Ole Miss basketball head coach Chris Beard excited about opportunities on the season schedule

Ole Miss basketball is generating its own preseason hype thanks to the new-look roster. Head coach Chris Beard is heading into his second season with the Rebels, which has a much more challenging non-conference schedule.

Despite the tougher schedule compared to last season, Beard is excited about the opportunities the games bring for this team. There are a variety of teams, top times, and locations that give the team chances to "open doors."

Non-conference schedule exciting for Ole Miss basketball fans

Looking at the non-conference schedule for the Rebs, there are some juicy match-ups for the Rebels. The first that jumps out is the first game in the Rady Children's Invitational Tournament, taking on BYU at the LionTree Arena in San Diego, CA: the day after, they will play either Purdue or NC State, the opponent still to be confirmed. The BYU game will be live on Fox Sports, with plenty of extra viewers watching.

Chris Beard mentioned the season's opening game against Long Island, a team that is an excellent challenge to open the season. A game against South Alabama in the Tad Pad will be electric, followed by Colorado State in Southhaven.

Louisville in the SEC/AAC Challenge and Memphis in the final game before conference play are valuable wins if they can come out on top. Like Beard said, this schedule can open doors heading into SEC play, looking to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019. Of course, conference games are the bread and butter of making the post-season tournament, but wins over strong opposition from other conferences will also help.

It was fun watching Ole Miss go 13-0 to start last season, and they beat some tough teams, including Memphis. However, this year's schedule is going to have fans excited, with the Rebels playing top-level teams across the country.