As football season nears the midway point, some eyes will begin to shift towards the hardwood with the 2024-2025 basketball season less than a month away.
From Oct. 15-16, representatives from the Southeastern Conference’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will give media and fans a taste of what’s to come in the new year at SEC Basketball Tipoff in Birmingham, Ala.
Mississippi State (men’s) – Tuesday, Oct. 15, 9:40 a.m.
Chris Jans is entering his third year as the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances already under his belt. This time around, the maroon and white are searching for more than just an appearance.
Jans will be joined by two of his star returners – Josh Hubbard and Cameron Matthews.
Hubbard, entering his sophomore season in Starkville, will be one of the headline names in Birmingham. The Madison Ridgeland Academy product burst onto the scene in his first year of collegiate basketball by nabbing a long list of accolades – including All-SEC Freshman Team honors, becoming the first freshman Bulldog to earn All-SEC Second Team honors since 1994, and being recognized as Mississippi’s top college basketball player in winning the Bailey Howell Trophy.
Matthews, a 2024 All-SEC Defensive Team member, will counter Hubbard’s youthful stardom with a veteran presence. The Olive Branch native has played 133 games in the maroon and white across his career and was the only Mississippi State player to start all 35 games a season ago.
Ole Miss (men’s) – Tuesday, Oct. 15, 3:30 p.m.
Chris Beard’s second year promises more improvement for the Rebels in 2024-25, with a handful of key transfers added to the roster after Ole Miss narrowly missed punching a ticket to the Big Dance last season.
One of those transfers will take the stand in Birmingham – senior guard and Virginia Tech transfer Sean Pedulla. The Oklahoma native played in 102 games for the Hokies across three years, securing All-ACC Third Team honors in 2023-24.
Ole Miss’ other player representative is a known quantity in Jaylen Murray, another senior guard in Beard’s backcourt. Murray started all 32 games for the Rebels last season, with his 32.8 minutes per game ranking eighth among all SEC players. The Bronx, N.Y. product is expected to carry a heavy offensive load after finishing as the team’s third-leading scorer in 2023-24.
Mississippi State (women’s) – Wednesday, Oct. 16, 10:00 a.m.
Sam Purcell approaches his third year as a D1 women’s basketball head coach and third as the head honcho in Starkville. Purcell has already built up some serious momentum in his first two seasons, notching the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history in 2022-23 which ended in an NCAA Tournament appearance, and a pair of wins in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament last year.
Jerkaila Jordan will join her head coach at the podium on SEC Media Days final day. The graduate senior will again lead her team in the backcourt after starting all 35 games in 2023-24 – the only Bulldog to do so – along with a spot on the 2024 All-SEC Second Team.
Meridian’s own Debreasha Powe, a junior forward for Purcell, will represent Mississippi State alongside Purcell and Jordan. Powe has been a mainstay since arriving on campus, starting 66 of 67 games in her career and being named to the 2023 All-Freshman Team.
Ole Miss (women’s) – Wednesday, Oct. 16, 4:15 p.m.
Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has vaulted Ole Miss back into the national spotlight in her first six years in Oxford. “Coach Yo” has steadily raised the standard of success, setting a program record of 12 SEC wins and the program’s third straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023-24.
KK Deans will represent the red and blue in her second season as a Rebel. After starting her career at West Virginia and spending a season at Florida, where she led the Gators in scoring, Deans is hoping a return from injury will restore her previous production.
Another transfer will join McPhee-McCuin and Deans on stage in Birmingham as the final player to appear at the event – graduate senior and Colorado transfer Tameiya Sadler. Sadler started 26 games and played in 94 total games across three seasons for the Buffaloes before heading to Oxford.
For a full list of attendees and an event schedule at the 2025 SEC Tipoff, click here.
