Despite now coming off the bench after being a full-time starter the past two seasons, Jaemyn Brakefield helped power his No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels (24-11) past the No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones (25-10) on Sunday night. The former Duke basketball forward and his team won, 91-78, clinching the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2001.
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In 26 minutes of action off the bench, the 24-year-old tallied 19 points, along with two rebounds and two steals. He also shot a notably efficient 6-for-8 from the field, including a perfect 2-for-2 clip from three and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
Ole Miss with the pedal to the medal to open the second half 😤
Watch NOW: https://t.co/Cw7PWdG3Nq#MarchMadness @OleMissMBB pic.twitter.com/Dhix3XJqZn
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2025
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound graduate senior has spent the past four seasons at Ole Miss after his lone season with the Blue Devils as a freshman. He’s been a key piece off the bench, averaging 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor. He’s also eclipsed the 1,000-point threshold as a Rebel.
As a freshman for the Blue Devils in 2020-21, Brakefield averaged just 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds a game between his 22 outings.
But it’s clear Brakefield still feels some loyalty to his old program, flashing the “bull horns” hand signal (a symbol of the “Bull City” Durham and recently becoming a embraced secondary Duke logo) after he and Ole Miss defeated Duke rival UNC, 71-64, in the Rebels’ opening round victory.
He and the Rebels next face the No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans (29-6) at 7:09 p.m. ET Friday (CBS).
Meanwhile, third-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his No. 1 seed Blue Devils (33-3) are gearing up to face former archrival Caleb Love and the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats (24-12) at 9:39 p.m. ET Thursday (CBS).
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