MCBB: Ole Miss moves up to No. 16, Mississippi State returns to rankings in latest AP top 25

Ole Miss jumped up one spot and Mississippi State surged in the latest rankings from the Associated Press.

Chris Beard’s Rebels came in at No. 16 in the poll after knocking off two non-conference foes this past week. Ole Miss (11-1) downed Southern 74-61 on Tuesday and defeated Queens 80-62 on Saturday. Though the Rebels were not remarkably impressive in either matchup, the team was proficient enough at forcing turnovers to amass double-digit victories.

Jaylen Murray led the way for Ole Miss in the midweek showdown, scoring 18 points against the Jaguars. Sean Pedulla had seven assists and five steals in the matchup. Pedulla carried the Rebels over the weekend, scoring 25 points and mounting four steals versus the Royals.

Ole Miss will close out the calendar year at Memphis in FedEx Forum on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT before beginning SEC play in January.

Mississippi State (11-1) saw its largest jump in the polls, going from unranked to No. 19, after consecutive blowouts. Chris Jans’ Bulldogs annihilated Central Michigan 83-59 in Jackson on Tuesday before heading to Memphis to pop the Tigers on Saturday.

Claudell Harris, Jr. and Michael Nwoko emerged as superstars for the maroon and white in the midweek outing, scoring a collective 37 points. Florida transfer Riley Kugel stood out over the weekend, leading Mississippi State with 19 points. Cam Matthews was a perfect utility player in both matchups, racking up a plethora of rebounds and assists.

The Bulldogs will round out non-conference play with a Monday night contest against Bethune-Cookman in Starkville. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT.

As always, Ole Miss and Mississippi State basketball games are broadcast on participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations along with various television providers. The full AP Top 25, which features 10 SEC teams, can be found below:

1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Iowa State
4. Duke
5. Alabama
6. Florida
7. Kansas
8. Marquette
9. Oregon
10. Kentucky
11. UConn
12. Oklahoma
13. Texas A&M
14. Gonzaga
15. Houston
16. Ole Miss
17. Cincinnati
18. Michigan State
19. Mississippi State
20. San Diego State
21. Purdue
22. UCLA
23. Arkansas
24. Illinois
25. Baylor