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Ole Miss has tentative plans to demolish the 'Tad Pad' next Summer

11by: Jake Thompson7 hours agoJakeThompsonOn3
NCAA Basketball: Mississippi State at Mississippi
Ole Miss basketball is returning to the C.M. 'Tad' Smith Coliseum on Friday for a throwback game. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Next year will mark the official end of an era for one University of Mississippi landmark when the longtime home of Ole Miss basketball will meet its demise.

The C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum will come down in 2026 with “tentative” plans to demolish next Summer, a University source told The Ole Miss Spirit on Tuesday.

From 1966 to 2016 both the Rebels men’s and women’s basketball teams played inside the Tad Pad before moving into the SJB Pavilion in January of 2016.

The final men’s game inside the Tad Pad was an 83-80 overtime win over Troy. The Lady Rebels officially closed the Tad Pad with a 55-52 win over Vanderbilt on January 3, 2016.

“The university has issued a request for design services for the site’s demolition, tentatively scheduled for summer 2026,” a statement provided to the Ole Miss Spirit reads. “Plans for the site include new surface parking areas while the university determines future building needs.”

Ole Miss is continuing to grow with enrollment setting a new record each school year. Earlier this week the university announced 28,405 students across its seven campuses. The 2025-26 freshman class totaled 5,464 students, the largest incoming freshman class in Mississippi this Fall.

There is a need for more infrastructure to accommodate both enrollment growth and the campus traffic that comes with it.

The Ole Miss men’s team will play one final game inside the Tad Pad next week.

Since Chris Beard’s arrival in Oxford he has included a ‘throwback game’ in each of his three seasons. This year’s is scheduled for November 14 against Cal State Bakersfield and will honor former Rebels head coach Rod Barnes.

The game is now being hailed as the ‘Tad Pad Finale’ before the building is closed up for good prior to its demolition next year.

“The game’s been great to us,” Beard said on Monday. “To honor coach (Rob) Evans the first year was special. Coach (Bob) Weltlich last year. Next Friday night we’ll honor coach Barnes, one of the best coaches that really ever coached in the SEC. He had NCAA Tournament teams here. I know he’s super appreciative of coming back. He’s excited, and so are we.

“We welcome everybody out. We’ve had a couple of great crowds our first two throwback games. It’s my understanding this will be the last basketball game ever in the event, so we’re going to try to play well and show great respect to those who came before us. We’re really excited to get coach Barnes and his wife back to Oxford and show them the respect and love they deserve.”

Ole Miss opened up the 2025-26 season on Monday with a 88-58 win over Southeastern Louisiana and hosts ULM on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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