, Bam Doyne hits all four of his free throw attempts over the last 3.8 ticks to secure the 83-79 win. The Rebels' four SEC West titles from 1997-2007 is the most of any division rival over that span.
March 11, 2007
After a four-year drought, the Ole Miss basketball team returns to postseason play, as the Rebels receive a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. Ole Miss enters postseason play for the 13th time in the program's history and the first time since earning an NCAA Tournament berth in 2002. The Rebels play in their seventh NIT.
December 24, 2007
Ole Miss receives recognition for its school-record best start of 11-0 (which climbed to 13-0 before the first loss) and an upset of No. 15 Clemson as the Rebels are ranked No. 22 and No. 24 in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Polls, respectively.
January 2, 2008
At 13-0, Ole Miss has set a new mark for the best start in school history, surpassing the 1936-37 and 2000-01 teams that reeled off 11 straight victories to open their seasons. With the 86-50 win over Alabama A&M, Ole Miss also broke the school record for most consecutive wins after the previous record had stood for more than 80 years.
January 28, 2008
Ole Miss announces plans for a $12 million, 51,000-square-foot basketball practice facility that promises to greatly enhance the Rebel hoops program in many facets.
April 1, 2008
After defeating UC-Santa Barbara and Nebraska at home and a very good Virginia Tech team on the road, Ole Miss makes it to the quarterfinals of the NIT Tournament and the chance to play in New York City at historic Madison Square Garden. It's the first time in school history that Ole Miss made it to the Garden. However, the dream of reaching the NIT final is short-lived in an 81-69 defeat to eventual champion Ohio State.
February 21, 2009
Ole Miss celebrates the First 100 Years of its basketball program with a weekend of festivities, culminating in a 69-47 rout of the Georgia Bulldogs at Tad Smith Coliseum.
January 2010
The majestic $13 million Basketball Practice Facility opens for daily use by the men's and women's programs. It includes state-of-the-art areas for training and practice, as well as luxurious locker rooms, team lounges and coaches offices.
March 6, 2010
Chris Warren leads a big second-half comeback to spur the Rebels to a 68-66 win at Arkansas and claim a share of their fifth SEC Western Division title.
March 30, 2010
With wins over Troy, Memphis and a double-OT thriller against Texas Tech, Ole Miss reaches the NIT Final Four for the second time in three years. Trailing by just one point with 36 seconds left, the Rebels cannot edge out eventual champion Dayton, falling 68-63 at Madison Square Garden.
August 9, 2011
Ole Miss announces the monumental Forward Together capital campaign, which seeks to raise $150 million for a new basketball arena and improvements to existing football and other athletics facilities.
