College basketball is back in the Magnolia State.
Though we’re in the midst of the current football season, fans of Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss will be able to enjoy action on the hardwood starting Monday night.
For Rebel faithful, the basketball season will be a reprieve from a stress-inducing football campaign and an upcoming must-win matchup against one of the nation’s top teams to keep playoff hopes alive. Bulldog and Golden Eagle fans alike can look to their teams’ respective hoops campaigns as an aside from disaster on the gridiron this year.
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs will enter year three of the Chris Jans era looking to make waves after a successful 2023-24 season. Mississippi State finished its most recent campaign with a 21-14 record and is coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, with the latest being a 69-51 loss to Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans in the first round.
Jans returns a strong nucleus consisting of hot-handed phenom Josh Hubbard, a preseason All-SEC selection, veteran forward Cam Matthews, and forward KeyShawn Murphy. A slew of newcomers from the transfer portal including guard Riley Kugel (Florida), guard Kanye Clary (Penn State), and RJ Melendez (Georgia).
The team will have to replace the production of standout big man Tolu Smith, a member of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, and guard Shakeel Moore, who transferred to Kansas.
Mississippi State will tip things off versus West Georgia at Humphrey Coliseum on Monday night at 6:30 p.m. central. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
Ole Miss
The Rebels will kickstart year two of Chris Beard’s tenure in Oxford after showing drastic improvement from the prior season. Ole Miss ended 2023-24 with a 20-12 record and elected not to participate in the postseason after not being featured among the 68 teams competing in the NCAA Tournament.
Beard’s squad will feature a core of sharp-shooter Matthew Murrell, forward Jaemyn Brakefield, and shifty guard Jaylen Murray. Joining the veteran trio is a strong group of transfers expected to play meaningful minutes.
Sean Pedulla (Virginia Tech), Mikeal Brown-Jones (UNCG), Dre Davis (Seton Hall), and Malik Dia (Belmont) are anticipated to be key contributors as the Rebels look to replace production from Allen Flanigan, Jamarion Sharp, and Moussa Cisse.
Fans got an early taste of what could be in store for the Rebels this year when Ole Miss thrashed Illinois 91-74 in a charity exhibition.
Ole Miss will open up the new season against Long Island at 7:30 p.m. at the SJB Pavilion. The contest will be broadcast on the SEC Network and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
Southern Miss
Jay Ladner and company followed up a historically successful 2022-23 campaign with an underwhelming one last year and look to bounce back. This past season, the Golden Eagles ended things with a 16-16 record.
Ladner, who was hospitalized due to a heart attack in February and missed the remainder of the regular season, has a renewed sense of optimism with a fresh start on the horizon. The success of the Southern Miss mainstay’s team will hinge on veteran guards André Curbelo, Neftali Alvarez, and Cobie Montgomery stepping up in Austin Crowley, Victor Hart, and Victor Iwuakor’s absence.
Joining the veterans will be a slew of transfers, most notably Christian Watson (Miami), John Wade (Stanislaus State), and Denijay Harris (Arkansas). Harris began his college basketball career with the Golden Eagles before transferring to Arkansas, and later returning back to Hattiesburg.
The team already has two exhibition matchups under its belt. The Golden Eagles defeated New Orleans 105-102 and Jackson State 92-85 in exhibitions — both of which went to overtime.
Southern Miss will start off the new campaign against Bowling Green at Reed Green Coliseum at 7 p.m. The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+.