Top Priorities For Ole Miss Men's Basketball This Upcoming Offseason

We still have to get through the regular season, but it is never too early to start thinking about the needs of the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team with the 2024 offseason approaching.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team still has to finish its first season under coach Chris Beard, but it is never too early to start fantasizing about the upcoming offseason. NIL funds and the NCAA Transfer Portal have recently turned the offseason into a chaotic bidding war, but they have also supercharged Ole Miss athletics.

Like his football counterpart Lane Kiffin, Beard is all aboard the new wave of college recruitment, as a handful of key contributors to this year's roster were found via the portal (Jaylen Murray, Moussa Cisse, and Allen Flanigan). Whenever their 2023-24 campaign wraps up, Beard will be able to utilize his first full offseason at Ole Miss to attack the portal, which will officially open on Monday, March 18. The first transfer window will last 45 days.

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With the offseason on the horizon, 247Sports recently revealed the biggest needs for every top college basketball program, and gave a run-down of what Beard and the Rebels need to accomplish.

"Priority: Two-way wing | Allen Flanigan has been a lifesaver for Ole Miss this year, and Chris Beard could have both Matt Murrell and Brandon Murray back next season," 247Sports wrote on Monday. "But Ole Miss should still hit the market for another wing. You can't ever have enough of 'em in this league.

"Don’t overlook: Getting Moussa Cisse back for another season would be paramount for the physical development of talented, four-star freshman John Bol."

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Beard has already added four-star center John Bol and guard Eduardo Klafke to his 2024 recruitment class, and the former would pair perfectly with Cisse if he decided stick around Ole Miss for another season. Beard fixed the Rebels' height problem from a year ago, but as mentioned above, this roster could use another two-way wing.

Flanigan has been a welcome addition from the portal, as he is currently No. 2 on the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game, but it would not hurt to stash anther wing or two depending on if Matthew Murrell decides to stay at Ole Miss.

Before we get too into offseason drama, however, the Rebels have to travel to take on the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena on Tuesday. Tip-off between Ole Miss and Kentucky is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.