Texas basketball (14-6, 3-4 SEC) and head coach Rodney Terry are set to face former UT head coach Chris Beard and the No. 23 ranked Ole Miss Rebels (15-5, 4-3 SEC) for the first time as SEC foes on Wednesday night.
In the razor-thin margins of the SEC standings, seven teams in the conference are one win or loss away from .500 in SEC play. A win over Ole Miss would get the Longhorns within the scope of the top-half of the SEC standings for the first time this regular season.
Thanks to a career-high 30-point performance from freshman guard Tre Johnson over the weekend at the Moody Center in the Lone Star Showdown, the Longhorns have turned a corner after a thrilling one-point comeback win over the No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies.
The Longhorns have faced four straight ranked opponents in the top 25 in the SEC in the last two weeks. If Texas defeats Ole Miss tomorrow night, it will be the third straight ranked win for the Longhorns. It would also be the first ranked win in a true road game for the Longhorns this regular season.
How to watch Texas basketball vs. No. 23 Ole Miss
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio/Audio Stream: Longhorn Radio Network/Sirius XM 380
Game time: 8 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw will call the action between Texas and Ole Miss on ESPN2.
Craig Way and Eddie Oran will be on the radio broadcast on Longhorn Radio Network.
Texas basketball vs. No. 23 Ole Miss betting odds
Texas is a 5.5-point underdog against Ole Miss on Jan. 29 in Oxford (per FanDuel). The over/under is 141.5 points.
Ole Miss is favored in the moneyline (-255) over Texas (+205).
Texas is 11-8-1 against the spread this season (per TeamRankings). Ole Miss is 12-7-1 against the spread.
Texas vs. No. 23 Ole Miss prediction
Texas's efficient perimeter scoring and outside shooting will be tested against Ole Miss's No. 3 ranked scoring defense in the SEC. Ole Miss hasn't allowed 70 points in a Quad 1 and/or Quad 2 game this regular season.
Injuries will be a key storyline to watch for the Longhorns and Ole Miss in the SEC tomorrow night. Starting forward Arthur Kaluma's absence was felt for Texas in the win over Texas A&M this past Saturday. Kaluma and junior guard Chendall Weaver were out for the Longhorns vs. Texas A&M in Texas's last game due to injury issues.
Kaluma's status for the Ole Miss game tomorrow is still to be determined when the SEC injury report is released in the next 24 hours.
Ole Miss plays the traditional style of tough two-way basketball you would expect from a Beard-coached team. The Rebels have a deep bench, and plenty of proven experience among the starters, with all players in the starting five joining Ole Miss's rotation via the transfer portal in the past two years.
Beard and the Rebels are five wins away from reaching their win total from the entire last season in 2023-24.