As SMU basketball enters its first season as a member of the ACC, the Mustangs added a new nonconference opponent to their schedule for next season.
SMU will host Mississippi State at Moody Coliseum on Nov. 22 to kickoff a home-and-home series, the program announced on Thursday. SMU will visit Humphrey Coliseum during the 2025-26 season to complete the series with Mississippi State.
Next season will be SMU’s first under new head coach Andy Enfield, whom the university hired away from USC in the spring. The Mustangs are coming off a 20-13 season that included an NIT bid.
Mississippi State, led by head coach Chris Jans, earned an NCAA Tournament bid last year after going 21-14. The Bulldogs lost to Michigan State in the first round.
Advertisement
Sports Roundup
Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more.
The ACC announced SMU’s home and away conference opponents for this season last March. Along with Mississippi State, Duke, Louisville, Syracuse and Wake Forest are among the other schools visiting Moody Coliseum this year.
How SMU lured Andy Enfield off the beach from USC, grabbed first ACC win in the process
Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Coming off an exciting end to the season that saw them nearly make a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament, the Ole Miss Rebels have now lost a notable transfer portal battle to their heated rivals this offseason, leaving Chris Beard and the coaching staff with more questions about how to fill out their roster for next year.
Mississippi State has landed a commitment from Washington State transfer forward ND Okafor, giving the Bulldogs their fifth portal addition of the offseason. Okafor’s decision to choose Starkville comes as a surprise less than a month after he had announced his commitment to Ole Miss. He originally didn’t even have Mississippi State as one of his original finalists, but it’s clear head coach Chris Jans and the Bulldogs won him over.
By fumbling the commitment of Okafor, the Rebels miss out on a player who has four years of high-major experience and is coming off of the best season of his career. He started all 32 games for Washington State this past season, averaging 11 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Okafor began his career at California and will now be playing for Mississippi State in his final year of college basketball.
Advertisement
Where Ole Miss Basketball’s Transfer Portal Class Stands
Mississippi coach Chris Beard walks the sideline against Texas during their 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, March 11, 2026. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Advertisement
The Rebels have had a somewhat underwhelming offseason in the portal. Beard and staff brought in some interesting portal pieces last year but it remains to be seen how this offseason’s portal class stacks up.
Advertisement
Ole Miss has already landed five portal commitments, though the team has yet to add a true star-studded transfer. The Rebels have Pepperdine center Stefan Cicic, Seton Hall guard Adam Clark, James Madison forward Christian Brown, Saint Jospeh’s forward Dasear Haskins and Pitt forward Roman Siulepa.
As things stands, Ole Miss doesn’t have a portal addition that truly stands out as a potential game-changer for next season. Clark does offer some intrigue though, as he averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals at Seton Hall last season. A strong defender and creator, Clark has started all 99 career games dating back to his first two years at Merrimack and will no doubt bring a veteran presence to the Ole Miss roster.
But the Rebels need more. Okafor would have been a solid addition on the wing who fits the defensive-mind approach that Beard is looking for.
It will be interesting to see where the Rebels go from here after missing out on a portal addition to their arch rivals.
Advertisement
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.
Enter your email and we’ll send a secure one-click link to sign in.
WJTV is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
Advertisement
WJTV is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is a leading, diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in works across the Nexstar network—including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, and more. Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
