FAYETTEVILLE –  The Arkansas Razorbacks (11-4, 0-2 SEC) remain winless in conference play after a tough 73-66 loss to No. 23 Ole Miss (13-2, 2-0 SEC) on Wednesday night. Despite a strong start and home-court advantage, Arkansas couldn’t hold off the Rebels, who surged ahead in the second half to secure the win.

The Razorbacks opened with a commanding 10-5 lead, setting the tone for a competitive first half. Arkansas led for most of the period until Ole Miss tied the game at 36-36 on a Sean Pedulla three-pointer with just 31 seconds remaining in the half. That shot marked a pivotal moment, as it was the last time Arkansas held a lead in the game.

Coming out of halftime, Matthew Murrell’s layup gave Ole Miss an early advantage in the second half. Although Arkansas guard Boogie Fland quickly answered with a jump shot to tie the game at 38-38, the Rebels responded with a three-pointer from Davon Barnes, putting them ahead for good.

Ole Miss extended its lead in the final moments, with D.J. Wagner’s layup bringing the score to 72-64 with just 21 seconds remaining. Arkansas managed to close the gap slightly, but the Razorbacks couldn’t convert critical opportunities, leaving them with another SEC loss.

For Arkansas, the loss highlights the challenges of conference play and the need for resilience as they seek their first SEC win under legendary coach John Calipari. The Razorbacks will look to regroup and capitalize on their next opportunity to break into the conference win column.

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Who: rv/rv Arkansas Razorbacks (11-3, 0-1 SEC) vs #23/22 Ole Miss Rebels (12-2, 1-0 SEC)
What: Arkansas plays its 2025 SEC home opener.
When: Wednesday – Jan. 8 – 6:00 pm (CT)
Where: Fayetteville, Ark. • Bud Walton Arena/Nolan Richardson Court (19,200)
How (to follow):
– TV/Stream: ESPN2 / Watch ESPN (Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw)
– Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
– Sirius/XM: Sirius: 132 / XM: 191 || SXM App Channel 961
– Arkansas Gameday App
– Live Stats

– Arkansas Game Notes  
– Ole Miss Game Notes
– SEC Notes/Stats

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas will host #23/22 Ole Miss on Wednesday (Jan. 8) for the Razorbacks’ 2025 SEC home opener. Tipoff is set for 6 pm (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

 Later this week, Arkansas stays in Fayetteville to host #8 Florida on Saturday (Jan. 11). Tipoff is set for 3 pm.

NOTES:
Versus Ole Miss

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• This will be the 87th meeting between Arkansas and Ole Miss. Arkansas owns a 52-34 advantage all-time in the series thanks to an 18-11 mark in games played in Fayetteville and a 24-2 advantage in neutral-site games.
• Since Arkansas joined the SEC, the Razorback lead in the series is just 30-28 as the Hogs have won 9 of the last 12 in the series.
• Ole Miss won the last meeting, 77-51, on Jan. 24, 2024, in Oxford. Arkansas was short-handed in the loss as it was without leading scorer – Tramon Mark (migraine) – for the game and leading rebounder – Trevon Brazile (knee soreness) – missed the second half. Arkansas got off to a slow start with eight turnovers in the first nine minutes but only committed two the rest of the first half and ended with 14 for the game. Ole Miss outscored the Hogs 17-2 on points off turnovers and raced out to a 24-9 lead. However, Arkansas answered with a 14-5 run to cut its deficit to six (29-23) with 4:08 left in the first half. Ole Miss led 38-26 at the break and put the game away midway through the second half with an 8-0 run to go up 63-43 and held at least a 20-point cushion the rest of the way.

Arkansas in SEC Home Openers

• Arkansas will play its first SEC home game Wednesday by hosting Ole Miss.
• The Razorbacks are 20-13 all-time in SEC home openers.
• Arkansas is 4-4 when Ole Miss is the first home SEC game.

Razorbacks Are Pretty Good Shooting Overall

• Arkansas ranks 9th in the NCAA (2nd in the SEC) in overall field goal percentage at 50.7% while ranking 19th in the NCAA (3rd SEC) in effective FG% (57.3%).

Less of a Threat

• Arkansas is holding its opponents to 29.6% shooting from 3-point range. As good as that sounds, it ranks only 9th in the SEC but does rank 53rd in the NCAA.

Block Party

• Arkansas has blocked at least five shots nine times this season and ranks 5th nationally in blocked shots, averaging 6.0 per game.

For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on X.