Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Receives No. 1 Seed in NIT

OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss men’s basketball team — that came oh-so-close to making the NCAA Tournament — received a No. 1 seed in the National Invitational Tournament Sunday.

Proud of our players and staff! We had some holes in our resume like many others but to win 8 of 11 down the stretch in the 3rd toughest @SEC league in America is hard to do! 🔴🔵 Hotty Toddy

— Kermit Davis (@OleMissKermit) March 15, 2021

The Rebels, who are listed as one of four “replacement teams” for the Big Dance, will be making their 13th appearance in the NIT in school history. Ole Miss is designated as a first seed and will play Louisiana Tech in the opening game on Friday, March 19. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. CT at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. 

Should the Rebs win that game, they will face the winner between No. 2-seeded St. Mary’s and No. 3 Western Kentucky. That quarterfinal game will be played March 25. 

All NIT games will be shown on one of the ESPN networks. 

Ole Miss vs. Louisiana Tech

The Rebels and the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech have squared off 13 times in the past, with Ole Miss holding an 8-5 edge in the series. 

Rebels made a strong case for NCAA tourney

Ole Miss (16-11, 10-8 SEC) won eight of the past 11 games this season and had hopes of making the NCAA tournament. The Rebels finished sixth in conference play and six teams were chosen for March Madness. However, the Missouri Tigers (8-8 SEC) — a team Ole Miss defeated twice this season — finished seventh in the league and jumped the Rebs into the NCAA tournament. 

Ole Miss ranks 53 in the NET and owns seven total wins in Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 games. The Rebels also lead the SEC in scoring defense (63.4). 

Nevertheless, Ole Miss was one of only two teams (Louisville) from a power six conference (ACC, Big 12, Big East Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) to finish at least two games above .500 in conference play and not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament.