The conditions looked favorable for an upset for a while on Saturday night. A lively crowd watched Ole Miss (12-9, 3-5) put #5 Baylor (20-1, 7-1) on the ropes, up 10 with 14 minutes remaining in the game. The Rebels had perhaps its best chance at a quality win to add to their resume while simultaneously christening The Pavilion with its first signature moment. But rebounding and execution failed them down the stretch and the Bears escaped Oxford with a 78-75 victory.
Ole Miss held a 72-70 lead with 2:16 left on the clock, but three costly turnovers in the final minutes marred an otherwise cleanly played game by Ole Miss on the offensive end, and doomed its chances.