MILWAUKEE — Ole Miss’ men’s basketball team made some school history by narrowly avoiding a bit of NCAA Tournament infamy.

Ole Miss let a 22-point lead dwindle to two late in the second half, then hung on to beat North Carolina 71-64 in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s South Regional on Friday.

Ole Miss (23-11), the No. 6 seed in the South, advanced to face No. 3 Iowa State in the second round on Sunday. Iowa State beat Lipscomb 82-55 on Friday.

It’s the first time since 2013, and only the fourth time ever, that Ole Miss has reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Its only trip to the Sweet 16 was in 2001.

Ole Miss won a First Four play-in game in 2015, but lost in the Round of 64.

“We’ve got so many seniors, guys fourth, fifth year in college basketball that have literally checked every box in their careers. Several of them haven’t participated in the NCAA Tournament. We felt that pressure and urgency all the way back from the summer, through our non-conference schedule. To get here, we’re really happy to be here,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “Now the message is, hey, our story isn’t that we made the NCAA Tournament. Let’s make a run in this tournament.”

SEAN PEDULLA ANSWERS THE CALL 📞#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Lcq4Q1Ryon

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2025

Ole Miss dominated the first half by making seven 3-pointers and shooting 51.9 percent from the field overall. It led 44-26 at halftime, and extended that to 48-26 in the opening minute of the second half.

The 18-point halftime deficit was North Carolina’s largest in an NCAA Tournament game since 1967. The Tar Heels (23-14) chopped it in half by the 10-minute mark, and then began their final push over the last 6 1/2 minutes. Elliot Cadeau’s 3-pointer ignited a 14-2 run that was capped by R.J. Davis’ three-point play by R.J. Davis with 1:09 to go. Davis’ free throw got the Tar Heels to within 66-64.

“We were really lifeless in the first half. We had no passion. We had no joy. We looked like the group we were a few months ago,” said North Carolina’s Seth Trimble, who finished with nine points. “We were fortunate enough to listen just to what the coaches had to say in the second half. We checked ourselves. We got checked. And everybody kind of just looked in the mirror, and, I mean, that second half it was clear we just played with passion, with joy, and we played for each other. We were a team in that second half. That was the biggest difference. We weren’t in that first half.”

North Carolina was trying to match the second-largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history, along with Duke (2001 vs. Maryland) and Nevada (2018 vs. Cincinnati). BYU had the biggest comeback, from 25 points down, in 2012 against Iona.

Ole Miss pulled out of its spin just in time to avoid an unwanted place in NCAA Tournament history.

Sean Pedulla hit a clutch 3-pointer with 52.8 seconds left to break the Heels’ momentum. It was the Rebels’ first 3-pointer in the second half after nine consecutive misses.

“I think on this stage, yeah, especially because at that point in the game, they were on a huge run and we needed that bucket,” Pedulla said when asked ifit was the biggest shot of his college career. “So I just shot it with confidence and the rest was in God’s hands.”

At the same time, North Carolina finally cooled off and missed its last four shots.

Pedulla added two free throws with 34 seconds remaining and finished with a game-high 20 points. Dre Davis added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Jaemyn Brakefield scored 12 points.

“We know that North Carolina was a super talented team, so if they went on a run, it’s not about panicking, just staying poised,” said Ole Miss senior guard Jaylen Murray, who finished with seven points. “We have a veteran team, we’ve been through this before. Just calm down, execute plays, and get stops.”