Ole Miss Rebels Set Exhibition, Tip-Off Times For 3 Non-Conference Games

The Chris Beard era with the Ole Miss Rebels will begin with an exhibition matchup at the end of October.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The regular season for Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball does not begin until early November, but the Chris Beard era will unofficially open with an exhibition matchup on Oct. 30, the program announced on Thursday.

Ole Miss will play host to the Tusculum Pioneers for the exhibition game, and tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT in the SJB Pavilion. The Pioneers are a Division II program located in Tusculum, Tennessee, a city about eight hours from Oxford.

Chris Beard, the new University of Mississippi mens basketball coach, addresses fans during his introduction at the SJB Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Tcl Ole Miss Beard :: © Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

According to a statement from Ole Miss, the exhibition will be free for fans to attend, and the regular season will begin the following week on Nov. 7 when the Rebels play host to the Alabama State Hornets at 7 p.m. CT.

The Rebels also received tip-off times for three of their non-conference games on Thursday, as well. On Nov. 22, Ole Miss will travel to face the Temple Owls, and that game will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT in Philadelphia. The final two game times are against the UCF Knights (Dec. 10) at 3 p.m. CT and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (Dec. 23) at 1 p.m. CT.

The hype surrounding the men's basketball program at Ole Miss has grown over the last year with the hiring of Chris Beard as the team's head coach. Beard replaces Kermit Davis as the head of the Rebels program, and he brings a career head coaching record of 237-98 to Oxford. He has also posted a 10-4 record in postseason tournaments.