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March Madness 2025: UNC basketball vs. Ole Miss Rebels Round of 64 Preview
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- March Madness 2025: UNC basketball vs. Ole Miss Rebels Round of 64 Preview
The North Carolina Tar Heels, doubted for their NCAA Tournament inclusion due to a lack of quality victories, passed their first test with flying colors on Tuesday, March 18.
UNC faced San Diego State, the best defensive team in Division I, in a First Four Matchup from the University of Dayton (Ohio) Arena. North Carolina was a 4.5-point favorite entering Tuesday's battle, but what ensued over 40 minutes was far from what I expected.
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The Tar Heels badly battered and bruised the Aztecs, leading by 40 – at one point – en route to a 95-68 victory. UNC (23-13, 13-7) quickly proved it belongs in the Big Dance and, with its next game quickly approaching, showed it can be a threat.
Next up for North Carolina is a date with the Ole Miss Rebels , one of 14SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament field. Ole Miss (22-11, 10-8) earned the South Region's sixth seed, with its most recent highlight a Saturday, March 5 home victory over fourth-ranked Tennessee.
It took us a little digging, but the Tar Heels and Ole Miss have an extremely brief history dating back to the 1920s , splitting both matchups. UNC lost 34-32 to Ole Miss in 1923, then won 38-23 in 1926.
I watched an Ole Miss game in-person earlier this season, when Vanderbilt won via upset in Nashville, Tenn. back in February. The Rebels aren't anything special defensively, but instead, they hit you with a deep, balanced scoring attack.
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Regardless of the outcome, I just hope North Carolina brings its best like Tuesday night against San Diego State. Let's take a deeper dive in our Friday game preview.
Key to victory for UNC
Mar 18, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) shoots the ball over San Diego State Aztecs guard BJ Davis (10) in the second half at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
It's extremely difficult to beat a team that can't miss from the perimeter. The Tar Heels did exactly this on Tuesday against SDSU, shooting a near-unconscious 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from deep.
RJ Davis led the 3-point barrage for North Carolina, making all six of his attempts and tying a program NCAA Tournament record. Ian Jackson provided three much-needed perimeter makes off the bench, while Jae'Lyn Withers re-discovered his stroke with two threes.
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Ole Miss allows 71.6 opponents points per game, which ranks 169th in Division I. If UNC consistently makes threes against the Rebels' average defense, UNC will stay in Milwaukee and the Rebels will head back to Oxford.
Something to Watch
Mar 1, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) and guard Sean Pedulla (3) react during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
I can't tell you how many times, particularly since the transfer portal started ramping up in recent years, I see former ACC basketball players face the Tar Heels in non-conference play.
Anyone remember the names Jaemyn Brakefield and Sean Pedulla ? Brakefield, now in his fourth and final season at Ole Miss, played at Duke way back during the 2020-2021 campaign. Pedulla, playing his first season at Ole Miss and final year of college basketball, spent his first three years at Virginia Tech.
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Pedulla leads the Rebels with 14.9 points per game, while Brakefield is second with 10.8 points per game. I'm intrigued to see how this Ole Miss duo performs, given their past knowledge of North Carolina.
What you need to know
TarHeelsWire How to Watch
What: North Carolina Tar Heels (23-13, 13-7 ACC) vs. Ole Miss Rebels (22-11, 10-8 SEC)
When: Friday, March 21 at 4:05 p.m. ET
Where:Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis.
TV:TNT
Radio: SiriusXM (Channel 203)
All-Time Series: Tied, 1-1
Last meeting:UNC 38, Ole Miss 23 in 1926
Statistical Leaders
Mar 18, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Ven-Allen Lubin (22) plays the ball defended by San Diego State Aztecs guard Nick Boyd (2) in the second half at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
North Carolina Points: RJ Davis, G, 17.3 points per game
North Carolina Rebounds: Ven-Allen Lubin, F, 5.6 rebounds per game
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North Carolina Assists: Elliot Cadeau , G, 6.2 assists per game
Ole Miss Points: Sean Pedulla, G, 14.9 points per game
Ole Miss Rebounds: Malik Dia, F, 5.7 rebounds per game
Ole Miss Assists: Sean Pedulla, G, 3.6 assists per game
2024-2025 UNC basketball schedule
Oct. 12: Blue-White Scrimmage (Blue 62, White 53)
Oct. 15: Exhibition @ Memphis (W, 84-76)
Oct. 27: Exhibition vs. Johnson C. Smith (W, 127-63)
Nov. 4: vs. Elon (W, 90-76) (1-0, 0-0)
Nov. 8: at Kansas (L, 92-89) (1-1, 0-0)
Nov. 15: vs. American University (W, 108-55) (2-1, 0-0)
Nov. 22: at Hawaii (W, 87-69) (3-1, 0-0)
Nov. 25: vs. Dayton, Maui Invitational (W, 92-90) (4-1, 0-0)
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Nov. 26: vs. Auburn , Maui Invitational (L, 85-72) (4-2, 0-0)
Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State , Maui Invitational (L, 94-90 OT) (4-3, 0-0)
Dec. 4: vs. Alabama , SEC/ACC Challenge (L, 94-79) (4-4, 0-0)
Dec. 7: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 68-65) (5-4, 1-0 ACC)
Dec. 14: vs. La Salle (W, 93-67) (6-4, 1-0)
Dec. 17: vs. Florida , Jumpman Invitational (L, 90-84) (6-5, 1-0)
Dec. 21: vs. UCLA , CBS Sports Classic (W, 76-74) (7-5, 1-0)
Dec. 29: vs. Campbell (W, 97-81) (8-5, 1-0)
Jan. 1: at Louisville (L, 83-70) (8-6, 1-1)
Jan. 4: at Notre Dame (W, 74-73) (9-6, 2-1)
Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 82-67) (10-6, 3-1)
Jan. 11: at NC State (W, 63-61) (11-6, 4-1)
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Jan. 15: vs. California (W, 79-53) (12-6, 5-1)
Jan. 18: vs. Stanford (L, 72-71) (12-7, 5-2)
Jan. 21: at Wake Forest (L, 67-66) (12-8, 5-3)
Jan. 25: vs. Boston College (W, 102-96) (13-8, 6-3)
Jan. 28: at Pitt (L, 73-65) (13-9, 6-4)
Feb. 1: at Duke (L, 87-70) (13-10, 6-5)
Feb. 8: vs. Pitt (W, 67-66) (14-10, 7-5)
Feb. 10: at Clemson (L, 85-65) (14-11, (7-6)
Feb. 15: at Syracuse (W 88-82) (15-11, (8-6)
Feb. 19: vs. NC State (W, 97-73) (16-11, 9-6)
Feb. 22: vs. Virginia (W, 81-66) (17-11, 10-6)
Feb. 24: at Florida State (W, 96-85) (18-11, 11-6)
March 1: vs. Miami (FL) (W, 92-73) (19-11, 12-6)
March 4: at Virginia Tech (W, 91-59) (20-11, 13-6)
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March 8: vs. Duke (L, 82-69) (20-12, 13-7)
March 12: vs. Notre Dame in ACC Tournament Second Round (W, 76-56) (21-12, 13-7)
March 13: vs. Wake Forest in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals (W, 68-59) (22-12, 13-7)
March 14: vs. Duke in ACC Tournament Semifinals (L, 74-71) (22-13, 13-7)
March 18: vs. San Diego State in NCAA Tournament First Four (W, 95-68) (23-13, 13-7)
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: March Madness 2025: UNC-Ole Miss basketball NCAA Tournament preview
