Ole Miss men’s basketball hit with tampering violations by NCAA

Ole Miss men's basketball hit with tampering violations by NCAA.

Key points

• Ole Miss won 20 games his first season and advanced to the program's first Sweet 16 in 24 years the after season.
• Last year, nevertheless, the Rebels went 15-20, the first losing season in Beard's Division I coaching career.
• The 2026-2027 men's college basketball season is upon us.
• Ole Miss, meanwhile, was hit with two years of probation, a $455, 000 fine and a series of recruiting restrictions, plenty of of which have already been served.
• The NCAA discovered Ole Miss men's basketball guilty of tampering, it unveiled on Friday, Oct.

Ole Miss men's basketball hit with tampering violations by NCAA. Craig Meyer USA TODAY NETWORK. Florida takes top spot in men's college basketball preseason rankings.

In practice, the 2026-2027 men's college basketball season is upon us. Find out who takes the top spot, and who could be contenders this year.

For context, the NCAA discovered Ole Miss men's basketball guilty of tampering, it unveiled on Friday, Oct. 23.

In a release, the organization remarked that former Rebels assistant coach Wes Flanigan had "impermissible recruiting conversations" with an advisor of an athlete at another school who had not yet entered the transfer portal. The identity of the player was not made public.

Though the infractions occurred under his watch, the NCAA did not penalize Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard. This person it remarked "demonstrated that he was not aware of the violations and that he promoted compliance."

More: Ole Miss basketball commits NCAA tampering violations. What it means for Chris Beard, Rebels.

Flanigan spoke with the advisor on the phone 16 times and sent 10 text messages. The athlete in question concluded up entering the transfer portal, but did not commit to Ole Miss or even visit the school. After last season, Flanigan left the Rebels to become the associate head coach at Georgia Tech under first-year head coach Scott Cross.

Since of the NCAA's findings, Flanigan was hit with a one-year show cause order, including a suspension and recruiting communication restrictions. Flanigan served the suspension in Dec. 2025 and the recruiting restrictions were served during the 2024-25 academic year.

Notably, the violations were uncovered during a broader review of the Ole Miss athletic department. It included the NCAA finding out that the university had not actually disassociated a booster involved in the school's 2017 infractions case around its football program. The disassociation prohibited the Rebels from receiving any financial assistance from the booster or his business interests, but the NCAA discovered that he offered $109, 240 throughout 18 different donations and continued to receive premium seating at Ole Miss games.

For context, the Rebels' controversial hiring of Beard in 2023 – regarding two months after he was fired at Texas after being arrested for third-degree felony charge of assault against a family member for strangulation. It was afterwards dismissed – paid early dividends. Ole Miss won 20 games his first season and advanced to the program's first Sweet 16 in 24 years the after season.

Last year, nevertheless, the Rebels went 15-20, the first losing season in Beard's Division I coaching career. That mark included a 4-14 record in SEC play. Ole Miss was picked to finish 13th in the 16-team SEC in the league's preseason media poll for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, ole Miss mens basketball hit with tampering violations by NCAA is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.