Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels battled until the buzzer in Atlanta with the No. 2 seeded Michigan State Spartans coming away with the 73-70 victory to reach the Elite Eight.

Ole Miss controlled much of the first half, building leads as large as nine points, but the Spartans were able to rally, ultimately cutting the lead down to two points going into the half.

The Spartans and Rebels would continue to battle it out throughout the second half, with Ole Miss even pulling away to a 10-point lead in the final 20 minutes, before Michigan State would mount a furious rally and take a two-point lead.

It was back-and-forth from the 10-minute mark all the way to the final buzzer, with Michigan State ultimately pulling out the win in crunch time.

As a team, the Rebels shot 39.7 percent from the floor. 30.8 percent from three-point range, and 90 percent from the free-throw line.

Sean Pedulla led Ole Miss in scoring with 24 points, followed by Malik Dia with 11, and Matthew Murrell with 10. It was a complete effort from the Rebels offensively with multiple double-digit scorers.

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 29, 2025

As a team, Michigan State shot 50 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from three-point range, and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Jase Richardson led the Spartans in scoring with 20 points, followed by Coen Carr with 15, Jaden Atkins with 13, and Jaden Holloman with 10. Michigan State utilized a balanced attack offensively to chip away at the Rebels.

Surrendering a 10-point lead in the second half, Ole Miss was simply unable to hold off the Spartans and their myriad of scoring options.

Ole Miss was able to out-rebound the Spartans 29-26, winning their second rebound column of the tournament.

The Spartans entered the game ranked 14th in rebounding, while Ole Miss came in ranked 293rd, and it showed throughout all 40 minutes.

The Rebels also maintained their turnover margin, forcing Michigan State into committing nine while surrendering eight turnovers of their own.

Ole Miss was able to capitalize on the forced turnovers after scoring 15 points from Michigan State's throughout the contest..

The Spartans advance to their first Elite Eight since 2019, while Ole Miss will return to Oxford after an impressive 2024-25 season.

While the loss is one that hurts, a Sweet 16 appearance in just Chris Beard's second season in Oxford has set the table for what's to come from the Ole Miss Rebels.

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