OXFORD — Jaemyn Brakefield posted on X Tuesday evening that he figured he would have an emotional Wednesday.

He had no idea how prophetic he was.

The Rebels’ senior forward had the half of his life Wednesday night, scoring all 19 of his points in the final 20 minutes of Ole Miss’ dramatic 78-76 win over No. 4 Tennessee.

“I started getting emotional early,” Brakefield said. “It was amazing. It’s surreal, still.”

Brakefield just took over in the final 10 minutes Wednesday, looking like the highly coveted prep star who began his career at Duke before transferring to Ole Miss.

“It was just the confidence that was poured into me by the men around me,” Brakefield said. “It just shows that Ole Miss is here and we’re here to stay.”

His biggest bucket came with 7.5 seconds remaining. With the game tied, Sean Pedulla took a 3-pointer that seemed to hang on the rim forever. Brakefield grabbed the rebound and stuck it back, giving Ole Miss a 78-76 lead with 7.5 seconds left.

Tennessee’s final possession came up empty, setting off euphoria in the SBJ Pavilion.

“That’s just our gameplan, trying to rebound as a team, knowing the shot went up,” Brakefield said. “Just knowing who we are.”

Ole Miss improved to 21-9 overall and 10-7 in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee fell to 24-6 overall and 11-6 in the SEC.

Time after time, Brakefield made plays, preventing Tennessee from pulling away and then ultimately putting the Rebels in front.

Brakefield made a jumper to tie the game at 61-61 and another to extend that lead to 63-61. Down three, he bullied his way into the post for a traditional 3-point play. In his last game in Oxford, the Jackson native simply wouldn’t be denied.

“It’s kind of what I see every day in practice,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “Position-less player. We chose to go small ball down the stretch. Whenever he has a big guarding him, there are things he can do offensively. I thought Brake did a good job of not settling and recognizing the moment. Above all, it’s a lot of courage. If you’re going to make those shots, you have to have the courage to take them.”

“I love him,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “I love the way he plays. He’s patient. Everything he did with the shot-fakes, driving. Think about it. We wanted him to shoot 3s. So if you want a guy to shoot 3s, why would you ever take a shot-fake? We kept leaving our feet.

“He doesn’t need much room. He’s a really good angle player. He has good hands. Again, he’s a terrific player. He had his way with us.”

Told of Barnes’ comments, Beard said he wanted Brakefield to shoot 3’s also.

“You have to find that balance,” Beard said. “It’s a tough job whenever you’re a best-player-type guy and the coach is telling you to make shots and he’s telling you to move the ball and be aggressive and not turn it over and play defense. When you’re a veteran player, the job is not easy."

RebelGrove.com's coverage of Ole Miss basketball this season is presented by Window Hero. From window cleaning to pressure washing, gutter cleaning, gutter guards and everything in between, Window Hero has the experience, equipment, and expertise to make your property look and feel brand new. If you’re in north Mississippi, let Window Hero make your home or business’ exterior look amazing. Their experts are fully bonded and insured. Window Hero provides specialized equipment, exclusive cleaning solutions. a satisfaction guarantee and can clean up to four stories on buildings. Window Hero has locations in Oxford, Tupelo, Pontotoc, Holly Springs, New Albany and more. Roby and Susan Allen are dedicated to helping Oxford and all of north Mississippi with their windows, gutters and everything in between. Call Window Hero at 662-510-7077 to get an estimate. Learn more at WindowHero.com.

Ole Miss committed just five turnovers and out-rebounded the Volunteers, 37-33. Ole Miss had 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 13 second-chance points.

“All of these things had to come into play to have a chance to win a one-possession game against a team that I think is maybe the best team in college basketball,” Beard said. “It took a team effort.”

Malik Dia and Dre Davis had 13 points each, with Davis adding 10 rebounds and Dia adding five. Murrell, playing on a bad knee, had 12 points and four rebounds.

Jordan Gainey led Tennessee with 17 points. Chaz Lanier added 15 and Felix Okpara chipped in with13.

Ole Miss trailed by five, 41-36, at halftime. The Rebels played a solid half offensively, making 48.3 percent of their shots from the floor and 47.1 percent from the 3-point line while committing just four turnovers.

However, Tennessee’s depth showed up as the Vols won bench points, 14-5.

Ole Miss wraps up the regular season Saturday at 5 p.m. CST in Gainesville, Fla., versus Florida.

Florida beat Alabama Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, 99-94.

The fifth-ranked Gators improved to 26-4 overall and 13-4 in the SEC, moving closer towards a possible No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.