The Final Prediction: Ole Miss Basketball vs. Iowa State Cyclones in NCAA Tournament

Chris Beard and the Rebels look to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16, Iowa State ready to compete in Milwaukee.

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Sean Pedulla (3) celebrates after a basket during the first half of a first round NCAA men’s tournament game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

No. 6 seeded Ole Miss will take on the Iowa State Cylones on Sunday night in Milwaukee (Wisc.) with a berth to the Sweet 16 on the line.

Chris Beard's crew enters the Round of 32 clash following an impressive victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

"Our word is poise, stone-faced, don’t get too high or too low. We have a veteran team. Sean and Juju have both played in the NCAA Tournament before. I think that showed early," Beard said on Friday. "They did a great job getting some of their teammates that haven’t played in this tournament before prepared.

"I think a lot of things about our team. I think we looked poised at times. We were composed when it mattered most. I didn’t see anything about our team today that looked like there was any fraught in our program. I saw a team that had a good season in the SEC just beat North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament."

Now, all focus is on the Sunday showdown with the Iowa State Cyclones in the Rebels' way of a Sweet 16 berth.

Preview: No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones

The Start Time and How to Watch:

Start Time: 6:45 p.m. CT on March 23
Channel: TruTV
Location: Milwaukee (Wisc.)

The Current Betting Lines: Ole Miss Rebels vs. Iowa State Cyclones

Spread:
- Ole Miss: (+5.5)
- Iowa State: (-5.5)

Moneyline:
- Ole Miss: (+195)
- Iowa State: (-238)

Over/Under: 244.5

The Ole Miss Rebels will enter the clash in Milwaukee as 5.5-point underdogs with Vegas favoring the Iowa State Cyclones following impressive Round 1 victory.

Chris Beard's Take: Tough Task Ahead

"Nothing but respect for Iowa State. T.J. (Otzelberger) does a great job. Their team has an identity, doesn’t take long to figure it out. They’re physical. They’re connected. They’re hard-playing guys," Beard said on Saturday.

"I think it’s a great coaching fit, T.J., with Iowa State. He’s impacted that program for a long time, not only as a head coach, but as an assistant coach. And we competed against each other along the way.

"But, yes, a physical, hard-playing team that doesn’t beat themselves. So, again, we’ll have to play our best 40 minutes of the season to try to get to next weekend."

The Final Predictions: Ole Miss Rebels vs. Iowa State Cyclones

ESPN BPI Predictor: Iowa State
ESPN BPI Predicted Point Differential: 5.5
ESPN BPI Win Probability (Iowa State): 70.8%
ESPN BPI Win Probability (Ole Miss): 29.2%
BPI Matchup Quality: 88.1

What is the ESPN Basketball Power Index?

"The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is," according to ESPN.

"Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily."

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.