Ole Miss’ NCAA Tournament hopes aren’t dead yet.

The Rebels, just three days removed from a crushing home loss to Mississippi State, rebounded in a big way Tuesday night in Columbia, Mo., beating No. 24 Missouri, 60-53.

Ole Miss improved to 13-9 overall and 8-7 in the Southeastern Conference. Missouri fell to 14-7 overall and 7-7 in the SEC.

Devontae Shuler led Ole Miss with 14 points. Romello White, KJ Buffen and Jarkel Joiner had 10 points each for the Rebels.

Kobe Brown led Missouri with 12 points. Mark Smith added 11 and Jeremiah Tilmon finished with 10.

Here are 10 observations from the Rebels’ win at Mizzou Arena:

1. Make no mistake; Ole Miss had to have this one. A loss would’ve killed the Rebels’ chances for an at-large bid in three weeks. A win doesn’t put Ole Miss in the field, but getting a Quadrant 1 victory Tuesday night was a massive lift for a team that almost saw its hopes expire Saturday against Mississippi State.

2. Credit to Kermit Davis. On Sunday, he intended to get after his players at practice. Instead, he listened to Shuler and Joiner when they told the coach they needed the afternoon off. Davis said he had intended to have a physical, 75-minute practice on Sunday. He trusted Shuler and Joiner instead. The Rebels responded with a great practice Monday, a terrific game-day workout Tuesday and then one of its best efforts of the season Tuesday.

3. The game was tied at 50-50 with 2:32 left Tuesday. White traveled, giving Missouri the basketball. From there, Ole Miss forced a Tilmon turnover and eventually scored on the other end, getting a bucket from Shuler with 1:58 left. After a Smith miss and a rebound from White, Luis Rodriguez found KJ Buffen on a drive, a play Davis called the biggest of the game, to give Ole Miss a four-point lead with 1:19 left.

Ole Miss’ defense buckled down from there, holding the Tigers to just three points in the final minute while Joiner went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to clinch it.

4. Ole Miss won with defense. The Rebels held Missouri to just 35 percent from the floor and 30 percent from the free throw line. Missouri took just 11 free throws. It was one of the Rebels’ cleanest defensive games.

5. Ole Miss led by as many as 11 in the second half. However, Missouri responded with an 11-0 run to tie the game at 39-39 with just more than 11 minutes remaining. A Jarkel Joiner jumper with 10:50 left stopped the Rebels’ bleeding.

6. Much like Mississippi State did days ago, Missouri gave Ole Miss fits with its size. The Tigers crashed the offensive glass all night, creating second- and third-chance opportunities that allowed Mizzou to stay in the game during stretches. However, Ole Miss survived it, winning the rebound battle, 41-32, and winning in second-chance points, 14-10. Ole Miss outscored the Tigers, 26-24, in the paint.

7. Both teams played with big-time intensity. Missouri was eager to payback after Ole Miss’ 21-point win in Oxford 13 days earlier. The Rebels were desperate to get back into the NCAA Tournament conversation after a devastating 10-point loss to Mississippi State this past Saturday. KJ Buffen was back in the starting lineup, replacing Robert Allen. Interestingly, it was Allen who was very effective in the first half, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds in 10 first-half minutes. Buffen finished with seven points and five rebounds.

8. Ole Miss went right to White on its first possession, drawing a foul on Brown. White made both free throws, giving the Rebels a 2-0 lead. It was a sign of the Rebels’ early strategy — go to White, stress Tilmon on defense and try to create some easy looks close to the basket. For whatever reason, White wasn’t nearly as much of a factor in the second half, as the Rebels settled for earlier shots in possessions, not being nearly as intentional about generating offense through White.

9. Davis drew a technical foul with 9:27 left in the first half. He was upset about a no-call on a Buffen drive to the basket. When Ole Miss drew a foul on the other end, Davis was quite demonstrative, ultimately drawing the admonition from Pat Adams. The game was tied, 17-17, after the free throws. Ole Miss responded to its coach’s outburst, closing the first half with a 16-7 run.

10. Ole Miss travels to Nashville to face Vanderbilt Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. tip and will be televised on the SEC Network. To say it’s a must-win game for the Rebels is a massive understatement.