Ole Miss Men's Basketball to Play in 2024 Rady Children’s Invitational Tournament

Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels will face some of the top competition in the country this November.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Chris Beard (right) and guard Matthew Murrell (11) / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels received some positive news on Wednesday as both Malik Dia and Matthew Murrell elected to withdraw from the NBA Draft and suit up in Oxford for the 2024-25 season. Now, it looks like Chris Beard's team will need that extra firepower in a tough early-season slate.

Ole Miss announced on Thursday that it is set to take part in the 2024 Rady Children's Invitational Tournament on Nov. 28-29 in San Diego. The Rebels will face some stiff competition in the form of the BYU Cougars, NC State Wolfpack and Purdue Boilermakers.

Both Purdue and NC State reached the Final Four in this year's edition of the NCAA Tournament, and the Cougars earned a berth in the Big Dance as a six-seed.

READ MORE: 'Unfinished Business!' Matthew Murrell Withdraws From NBA Draft, Returns to Ole Miss

The Rady Children's Invitational was first played in 2023, featuring a lineup of Iowa, Oklahoma, Seton Hall and USC in the field. Oklahoma went on to win the event after an opening round win over Iowa and a 72-70 win over USC in the title game.

Last season, the Rebels started their year on a 13-0 run in non-conference play before the opening of SEC action, and the conference slate proved to be the downfall of the team in head coach Chris Beard's first year at the helm. Ole Miss went 7-11 within the confines of the SEC and failed to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament, pushing its streak without a tournament appearance to five seasons.

An early-season slate such as this, however, could pay dividends for the Rebels, if they can gain some wins in the process. This is stiffer competition than what Ole Miss faced in the early portions of 2023-24, and taking down tough teams early in the year can prove vital to a tournament run as the calendar inches towards March.