North Carolina’s NCAA Tournament journey continues with a first-round matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels, led by head coach Chris Beard. After a play-in game victory over San Diego State, the Tar Heels are looking to keep their season alive and prove the doubters wrong.
**Key Players to Watch**
One familiar face for UNC fans is Sean Pedulla, a 6-foot-1 guard who previously spent three seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to Ole Miss. Pedulla was a two-year starter for the Hokies and has continued to be a consistent scoring threat for the Rebels. This season, he’s averaging nearly 15 points per game and shooting efficiently, with 43.4% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc.
Another name that may ring a bell is Jaemyn Brakefield, a forward who started his college career at Duke before transferring to Ole Miss. While Brakefield has come off the bench this season after being a starter for his first three years at Ole Miss, he remains a key contributor, averaging 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Matthew Murrell, a fifth-year senior guard from Memphis, is another crucial piece of the Rebels’ lineup. Having spent his entire collegiate career at Ole Miss, Murrell has seen his scoring dip this season, down from 16.2 points per game last year to 10.6 points this year. Despite this, he remains a key figure for Ole Miss, though his three-point shooting has been inconsistent throughout his career.
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