Matchups announced for Ole Miss, Mississippi State basketball in SEC/ACC Challenge

Written on 06/13/2024
Caleb Salers

The Ole Miss and Mississippi State men’s basketball teams will be competing in the SEC/ACC Challenge this year.

Entering year two of the Chris Beard era, the Rebels have accepted a bid to take on Louisville in the Cardinals’ arena that holds more than 22,000 fans. The game will be played on Tuesday, December 3 with both programs having something to prove.

For Ole Miss, Beard and company will look to add a win over a power-conference opponent to the resumé as the head coach seeks his first NCAA Tournament appearance with the Rebels. On the Louisville front, first-year front man Pat Kelsey is seeking to bring the Cardinals back to relevance as a once-powerhouse program that was derailed by Kenny Payne’s 12-52 record the past two seasons.

The Rebels won last year’s matchup versus an ACC opponent, taking down a final-four contender in NC State in a dominant 72-52 victory.

Heading into the third year of Chris Jans’ tenure in Starkville, Mississippi State has announced that the team will be hosting Pittsburgh on Wednesday, December 4. The Bulldogs will have the opportunity to avenge their First Four loss to the Panthers in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Jans, who has led Mississippi State to a Big Dance appearance in each of his first two years as head coach, would use a win in a game of this magnitude to help prepare his team to make a highly-anticipated run in the postseason. Pittsburgh, a team with a reloaded roster, will look to overcome a tough opponent in a rowdy environment at Humphrey Coliseum.

Mississippi State was on the wrong side of the scoreboard following last season’s matchup against ACC foe Georgia Tech as the Yellow Jackets ousted the Bulldogs 67-59.

The times and television broadcast information for both matchups will be released at a future date.