The Ole Miss men’s basketball team released its non-conference slate for the 2017-18 season Tuesday afternoon. Nine of the Rebels’ 13 non-conference games will be played at home, starting with the season opener versus Louisiana (Nov. 10).
“As our RPI has shown during my time here, we are committed to playing a challenging non-conference schedule,” said Ole Miss head men’s basketball coach Andy Kennedy. “It will be exciting to play nine non-conference games in front of Rebel Nation at The Pavilion, one of the best facilities in college basketball, and our games away from home will test our mental toughness. There’s no doubt that this schedule will help prepare us for the grind of SEC play.”
Averaging more than 21 wins per year combined with a tough schedule has led to Ole Miss being just one of 20 teams in the country to rank in the RPI’s top 100 in each of the last 11 seasons. The non-conference slate has contributed to that, and this year’s schedule is no different. The Rebels will face eight non-conference foes that made postseason play last year, including a three-game stretch versus NCAA Tournament teams.
After Ole Miss lifts the lid on the 2017-18 campaign at home versus the Ragin’ Cajuns, Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 13) and Georgia State (Nov. 17) invade The Pavilion before the Rebels leave Oxford for the first time. Ole Miss will head to Las Vegas for the MGM Grand Main Event Nov. 20-22, battling the Utes of Utah before wrapping up the tournament against either Rice or UNLV.
Returning from the Sin City, the Rebels will square off against three opponents that made the NCAA Tournament back in March. South Dakota State, the tournament champions of the Summit League, comes to town for a post-Thanksgiving matchup (Nov. 28) before Ole Miss faces Virginia Tech in an ACC-SEC showdown (Dec. 2). One week after taking the court against the Hokies, the Rebels travel to Middle Tennessee (Dec. 9) for their first true road game of the season.
Ole Miss returns to The Pavilion for a four-game homestand to wrap up the 2017 calendar year, beginning with a contest versus Sam Houston State (Dec. 13). Mid-major powerhouse Illinois State, one of the top seeds in the NIT last season, will make the trip south for the weekend (Dec. 16), while Texas Corpus-Christi (Dec. 19) and Bradley (Dec. 22) round out the Rebels’ non-conference home schedule. The only other non-conference game will take place Jan. 27 as Ole Miss travels to Texas for the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Season tickets for the 2017-18 campaign will go on sale later this week. For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men’s Basketball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men’s Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
Ole Miss Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Date Opponent
Nov. 10 Louisiana
Nov. 13 Eastern Kentucky
Nov. 17 Georgia State
Nov. 20 vs. Utah (MGM Grand Main Event, Las Vegas)
Nov. 22 vs. Rice/UNLV (MGM Grand Main Event, Las Vegas)
Nov. 28 South Dakota State
Dec. 2 Virginia Tech
Dec. 9 at Middle Tennessee
Dec. 13 Sam Houston State
Dec. 16 Illinois State
Dec. 19 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Dec. 22 Bradley
Jan. 27 at Texas
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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