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Hoops Conference Match Ups Announced for Rebels and Bulldogs
The Southeastern Conference has revealed the home and away match ups for the 2025-26 college basketball season. Here’s a breakdown of what’s to come in the Magnolia State:
Ole Miss
The Rebels are coming off a Sweet 16 appearance in Chris Beard’s second year as head coach as they head into year three. The Rebs are returning two key players for the 2025-26 season in Malik Dia and Eduardo Klafke, along with the additions of eight transfer players. The Rebels also landed one of their highest recruiting classes in program history, ranked as high as No. 14 by 247Sports and No. 15 by ESPN.
For scheduling, each conference school was given three programs to play a home and home series against, just like last year. Ole Miss was given in-state rival Mississippi State, Auburn, and Vanderbilt for their three match ups.
The Sandy and John Black Pavilion will welcome the following teams to Oxford this upcoming season: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Missouri, and South Carolina. Seven of the nine teams that will come to Oxford made the NCAA Tournament in the 2024-25 season.
The Rebels will travel on the road to take on Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M, along with the three schools in the home and away series. Ole Miss fans anticipate the upcoming campaign with excitement after last year saw a new record for attendance.
Mississippi State
Mississippi State enters year four of the Chris Jans era, having made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. The Bulldogs, however, have yet to win a Tournament game in the Jans tenure so far. State, similarly to Ole Miss, went straight to work in the transfer portal and picked up seven key recruits.
State’s three home and home match ups will come against Ole Miss and Alabama for the 11th straight season as well as Missouri. All nine of the Bulldogs’ opponents for 2025-26 in Humphrey Coliseum made the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament. The teams consist of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee all made the Elite Eight last season, with Auburn reaching the Final Four.
For away games, Mississippi State will travel to Florida who are the defending National Champions, as well as Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas and Texas A&M. Dates and times for all games will be released at a later date.
In all three seasons under Chris Jans, the Bulldogs have recorded an 8-10 record in conference play. With the additions made during the off-season, State looks to finally break through.
The Egg Bowl of Basketball
Over the long history of the rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the Bulldogs currently lead the all-time series 152-120. However, with both teams building winning cultures under their head coaches, the rivalry has been renewed with more passion than ever before.
