The #16 Ole Miss Rebels (15-4, 4-2 SEC) were either tied with or ahead of the #13 Texas A&M Aggies (15-4, 4-2 SEC) for 39 minutes and 46 seconds of their Southeastern Conference game on Wednesday night. The other 14 seconds, however, proved to be the deciding factor in the matchup of ranked opponents. A&M’s Manny Obaseki sank a three-pointer with 00:14 showing on the game clock to give the Aggies a 63-62 lead and the Rebels failed to get a basket as time expired, gifting Texas A&M the victory on Ole Miss’s home floor.
After taking a 60-52 lead with only 3:49 left in the second half, Ole Miss went 0/4 from the field and committed 4 turnovers, allowing the Aggies to close the game on an 11-2 run. The Rebels’ only points in the game’s final three minutes came on a pair of free throws by guard Matthew Murrell.
The loss was the Rebels’ second in as many games. Ole Miss previously lost 84-81 in an overtime thriller against in-state rival Mississippi State on January 18.
Chris Beard Apologizes To Fans After Collapse
“We have nobody to blame but ourselves for this. We had the game almost mathematically won. We’ve just got to be able to inbound the ball, break a press, accept the foul and make some free throws, and we just weren’t able to do that tonight.”
In addition to the missed shots and turnovers in the game’s closing minutes, Ole Miss guard Davon Barnes missed a free throw with 19 seconds left that would’ve given the Rebels a three-point lead. Texas A&M got the ensuing rebound and hit a three-pointer on the following possession, giving them a one-point lead over Ole Miss.
Beard apologized to the Ole Miss faithful that witnessed his team’s collapse:
“I just apologize to everyone who came to the game. I know you come to the game wanting to win, and we were so close to getting that done for everybody tonight. … Nobody feels worse than we do. We feel like we let a lot of people down tonight.”
Ole Miss Rebels Close Game Struggles
Wednesday’s loss wasn’t the first time this season that Ole Miss failed to get a win in a close game. Three of the Rebels’ four losses this season have come by a combined 6 points: Wednesday’s 63-62 loss to Texas A&M, an 84-81 OT loss to Mississippi State on January 18, and an 80-78 loss to Purdue on November 29.
All three losses had one glaring similarity: the Rebels had the lead late in all three games and failed to close them out. After leading 75-68 against Purdue with five minutes to play, Ole Miss went 1/8 from the field and surrendered a 12-3 run over the game’s final run. Against Mississippi State, the Rebels took a 77-76 lead with two minutes left in overtime before going 1/6 from the field to close the game.
Speaking after Wednesday’s loss to Texas A&M, Coach Beard said that close losses can provide lessons to his team:
“You hope a painful night like tonight, maybe there’s some silver lining in the end. It’s a long season. If we can learn from this, we can become a better team, finishing off a game when we have a lead big enough where we should win the game.”
Texas A&M Aggies’ Continued Improvement Under Buzz Williams
For the Aggies, the night was one to celebrate. In addition to the comeback victory, it also improved Texas A&M’s record against top 25 opponents to 5-2 on the season. Head coach Buzz Williams credited his team’s belief in each other for the ability to come back from their halftime deficit:
“I think our guys play with great belief in one another, and in 2025 sometimes that at least gives you a chance when things never go your way.”
Williams is now in his sixth season as head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies after successful stints with Virginia Tech and Marquette. Texas A&M has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons, losing in the Round of 64 in 2023 and making the Round of 32 in 2024. The Aggie faithful are hoping they can continue improving in March with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, and potentially further, this season.
The Ole Miss Rebels tough schedule continues on January 26 with a road matchup against a #22 Missouri Tigers (15-4, 4-2 SEC) team coming off a disappointing 61-53 loss to the Texas Longhorns. A matchup against the #1 Auburn Tigers (17-1, 5-0 SEC) looms on the schedule on February 1.
The Texas A&M Aggies hit the road for a rivalry game against the Texas Longhorns (13-6, 2-4 SEC) on January 25.
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