Ole Miss Basketball, Kermit Davis Mutually Part Ways Amid Disastrous SEC Run

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Ole Miss and head men's basketball coach Kermit Davis have mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately, the university announced on Friday. Davis was in the midst of his fifth season in Oxford.

"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. "We appreciate Chancellor Boyce, Keith Carter, the staff and players for their support and work ethic on behalf of our program, and I wish Ole Miss the best going forward. Oxford is a special place to live and work."

The split between the Rebels and Davis has felt inevitable for months now. While Davis led Ole Miss to the NCAA Tournament in his first year on campus, Ole Miss has struggled mightily the last two seasons.

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Kermit Davis is out as Ole Miss head basketball coach. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Ole Miss is 10-18 overall this season and just 2-13 in SEC play. Over the last two seasons, the Rebels have posted a 6-27 record in the conference resulting in the program not even sniffing the bubble for March Madness.

READ: KERMIT DAVIS ADMITTING HE SAW OLE MISS’ LOSS TO NORTH ALABAMA COMING PAINTS GRIM PICTURE FOR THE FUTURE

Assistant coach Win Case will serve as the interim head coach for Ole Miss' final three regular-season games and during the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter announced a national search for the Rebels' next head coach is underway.

Names that have been mentioned in the rumor mill as potential candidates include former Texas head coach Chris Beard, FAU head coach Dusty May, and College of Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.