GameDay Primer: Rob Evans ‘built the program’ at Ole Miss, and now he’s being honored

Ole Miss basketball is finally primed to tip it off old school.

The Rebels (3-0) on Friday will hold the first Throwback Game at the Tad Pad. Ole Miss is hosting Sam Houston State (1-2), in the first basketball game held in the team’s old arena since December of 2015.

Among the festivities, Ole Miss will honor all-time Rebel great coach Rob Evans. Evans spent six seasons at Ole Miss. He was the national and SEC Coach of the Year in 1997.

“This is one of the real pioneers in our game,” Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said this week of Evans. “He’s a legend. Great American. Opened many doors for many, many people. It’s much more than just basketball, but in terms of basketball, it’s really easy to talk about. 

“He built the program here.”

Let’s take a closer look at the matchup. The included notes, though revised, were provided by Ole Miss Athletics.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SAM HOUSTON STATE

Ole Miss won each of its six previous all-time meetings with Sam Houston State. The teams first met in December of 1988 in Tad Smith Coliseum. Ole Miss won by 10.

“Man, it’s a lot surrounding this game,” senior Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell said. “The Tad Pad means so much to Ole Miss and us. It means a lot to our program. There would be no Pavilion without the Tad Pad. 

“It’s just so many emotions surrounding this game.”

The Rebels and Bearkats last played on December 13, 2017. Ole Miss picked up an 82-69 victory in the Pavilion. Ole Miss led the entire game. Four Rebels scored in double figures, led by Markel Crawford’s 16. Devonta Shuler and Deandre Burnett had 14 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench.

RELATED: Retro Rebels: Stage is set for Ole Miss basketball’s Throwback Game in the Tad Pad

SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON STATE

Sam Houston State opened the season with a 64-57 win over Pacific before. However, the Bearkats have lost two straight. The first was a 79-73 overtime loss to Utah Valley, followed by a 85-70 loss to Oklahoma State. 

Sam Houston State last season had one of its most successful years in recent history. The Bearkats won 26 games and reached the second round of the NIT.

They’re led in scoring by Lamar Wilkerson (14.0 points per game). Memphis native Davon Barnes is second (13.7 ppg). Souleymayne Doumbia bests all Bearkats with 19 total rebounds. He’s averaging 6.3 per game, and Doumbia also leads the team in blocks (4).

Chris Mudge is in his first season as a college head coach after serving as a Bearkat assistant and associate coach since 2010. He was hired in April 2023 after former head coach Jason Hooten left for New Mexico State.

I CAN BE YOUR LONG LOST PAL

Auburn transfer guard Allen Flanigan — who’s father, Wes, is an assistant on Beard’s Ole Miss staff — posted the third double-double of his career in the Rebels’ season opener. 

He had 15 points and a career-best 12 rebounds against Alabama State. 

His encore was even better. 

Flanigan, a senior, posted a career-best 29 points against Eastern Washington and surpassed the 1,000 career-point mark. He scored eight of the Rebels’ last 11 points to secure the win.

RELATED: Saint Peter’s transfer Jaylen Murray is here to help Ole Miss shore up its most glaring weakness

TAKE THE WORK, FLIP IT ACROBATIC

Ole Miss has shown elite ball control and offensive movement through the season’s first three games. 

Ole Miss has 51 assists to just 24 turnovers. The Rebels’ 2.12 assist-to-turnover ratio is ranked No. 17 in the nation, while their 8.0 turnovers per game is No. 13.

Saint Peter’s transfer point guard Jaylen Murray has a team-best 14 assists (to six turnovers), while Murrell has 12 (and four).

“I hope we play well tomorrow night for so many reasons,” Beard said. “There’s a lot of emotion around this game, so we have to be careful (and) understand it’s a 40-minute game. 

“But I don’t apologize for having this event, because there’s going to be emotion around any game if you’re going to win and do what we came to Oxford to do. We’re trying to get to the NCAA Tournament.”

ROAD WORK AHEAD

Nineteen of Ole Miss’ 31 games in 2023-24 will be against teams that finished with a NET ranking in the Top 100 last season. Twelve finished in the Top 50.

BALLIN’ LIKE THE MARCH MADNESS

Ole Miss added seven total transfers in the off-season. Over half (five combined appearances) have been to the NCAA Tournament over their careers.

Brandon Murray (LSU, 2022 first round), Austin Nunez (Arizona State, 2023 first round) and Jaylen Murray (Saint Peter’s, 2022 Elite Eight) have each been to the postseason once in their careers. Flanigan has been twice (Auburn, 2022 and 2023 second round).