There has been a constant expectation for Malik Dia to showcase why Chris Beard went after him and brought him to Oxford. Until Wednesday that had not happened but Dia provided solid proof of concept by putting Ole Miss on his back for a key Southeastern Conference win on the road.

With just over 14 minutes remaining in the second half, junior Ole Miss basketball forward Malik Dia left the bench and trotted onto the floor Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena. What Dia did in Ole Miss' 73-66 win at Arkansas — and specifically in those 14 minutes — could pay long-term dividends for him as the No.

Arkansas forward Adou Thiero (3) helps up teammate Boogie Fland (2) as Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard (right) and forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) look on, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, during the second half of the Razorbacks' 73-66 loss to the Rebels at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. (Hank Layton/WholeHogSports)

Ole Miss is scheduled to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks on Wednesday night, and the Hogs are led by legendary head coach John Calipari. Rebels coach Chris Beard is anticipating a real challenge when Ole Miss hits the hardwood this week.

Jerry Palm of CBS projected Ole Miss as a No. 8 seed. Palm has Ole Miss facing No. 9 Dayton. Lunardi has 13 SEC teams in the field with two bubble teams (Missouri and LSU) just mi

Malik Dia scores 21 points along with eight rebounds as the Rebels get the win behind a balanced effort against the Razorbacks, 73-66.

No. 22 Ole Miss has its first SEC road trip of the 2024-25 season Wednesday at Arkansas. Tipoff is 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The Rebels (12-2, 1-0 SEC) are coming off a 63-51 win over Georgia last weekend.