Ole Miss basketball still has “a lot of character,” despite all the upheaval. Now comes Senior Night.

Following a long, frustrating 2022-23 season and the dismissal of head coach Kermit Davis, Ole Miss has finally, and mercifully, arrived at its final home game.

Somewhat ironically, however, the Rebels (11-18, 3-13 SEC) are coming off one of their (if not the best) better-played games of the year — an 82-69 win over LSU.

Second-year forward Jaemyn Brakefield has been one of the few bright spots for the Rebels this season. He secured his second Ole Miss double-double against the Tigers. Brakefield, a one-time transfer from Duke, had 23 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 20 or more for the third time in his career.

True freshman guard Amaree Abram added 14 points on a career-best four three-point makes. One-year Loyola New Orleans transfer Myles Burns had 12, while veteran lead guard Matthew Murrell pitched in 11.

“Character matters, and our team has a lot of character,” interim Ole Miss head coach Win Case said. Case’s memorable postgame press conference included praise of now-former head coach Kermit Davis and his love for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter announced last week Davis wouldn’t be returning.

Case has long served as Davis’ lead assistant.

Case added, “(Davis) is a great man. He’s a great coach. Bottom line, we didn’t win ball games. I know he understood that. The love he has for Ole Miss is amazing. Within two or three hours of knowing he wasn’t going to be retained for next year, he’s on the phone calling recruits (and) telling them they need to still come to Ole Miss because Ole Miss has a special place. I second that motion.

“He will definitely continue to root for Ole Miss.”

Still, the Rebels are moving forward, both on the court and off.

Up next is Texas A&M (21-8, 13-3 SEC) Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Because it’s the final home game, Ole Miss will recognize its seniors for Senior Night. Ole Miss has six seniors: Burns, Jayveous McKinney, Theo Akwuba, Tye Fagan, Robert Allen and Josh Mballa.

All are transfers.

RELATED: Ole Miss Basketball Head Coach Hot Board 1.0

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M

Tuesday will be the 14th all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The teams faced off only once (in 1972) before the Aggies joined the SEC. The Rebels trail the series 9-4. Ole Miss has yet to win in College Station, but the Rebels hold a 4-2 lead in games played in Oxford.

Texas A&M is currently second in the SEC standings. The Aggies are coming off a loss to Mississippi State, Ole Miss’ in-state rival, which snapped a six-game winning streak. The Aggies opened the regular season with a pair of wins before falling to Murray State at the Myrtle Beach Invitational. They entered SEC play at 8-5 overall, but won their first five conference games.

Texas A&M also has a road win over No. 15 Auburn on its postseason resume.

The team is led by sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV.

Taylor ranks sixth in the SEC in points per game (16.1), and he’s really been a force recently, scoring over 20 points in five of the last six. Taylor is averaging 21.7 points per game over that span.

He also ranks among the conference leaders in free-throw percentage (first, 86.6 percent), made three-pointers (third, 68), assists per game (six, 4.1 per game) and total steals (sixth, 52).

Dexter Dennis paces the Aggies in rebounds. He’s pulling in 5.7 rebounds, on average, per game.

Texas A&M is tops in the nation in reaching the free throw line. They’re No. 1 in all of college basketball in both free-throw attempts per game (25.5) and makes per game (19.3). The Aggies’ team free-throw percentage (75.6) is the best in the SEC and good for No. 40 in the country.

Texas A&M has one of the best defensive units in the country, too. The Aggies are giving up just 65.9 points per game (No. 4 in the SEC) and holding opponents to 40.4 percent shooting from the field (No. 25 in the NCAA).

“It’s been very emotional,” Case said recently of the last handful of days. “Obviously for me being with (Davis) so long. And I’ll tell you this: When he went in and met with the team … coach Davis is one of these stoic guys. He doesn’t really show his emotions.

“But there was not a dry eye in that locker room when he announced he wasn’t coming back. Tears in his eyes as well.”

MISTER STEAL-YOUR-PASS

Burns, a fifth-year transfer, has been inarguably one of the Rebels’ greatest defensive weapons this season.

Burns has collected 67 steals. He moved into the Top 10 for the most steals in a single season in Ole Miss history on February 18, when had seven takeaways to tie for the third-most all-time in a single game.

Burns logged six steals against Auburn. The 13 combined steals in back-to-back games are the program’s most-ever over a two-game stretch.

Ole Miss Basketball – Most Steals in a Single Season

1. 89 Gerald Glass (30 games, 1989)
2. 73 Jason Smith (33 games, 1999)
3. 70 Gerald Glass (30 games, 1990)
4. 67 Myles Burns (29 games, 2023)
5. 58 Murphy Holloway (36 games, 2013)
         Rod Barnes (29 games, 1988)
7. 57 Stefan Moody (34 games, 2015)
8. 56 Devontae Shuler (33 games, 2019)
9. 55 Rahim Lockhart (33 games, 2000)
         Ervin Garnes (27 games, 1994)
         Eric Laird (28 games, 1984)

BLOCK PARTY

Ole Miss defensively is averaging 68.9 points allowed per game. The Rebels’ opponents have topped 70 points just 10 times this season.

Ole Miss is No. 61 in the country in blocks per game (4.1). The Rebels are led down low by senior transfers Akwuba (30 total blocks, 1.1 per game) and McKinnis (30 total blocks, 1.1 per game). Akwuba and McKinnis combined for seven blocks against No. 7 Alabama in January. Akwuba had four to bring his college career total to 200. He’s now at 212.

Akwuba and McKinnis (262 career blocks) are the only two teammates in college basketball with over 200 blocks in their careers. Each is among the Top 25 in active career leaders.

THROUGH THE FIRE

Ole Miss has faced off against some of the best teams in the nation this season.

The Rebels’ cumulative strength of schedule is No. 28 overall. The combined record of their opponents is 509-357 (0.588). Ole Miss has played 16 teams with NET rankings currently in the Top 100. Twelve are in the Top 50.

Two are in the Top 5.

ANOTHER ONE

The Rebels have been one of the better teams in the country in offensive rebounds (12.2 per game).

They’re ranked No. 29 in the nation in the category.

Burns leads Ole Miss with 68 total and 2.3 per game. Ole Miss is outscoring opponents by 54 (360-306) in second-chance points on the season.

ODDS AND ENDS

Ole Miss on the year is outscoring its opponents by 112 (303-191) in fast-break opportunities. The Rebels have recorded more fast-break points in 21 of 29 games. … The Ole Miss bench has accounted for just under a third of the team’s scoring through 28 games (32.9 percent; 647 of 1,967 points). … Brakefield and Burns each scored 20 points in Ole Miss’ 78-74 win over Georgia. Brakefield had a career-high 24 points on 11 of 15 shooting. He added seven rebounds and tied his season-best with four assists. Burns had season-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block. … Ole Miss last had a game with two 20-point scorers back in January of 2022 (Murrell and Daeshun Ruffin) in a 70-54 win over Florida.