While Louisville basketball fans are currently watching the conference tournaments wrap up, they quickly noticed one SEC team is making a Cinderella run. The Ole Miss Rebels entered the SEC Tournament as the No. 15 seed after a 15-19 record and a 4-14 conference record.
Former Louisville fan favorite sends hopeful NCAA Tournament message after Miami loss
The Rebels have won three games in the SEC Tournament, including last night's win over the No. 2 seed, the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Rebels were led by AJ Storr, who came off the bench to lead Ole Miss with 17 points, but a familiar face to Louisville fans was a glaring star in this game as well.
James Scott delivers huge block in SEC Tournament upset
Former Louisville basketball star James Scott was a key reason Ole Miss stole this game away from Alabama, as he finished with four points, 10 rebounds, four blocks, two assists, and one steal. The former Cardinal was dominant in the paint with his impressive four blocks, including the game-winning block when Scott blocked Alabama’s Aiden Sherrell with just one second left, giving Ole Miss an 80-79 victory and moving them on to the SEC Tournament semifinals, where they will face Arkansas.
Scott was one of the few Cardinals who entered the Transfer Portal in 2025 after Louisville’s ReviVILLE season last year. Pat Kelsey brought Scott with him to Louisville, where he averaged 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor. He was a major blow when Louisville fans heard Scott was transferring, and while this season hasn’t gone the way he had hoped, he could have helped Louisville, especially on the defensive end, and last night’s game proved that.
Scott is a high-flying forward who is an elite lob threat, but on the other end is a dominant rim protector. With the Cardinals' frontcourt thin and Kasean Pryor not getting the minutes many expected him to get, Scott could have been a piece that might have been valuable for Kelsey and the Cardinals.
Is he Louisville’s missing piece and the solution to all their problem’s? No. But his ability to impact the defensive end and to have a presence in the paint is something Louisville misses.
Related: One lineup change Pat Kelsey must make for Louisville in the NCAA Tournament
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