Ole Miss fires Davis amid SEC-worst 2-13 mark

The Ole Miss Rebels have fired men’s basketball coach Kermit Davis with just over a week left in the regular season, it was announced Friday.

“We thank Coach Davis for his dedication to the Ole Miss basketball program and our student-athletes,” athletic director Keith Carter said in a statement. “No one wanted to bring a title home to Mississippi more than him, and we appreciate the passion for that goal that he shared with our team every day.”

Assistant coach Win Case will serve as the acting head coach for the rest of the season, and Carter said a national search is underway for a new coach.

Davis was nearing the end of his fifth season at the helm in Oxford. He guided the Rebels to the NCAA tournament in his first season, going 20-13 overall and 10-8 in the SEC, earning an 8-seed on Selection Sunday.

However, the Rebels haven’t been back to the NCAA tournament since, going 22-47 in the SEC over the past four seasons. They made a late surge in 2021 but were relegated to the NIT.

Entering the weekend, Ole Miss is 10-18, 2-13 in the SEC — tied with LSU for last place in the conference.

“My family and I are extremely thankful for the opportunity to lead the Ole Miss men’s basketball program the past five years,” Davis said in a statement. “… I wish Ole Miss the best going forward. Oxford is a special place to live and work.”

Davis went to Ole Miss after 16 seasons as the head coach at Middle Tennessee, where he went to three NCAA tournaments in his final six seasons.

Potential candidates to replace Davis at Ole Miss include FAU’s Dusty May and North Texas’ Grant McCasland, and it has also been mentioned by industry sources as a potential landing spot for Chris Beard.

“As we have seen in the past, Ole Miss Basketball is capable of competing for and winning championships, and we are determined to find the right leader to help us reach our greatest potential,” Carter said. “Over the last 15 years, we have invested in the sport as much as any school in the country. That commitment, the passion of Rebel Nation and the opportunity to be a part of this great university makes our head coaching position a job that will attract top candidates.”