Ole Miss Basketball: Rebels jump back into AP Poll top 25

After slipping out of them last week, Ole Miss found themselves back in the AP Poll top 25 this week.

Ole Miss jumped back into the AP Poll top 25 earlier today after slipping out of them last week. Since then, the Rebels have recorded back-to-back SEC victories. On Saturday, they took care of Vanderbilt, but more impressively, they dominated Florida last Wednesday, winning 103-85.

The two wins put Ole Miss at 15-1 on the season, sitting third in the conference at 2-1. The wins over Vanderbilt and Florida saw the Associated Press move the Rebels up to the number 22 spot, just behind Dayton.

Also, in the USA Coaches Poll, Chris Beard's team moved up two spots, now ranked at 21.

Ole Miss does have a victory over a team ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll as the standings sit today. In game seven back on Dec.2, the Rebels beat Memphis 80-77. They also have a loss against six-ranked Tennessee.

Despite the team with the second-best record in the AP Top 25, the Associated Press believes that the Rebel's schedule is much weaker than others. It does feel surprising that the Memphis victory doesn't factor more into where Ole Miss is ranked.

Since the loss to the Rebels, Memphis have been on a tear, winning ten games on the bounce. The Tigers have beaten three teams that were ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time. However, in today's rankings, they have no wins over any ranked opponents. Surprisingly, the Rebs are not a little higher than 22 with that in mind.

Head coach Chris Beard will not be worried about where the team is ranked now. His focus will be the next game against LSU on Wednesday.