March Madness is officially here, and the Magnolia State will have quite the stable fighting to cut down the net to cement a storied season.
The apex of college basketball is upon us once again, and for the first time in history, the men’s and women’s teams representing Mississippi State and Ole Miss will be featured in the NCAA Tournament during the same season.
For Mississippi State, Chris Jans has stamped his squad’s third-straight Big Dance appearance since he took over the program in 2022. Lady Bulldog frontman Sam Purcell is also continuing a successful run, taking his team to the tournament for the second time in his three campaigns at the helm.
The celebration may be a little louder for the Ole Miss men’s basketball team, which has broken a six-year March Madness moratorium in year two of the Chris Beard era. A cherry on top of a major success story, Ole Miss women’s basketball head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has put Oxford on the map, earning the program its fourth straight Big Dance appearance.
Below is a rundown of what’s next for all four teams:
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs’ men (21-12) earned the No. 8 seed in the tournament’s East region. Mississippi State will face No. 9 seed Baylor (19-14) on Friday in Raleigh, N.C. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. CT on Friday with CBS televising the matchup.
If Mississippi State comes out victorious in the opening round, something Jans has yet to do with the maroon and white, the team will be matched up with the winner of No. 1 seed Duke and the team who comes out victorious in the No. 16 seed play-in matchup between American and Mount Saint Mary’s. The Blue Devils will be highly favored versus either team.
SEE YOU IN RALEIGH!!#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/ZwvllqUJqk
— Mississippi State Men’s Basketball (@HailStateMBK) March 16, 2025
The Lady Bulldogs (21-11) came in as a No. 9 seed and will travel out to Los Angeles to battle it out against No. 8 seed California (25-8) on Saturday. The game will begin at 4:30 p.m. CT. If Mississippi State moves to the second round, the team will play the winner of No. 1 seed USC and No. 16 seed UNC Greensboro.
LET’S GO DANCING!!! 💃🏽 #HailState pic.twitter.com/jhl1c7R98G
— Mississippi State Women’s Basketball (@HailStateWBK) March 17, 2025
Ole Miss
The Rebels’ men (22-11) appeared as the No. 6 seed in the tournament’s South region and will play the winner of Tuesday’s No. 11 play-in matchup between San Diego State (21-9) and North Carolina (22-13) in Milwaukee, Wisc. on Friday. Tipoff is set for 3:05 p.m. CT and TNT is airing the game.
If Ole Miss takes care of business, the Rebels will take on the winner of the contest between No. 3 seed Iowa State and No. 14 seed Lipscomb in the Round of 32.
LET’S GO DANCING!!!
We’re the 6 Seed in the South Region and we’re heading to Milwaukee where we’ll face the winner of San Diego State and North Carolina!#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/OPGy2fWI2w
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 16, 2025
Ole Miss’ women’s squad is heading out west for postseason action, despite some early projections having the team as a possible opening-round host. The Lady Rebels (20-10) will head to Waco, Texas as a No. 5 seed and face No. 12 seed Ball State (27-7) on Friday. The contest will get underway at 5 p.m. CT with ESPNU carrying the game.
If the Rebels advance, they will take on the winner of No. 4 seed Baylor and No. 13 seed Grand Canyon in the second round of the tournament.
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) March 17, 2025
You can view the full men’s bracket here. The full women’s bracket can be found here.
