OXFORD — Ole Miss’ men’s basketball victory over No. 4 Tennessee on Wednesday was a big one for the program, but it was definitely costly.

The Southeastern Conference announced Friday that it has fined Ole Miss $500,000 after fans stormed the court following the conclusion of the Rebels’ 78-76 victory at the SJB Pavilion.

The amount was determined by it being a third offense for Ole Miss under the league’s access to competition area policy that was adopted in 2023. The policy fines universities $100,000 for a first offense, $250,000 for a second offense, and $500,000 for each violation after that.

Ole Miss’ first two offenses came when fans stormed the field following football victories against LSU in 2023 and Georgia in 2024.

The fines are payable to the opposing school.

Many schools, including Ole Miss, have tried to prevent fans from rushing the court this basketball season by making announcements at the end of big games when a rush seems imminent. It didn’t work Wednesday in Oxford, which frustrated Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter.

“We appreciate the passionate support of the Ole Miss family and thank those who acted appropriately Wednesday night. It’s exciting to see our teams celebrate with our fans, and as administration, we encourage it. However, it should only occur when explicitly permitted,” Carter said in a statement. “We ask that our fans help us avoid future fines by adhering to rules and policing each other. We remain focused on creating a bucket-list gameday experience, but losing resources as a result of fines can no longer be a part of that.”

We did it ‼️

Ole Miss 78, Tennessee 76 pic.twitter.com/6zBMcIoWvb

— We Run the Sip (@OMRebelNation) March 6, 2025

Carter added that Ole Miss officials are reviewing footage from the postgame celebration to identify those who rushed the court. Offending fans could face a ban from attending future games.

“Penalties will be increased moving forward, including holding perpetrators on the court or field and revoking their game privileges on site,” Carter said. “We are also exploring other avenues to hold those that break the rules accountable. Simply put, this must stop.”

In a statement announcing the fine, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey credited Ole Miss for its attempts to keep fans from rushing the court until after Tennessee’s players and coaches had reached the locker room.

“Keith Carter and the Ole Miss leadership have been diligent in updating its postgame basketball court access policy and it was encouraging to see the vast majority of fans obey the new policy by remaining in the stands immediately following Wednesday’s game with Tennessee,” Sankey said. “It is disappointing that a small number of fans have created this problem, but the postgame court incursion by fans who disregarded the policy violates the expectations of the access to competition area policy.”

Sankey also noted that some fans had thrown debris onto the court and created a safety issue.

“As the Conference continues to review field rushing and court storming policy, we need to consider all that is now being done to adjust fan behavior including reducing or removing financial penalties when the administrative leadership is ignored by a small group of people,” Sankey said. “Additionally, the game was disrupted when debris was thrown onto the court, which is a violation of SEC sportsmanship policies and individuals identified as having thrown debris are to be banned from attending future athletic events.”