Ole Miss stays hot, outlasts Georgia to pull off upset in SEC Tournament
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Ole Miss is moving on to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals as the No. 15 seed after an upset of 7-seed Georgia on Thursday night in Nashville. It was a wild game that saw Mike White’s Bulldogs come up just short of pulling off an epic comeback, and not without some controversy.
Ole Miss led for over 39 minutes of playing time Thursday night, but there was plenty of drama in the final minutes. The Rebels opened up a 55-32 lead at the 12:59 mark of the second half, but the Dawgs refused to roll over. UGA did not get a favorable whistle, and there are arguments to be made that the Bulldogs should have had a late lead and a chance to tie in the final seconds.
The SEC Network broadcast noted that officials missed two goaltending calls that would have put 4 points on the board for Georgia. Because the calls weren’t made, they couldn’t be reviewed.
Least obvious goaltend at the end of Ole Miss-Georgia pic.twitter.com/WR2Ey6AgPF
— Sam Holley (@samh0lley) March 13, 2026
Up 74-71, Ole Miss decided to foul Georgia in the backcourt. There was a case to be made, however, that by definition of the one-step continuation rule, Marcus “Smurf” Millender could have been granted 3 shots on a shooting foul. The call, though, involves the referee’s judgment, and Millender shot only 2 free throws, not giving Georgia a chance to tie at the line.
Unable to tie at the line or with a rebound on the miss, Georgia’s big comeback fell short. Ole Miss, which won just 4 SEC games during the regular season, will now play against No. 2 seed Alabama in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Thursday night, the Rebels were led by AJ Storr with 19 points. James Scott had a team-high 13 rebounds, scoring 7 points. Travis Perry and Malik Dia also cracked double figures with 16 and 17 points.
The Bulldogs finished shooting just 36% from the field, and 24% from 3-point range, where UGA 38 of its 66 field goals on the night. Kanon Catchings was the only Bulldog in double figures with 19 points.
Can Ole Miss keep the magical run going and win the SEC Tournament? Kalshi is taking action on predictions!
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
