It’s a pretty sweet time to be an Ole Miss basketball fan.

For the first time in school history, both the Ole Miss men’s and women’s teams have advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament — also known as the “Sweet 16.” It’s a moment of shared success for two programs that have rarely been among the elite in the Southeastern Conference.

“We define winning. Winning off the court, winning in the classroom, and certainly winning in the NCAA Tournament. It’s rewarding to see some of the things we talked about come to reality,” Ole Miss men’s coach Chris Beard said after beating Iowa State in the second round on Sunday.

While the Ole Miss women have a veteran roster with plenty of NCAA Tournament experience, the men’s team is experiencing all of this for the first time. This is its first tournament appearance since 2019, and first in the Sweet 16 since 2001. The 2001 team was the only other one in Ole Miss history to get this far.

What the Rebels lack in postseason pedigree, they make up for with overall experience and chemistry. Seven players have played in more than 100 college games each. Although many of them transferred to Ole Miss, they’ve gelled together to weather the storms of a difficult SEC schedule, as well as the tense moments of the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Tournament TV schedule

Ole Miss advanced to the Sweet 16 with two wins that were equally parts dominant and nerve-wracking. It allowed North Carolina to chop a 22-point deficit to two in the last 10 minutes before hanging on for a 71-64 victory. In round two, the Rebels led by 26 points, then allowed Iowa State to get within 10 with 1:20 left before closing out the 91-78 win.

Ole Miss (24-11), the No. 6 seed in the South Region, will play No. 2 Michigan State (29-6) Friday at 6 p.m. in Atlanta. No. 1 seed Auburn (30-5) and Michigan (27-9) will play afterward, and the winners will meet Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

“I think it’s everybody just buying in, coming in with all these transfers to Ole Miss, a lot of guys from different areas, different colleges, different teams,” gurard Davon Barnes said. “And once you get it all together, how we all bought into our roles and the game plan, what Coach had for us. And ultimately the results show, once everybody buys in, that we can win.”

The Ole Miss women’s team has been on the rise the past few seasons, and has a bit more glory in its history than the men.

The Lady Rebels reached three NCAA Tournament regional finals in five years from 1985-89 and another in 2007. This is their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, and the second trip to the Sweet 16 in three years. She said there was a marked difference in the approach this time vs. previous years.

“This time it was all business. We didn’t sightsee. We barely left the hotel. You know, this was a business trip for us,” McPhee-McCuin said after the Rebels beat Baylor 69-63 on Sunday. “So we expected to win. You know, we don’t think we’re a five seed, but that’s what the committee gave us, and so we played with the cards that we were dealt. And I think what you saw was ­ like I was getting ready to celebrate and (Madison Scott) was like, let’s go, let’s get out here. So it’s just a level of maturity from this group. We expected to win.”

Although the recent success has elevated Ole Miss’ national profile, it is still seekeing a breakthrough win that would catapult it to the next level. That could come Friday, when the Rebels (22-10) take on UCLA (32-2) in the Spokane Regional 4. Tip off is at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

Ole Miss easily defeated Ball State, and survived a tough challenge against Baylor on its home floor to get through the first two rounds. Facing UCLA, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, is a different animal — but not one the Rebels haven’t stared down before.

McPhee-McCuin noted the schedule included eight of the 15 other teams that are still alive in the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t know who can rattle us. Y’all, we played Southern California, N.C. State, UConn, LSU, Texas, South Carolina. Our last 10 games every team except for three were ranked in the top 15 or below,” she said. “We are battle tested. So that is what you’re seeing, a team that has had a chance to grow through and learn through our losses and then perform on the biggest stage when it matters the most.”