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Kennedy Announces 2006-07 Rebel Basketball Schedule

The Rebels face four of last year's NCAA Elite Eight

Aug. 16, 2006

OXFORD, Miss. - Coach Andy Kennedy's first season at Ole Miss will see the Rebels take on four of last year's NCAA Elite Eight teams, including two of the last three national champions as part of the 2006-07 basketball schedule, which was announced here Wednesday.

Ole Miss faces 11 teams that reached postseason play a year ago, including NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds Connecticut and Memphis, Final Four club LSU and national champion Florida. The slate boasts 16 home games.

Once again this season, Rebel fans will have the opportunity to sit mere feet from the action, as courtside seats are available on the Tad Smith Coliseum floor. For more information on priority seating and parking, contact the UMAA Foundation at 662-915-7159. For general ticket information, call the Ole Miss Ticket Office at 662-915-7167.

Following exhibitions with North Alabama (Nov. 3) and Delta State (Nov. 6), the Rebels tip off the campaign against Mississippi Valley State Friday, Nov. 14 in front of the Tad Smith Coliseum crowd. Ole Miss plays for the home fans again four days later against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Nov. 17-19, the Rebels will take part in the Hispanic College Fund Classic at Hartford, Conn., in UConn's second home the Hartford Civic Center. Ole Miss opens the round robin event with Fairfield and Central Arkansas before taking on the two-time national champion Huskies that Sunday. Connecticut was ranked No. 2 in the 2006 final AP poll.

The non-conference slate is also highlighted by the renewal of the Mid-South rivalry with Memphis at the FedEx Forum. The Tigers finished fourth in the national rankings last year and claimed their second straight Conference USA overall title. Other road opponents include Saint Louis and South Alabama, while New Orleans and UIC make the trip to Oxford.

"Our non-conference schedule is going to be full of challenges," Kennedy said. "We wanted to add an early exempt tournament to evaluate where we are at the season's start. The UConn game will be a good indicator.

"We are continuing our rivalry with Memphis and have added some competitive non-league games that will test us early in Saint Louis, South Alabama and New Orleans."

The Rebels are beginning SEC play at home for only the third time in the last 12 years, but will be doing so against perennial power Kentucky for the first time since the 1983-84 season. The Tad Pad showdown with the 43-time SEC champion Wildcats will be Jan. 6.

"The opportunity to open SEC play against one of the most storied programs in college basketball is truly exciting," said Kennedy.

Ole Miss battles each Western Division opponent twice on a home-and-home basis. The Rebels tangle with Mississippi State Jan. 10 in Starkville and Jan. 30 in Oxford in an ESPN "Super Tuesday" affair. Defending SEC West champ LSU rolls into Tad Smith Coliseum on Feb. 14.

In addition to UK, Ole Miss hosts reigning Eastern Division king Tennessee on Jan. 4, and travels to Gainesville for a date with the national champion Gators on Jan. 20.

After a year in Nashville, the SEC Tournament returns to Atlanta's Georgia Dome Mar. 8-11. The Dome has played host to the event six of the last nine years.

Lincoln Financial Sports, formerly Jefferson Pilot, has Ole Miss telecasts planned at Florida and South Carolina, LSU in Oxford, and the SEC Tournament first three rounds. CBS will once again air the conference championship game. Additional TV dates will be confirmed at a later date.

OLE MISS REBEL BASKETBALL 2006-07 SCHEDULE

Day	Date		Opponent			Location			Time
Fri.	Nov. 3 		North Alabama (Exhibition)	Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Mon.	Nov. 6		Delta State (Exhibition)	Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Fri.	Nov. 10		Mississippi Valley State	Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Tues.	Nov. 14    	Louisiana-Lafayette	Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
			- Hispanic College Fund Classic -
Fri.	Nov. 17		vs. Fairfield 		Hartford, Conn.		TBA
Sat.	Nov. 18		vs. Central Arkansas	Hartford, Conn.		TBA
Sun.	Nov. 19		at Connecticut		Hartford, Conn.		TBA
Wed.	Nov. 22		Tennessee Tech		Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Fri.	Nov. 24		Nicholls State		Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Thurs.	Nov. 30		New Orleans		Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Dec. 9		at Memphis		Memphis, Tenn.		TBA
Tues.	Dec. 12		Louisiana-Monroe		Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Dec. 16		at South Alabama		Mobile, Ala.		TBA
Tues.	Dec. 19		UIC			Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Fri.	Dec. 22		Alabama A&M		Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Dec. 30 		at Saint Louis		St. Louis, Mo.		TBA
Sat.	Jan. 6		Kentucky*			Oxford, Miss.		TBA
Wed.	Jan. 10		at Mississippi State*	Starkville, Miss.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Jan. 13		Arkansas* 		Oxford, Miss.		TBA
Wed.	Jan. 17		at LSU* (COX - Tape Delay)	Baton Rouge, La.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Jan. 20		at Florida* (LFS)		Gainesville, Fla.		1 p.m. ET
Wed.	Jan. 24		Tennessee*		Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Jan. 27		at Vanderbilt* (LFS)	Nashville, Tenn.		Noon
Tues.	Jan. 30		Mississippi State* (ESPN)	Oxford, Miss.		6 p.m.
Sat.	Feb. 3		at Auburn*		Auburn, Ala.		1 p.m.
Sat.	Feb. 10		Alabama* 			Oxford, Miss.		TBA
Wed.	Feb. 14		LSU* (LFS)		Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Feb. 17		at Arkansas* 		Fayetteville, Ark.		TBA
Wed.	Feb. 21		Georgia*			Oxford, Miss.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Feb. 24		at South Carolina* 	Columbia, S.C.		TBA
Wed.	Feb. 28		at Alabama*		Tuscaloosa, Ala.		7 p.m.
Sat.	Mar. 3		Auburn*			Oxford, Miss.		TBA
	Mar. 8-11		SEC Tournament (LFS/CBS)	Atlanta, Ga.

Additional game times and TV dates TBA
All Times Local
* SEC Game
LFS - Lincoln Financial Sports, formerly Jefferson-Pilot