Illinois, coming off an Elite Eight appearance, visits No. 24 Ole Miss in a charity exhibition on Sunday. Watch free on Fubo.
No. 24 Ole Miss gets an early start on its 2024-25 season on Sunday when it hosts Illinois at Black Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi, on Sunday afternoon. The revamped Fighting Illini look much different this year after advancing to the Elite Eight in last spring’s NCAA tournament, losing to eventual champion UConn. The Rebels, meanwhile, haven’t made an NCAA tourney trip since 2019 and were 20-12 last season, their first under former Texas Tech and Texas coach Chris Beard. Brad Underwood has taken Illinois to four straight NCAA bids and led it to a 29-9 mark a season ago, posting an overall record of 143-88 since arriving in Champaign in 2017.
How to Watch Illinois at Ole Miss in Men’s College Basketball Today:
Date: Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network (Local)
Live stream the Illinois at Ole Miss men’s college basketball game on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
Ole Miss won its first 13 games last season before a 7-11 record in Southeastern Conference play led to no postseason invitations. Wing Matthew Murrell is the Rebels’ leading returning scorer after averaging 16.2 points per game, while point guard Jaylen Murray (13.8) and big man Jaemyn Brakefield (12.9) also averaged double digits. Six transfers arrive in Oxford, led by combo guard Sean Pedulla (Virginia Tech) and wing Dre Davis (Seton Hall). Others are big man Mikeal Brown-Jones (UNC Greensboro), center Malik Dia (Belmont), Ja’Von Benson (Hampton) and wing Davon Barnes (Sam Houston). Four-star freshman John Bol also joins the roster.
The Fighting Illini, meanwhile, return just two rotation players. Wing Ty Rodgers was a starter who averaged 6.2 points as a sophomore, while guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn played 7.1 minutes a game as a freshman. The revamped roster features Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell and Lithuanian freshman Kasparus Jakucionis, with Evansville transfer Ben Humrichous expected to fill a role as a stretch 4 after shooting 41.6% from deep last season. Croatian freshman Tomislav Ivisic can provide rim protection.
Last season marked the deepest tournament run for Illinois since it played for the national championship in 2005 while Ole Miss’ lone visit to the tourney’s second weekend was a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2001.
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