Mississippi State and Ole Miss have released their schedules for the upcoming men’s basketball season as we’re just a few months away from the first tipoff.
Both schools saw success in the previous campaign. The Bulldogs, in year two of Chris Jans’ reign as head coach, made it to the promised land of March Madness. While the Rebels did not appear in the NCAA Tournament, first-year frontman Chris Beard began laying the foundation of a successful culture in Oxford.
Mississippi State will open up the regular season against West Georgia in Humphrey Coliseum on November 4. Notable non-conference matchups include SMU on November 22, UNLV in the Arizona Tipoff Tournament on November 28, Pittsburgh in the SEC/ACC Challenge on December 4, McNeese in Tupelo on December 14, and a tough road game at Memphis just four days before Christmas.
Then the gauntlet of SEC play will begin on January 4 when Mississippi State takes on South Carolina at home. Jans’ squad will continue to take on SEC opponents, including battles against first-year conference members in Oklahoma and Texas, before concluding the regular season against John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks on March 8.
Our @SEC 2024-25 Men’s Hoops Dates Are Here!
Make your plans now and #PackTheHump!
📰: https://t.co/tqiyD1pQk7#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/hFjdmB4mGR
— Mississippi State Men’s Basketball (@HailStateMBK) August 20, 2024
Jans will look to continue the trend of having the Bulldogs on college basketball’s biggest stage after the team made back-to-back appearances in the Big Dance for the first time since 2008 and 2009. Mississippi State finished last season with a 21-14 overall record that included three victories over top 10 opponents.
In Oxford, Ole Miss will open things up against Long Island in the SJB Pavilion on November 4. From there, the Rebels will continue a non-conference schedule headlined by Colorado State in Southaven on November 16, Louisville in the SEC/ACC Challenge on December 3, Southern Miss in Biloxi on December 14, and Memphis in FedEx Forum just three days after Christmas.
SEC play will begin for Ole Miss with the Rebels hosting Georgia on January 4. Beard will have the opportunity to face off against his former employer, Texas, in late January and the Rebels will play their inaugural conference contest against Oklahoma on March 1 before ending the regular season versus Florida on March 8.
It Just Means More‼️
Our 2024-25 @SEC Schedule is here:
➡️ https://t.co/RprhWYh73t 🗓 pic.twitter.com/Lyx3eIH2Mb
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) August 20, 2024
Ole Miss was perfect in non-conference play last season and went on to amass a 20-12 record overall. After missing the NCAA Tournament, Beard opted to keep his team out of other postseason tournaments as he began to prepare for the next campaign. This coming season, he expects his squad to be listed on brackets filled out annually during March Madness.
The Rebels and Bulldogs are slated to face one another in Starkville on January 18 and in Oxford on February 15. Last season, the teams ended the season with a 1-1 split with both squads defending home court.
