It was hopeful Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Creighton tonight in the Paradise Jam championship, an RPI game for Ole Miss and what would be another big conference win for red-hot Creighton. It was been a tight game, as Ole Miss has led for much, but Creighton clawed back and took a hard-fought win 86-77.

Creighton was down 11 but started making three-pointers and cut down on Ole Miss’ offensive rebounds.

Creighton made the biggest leap in the latest polls released today, climbing up to 12 from No. 22 in the AP poll, after the Bluejays beat N.C. State Sunday, scoring 112 points.

The winner undoubtedly has a NCAA Tournament type of win on its resume — particularly in the case of Ole Miss which battles in the SEC, weak in recent seasons from top to bottom. A quality non-conference win could be all it needs to get into the tournament.

In its past three games, for instance, Creighton has beaten No. 9 Wisconsin, Washington State, and North Carolina State. Against NC State on Sunday, the Bluejays scored 112 points and climbed in national rankings to No. 12.

LIVE SCORE UPDATES

*Creighton leads 86-77 with 36 seconds to play.

*Brooks has 22 and Burnett 19 for Ole Miss.

*Creighton leads 74-73 at the 6 minute mark. Ole Miss went several minutes without a basket but is still in the game.

*Creighton takes lead 70-69 at 8:30 mark on another Hegner 3-point shot. Hegner has 9 second half points off the bench and has helped fuel Creighton comeback. Creighton has made eight of 10 from 3-point range so far in the second half.

*Creighton pulls to within 68-67 at the 9:02 mark and there is an injury timeout.

*Creighton pulls to within 64-63 at the 11:43 mark after a 3-pointer by Hegner (his second in a row). Ole Miss calls a timeout as Creighton marks a charge.

*Creighton cuts the Ole Miss lead to 61047 at the 13:30 mark in the second half on a three point shot by Patton.

Ole Miss led at the half 46-40 and has controlled the game as Creighton has led for less than four minutes so far. But high-scoring Creighton is warming up in the second half, cutting Ole Miss’ lead to 56-51 but Neal and the Rebels answer quickly. at the 16 minute mark in the second half.

Preview

• Ole Miss faces Creighton in the championship game of the Paradise Jam Monday. The Rebels knocked off Saint Joseph’s in the semifinals and are 21-8 in regular-season tournaments under Andy Kennedy.
• This marks Ole Miss’ second trip to the Virgin Islands, as the Rebels posted a 2-1 mark at the 2011 Paradise Jam.
• The Rebels are a perfect 10-0 all-time record against the Paradise Jam field, including 1-0 versus Creighton.
• Head coach Andy Kennedy ranks 20th on the SEC career coaching victories list with 216 wins. He is three wins shy of tying Rick Pitino for 19th on the list.
• Ole Miss has racked up a 55-9 record in November games under Andy Kennedy, including a 4-0 mark this year.
• A win wold give Ole Miss a 5-0 mark for the first time since 2013-14 when the Rebels won their first six games.

Ole Miss Sports Information contributed to this report.