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Ole Miss basketball will play a game this season in the Tad Smith Coliseum for the first time since 2015.
The Rebels announced on Friday they will be returning to their former home on campus for a Nov. 17 game against Sam Houston State. The game, dubbed “Throwback Game in the Tad Pad,” will honor former head coach Rob Evans, who won national and conference coach of the year honors in 1997 and spent six seasons at the helm in Oxford.
“When Coach Beard first mentioned the idea, we all thought it could be a great way to bring exposure to the program and incorporate some of the people that helped put Ole Miss basketball on the map,” athletic director Keith Carter said in a release. “Tad Smith Coliseum hosted many great games over its 50-year lifespan and it will be fun to bring back some nostalgic feelings for our longtime hoops fans, plus showcase the history of the building to some of our younger fans.”
The building first opened in February of 1966. The Rebels played 700 games in the Coliseum, closing things out in December of 2015 with a victory to push the all-time record in the venue to 490-210.
Ole Miss plans to honor Evans and each of his teams during the game on Nov. 17.
The game will not be televised or streamed, according to the school.
Tickets will be priced at $19.97 — in honor of Evans’ Coach of the Year awards in 1997 — for general admission. Day-of tickets will be sold for $25 at the Tad Smith Coliseum Ticket Office. Admission to this game will not be included in 2023-24 season ticket packages.
Ole Miss will also sell a VIP package for the game that includes admission to a Thursday night reception for Evans and his players as well as access to a team shootaround after the event.
More details on tickets can be found here.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
