Ole Miss sets NCAA record by advancing to SEC semifinal

Alabama got a wake up call in Nashville. Nobody expected it to come from Ole Miss. 

The Rebels outlasted the Crimson Tide in a 80-79 win in the SEC Tournament on Friday night. One historic moment with March Madness coming early. 

With their win tonight, Ole Miss is the first team seeded No. 15 or worse to reach the semifinals of any Division I conference tournament all-time, according to OptaStats. 

Despite being the low seed in the conference tournament, the Rebels outplayed Alabama, who will pick up the pieces and regather before the Big Dance. The Cinderella run as Ole Miss led wire-to-wire over Nate Oats' squad. But their biggest test comes in the next round as they'll try to find an answer against Arkansas and Darius Acuff Jr., who put up 37 points in an 82-79 win over Oklahoma.  

More: What NBA execs are saying about BYU's AJ Dybantsa amid Big 12 Tournament

We've got a possible bid stealer in the SEC and Ole Miss can do it with two more wins. And the Rebels are 15-19 overall. Don't grab the pitchforks. This is just how college basketball should be. 

The Rebels have had a disappointing season with 12 regular season wins. Watching the first losing season of Chris Beard's coaching career wasn't easy in Oxford. But they're putting it all together at the right time. 

SN AWARDS: All-America team | Boozer Player of the Year | Lloyd Coach of the Year

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