Ole Miss basketball announces 2022-2023 non-conference schedule

On3 imageby:Wade Peery07/14/22

The Ole Miss Rebels’ basketball team announced their nonconference schedule on Thursday afternoon on their Twitter page. One of the biggest matchups revealed was the Rebels’ SEC/Big 12 Challenge opponent, where they will face off against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Jan. 28.

Check out the rest of the matchups in the post.

Ole Miss’ non-conference slate features four postseason teams from 2021-2022, as well as four teams that finished in the NET top-100 by the end of the season. The ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, Florida will also feature several top programs alongside the Rebels. Per a press release from Ole Miss athletics, “The Rebels will be joined by Florida State, Memphis, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Siena, and Stanford in Orlando. Opponents, brackets, and television designations will be released at a later date.”

“This is the most challenging non-conference schedule we have played to date,” Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said in the press release on Thursday afternoon. “We are very excited about our home matchups, which paired with a loaded field at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando will give us some outstanding opportunities before SEC play.”

Ole Miss bringing in multiple DPOY via the transfer portal

Ole Miss basketball struggled to find its footing in the 2021-22 season under Kermit Davis, but 2022-23 brings new potential as stars return from injury and new faces arrive from the transfer portal. Among those new faces, more than a few have strong defensive resumes which will make their matchups in the SEC an intriguing proposition.

In addition to two four-star recruits and two three-star recruits, Kermit Davis brought in former Buffalo forward Josh Mballa, former Jackson State forward Jayveous McKinnis and former Louisiana center Theo Akwuba into the fold via the transfer portal. He also added former NAIA star Myles Burns from Loyola New Orleans.

Mballa won the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award in the 2020-21 season, and is a two-time MAC All-Defensive Team selection. McKinnis is a three-time SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, while Akwuba took home the 2020-21 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year award. In addition, the Rebels pick up Burns after he won four consecutive SSAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

On3’s James Fletcher III also contributed to this article.