Ole Miss basketball won what felt like a 'must-win' game on Wednesday night. The Rebels defeated Texas 72-69 in a wire-to-wire gam, which saw the Rebels down by as much as 13 points at one point in the first half. Ole Miss continued to fight and ultimately pulled ahead in the final five minutes.

Texas coach Rodney Terry, Chris Beard's former lead assistant at UT, says the Ole Miss coach remains one of "my really close friends in the business."

As a team, Texas shot 40.6% from the floor, 22.7% from three-point range, and 85.7% from the free-throw line. Tre Johnson led the Longhorns in scoring with 22 points, followed by Arthur Kaluma with 12, and Kadin Shedrick with nine.

A late 3-pointer from Texas freshman Tre Johnson that would have forced OT just misses as Ole Miss holds on for a needed home win.

Sean Pedulla leads the Rebels with 19 points as they escape with a 72-69 victory vs. the Longhorns to get Chris Beard a win against his former team.

Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard took questions after the Rebels beat Texas 72-69 in Oxford on Wednesday. Home; NFL; NCAAF; NBA; NHL; NCAAB; NCAAW; MLB; Daily Draw; Fantasy S

The Rebels (15-5, 4-3) are trying to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 under second-year coach Chris Beard, who was fired from Texas two years ago after being arrested on a domestic violence charge.