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Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
Ole Miss continued its unbeaten start to the season on Tuesday night — and then received more good news when coach Chris Beard announced that Oklahoma State transfer Moussa Cisse had been cleared by the NCAA to suit up for the Rebels.
Beard said after the Rebels’ 72-52 victory over NC State that Cisse was given the green light to play moving forward.
“We literally found out right before the game. Minutes, not hours,” Beard said. “Moussa has been cleared to play. So we’re pleased with that. … Obviously happy for Moussa, extremely happy for Moussa.”
As a two-time transfer who started his career at Memphis before spending two seasons at Oklahoma State, Cisse needed a waiver from the NCAA to play immediately.
Beard added that Georgetown transfer Brandon Murray, who is also waiting for a waiver from the NCAA, is still going through the process and has not yet been cleared.
A 7-foot center from Guinea, Cisse is one of the elite defensive players in college basketball and should provide an immediate boost to Ole Miss frontcourt. He was the 2021-22 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and ranked in the top 15 nationally last season in defensive rebounding percentage and block percentage.
Cisse will team with Jamarion Sharp, who averaged better than four blocks per game each of the past two seasons, to form a formidable interior defensive duo for Beard.
For his career, Cisse has averaged 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in just over 20 minutes per game. He will be eligible to make his debut on Saturday against one of his former schools, Memphis.