OXFORD — Ole Miss’ six-year NCAA Tournament drought ended Sunday.
The Rebels, under second-year coach Chris Beard, celebrated their achievement at Funky’s on Oxford’s downtown Square.
Ole Miss (22-11) will face either San Diego State or North Carolina on Friday in Milwaukee.
“I’m just really happy for the players, above all,” Beard said. “It’s special, man. Selection Show Sunday, that’s one of those days you start talking about way back in the summer. I’m just really happy for the players. Playing on Friday, that’s always what you want. One more day of preparation.”
North Carolina and San Diego State play Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio. That game can be seen on TruTv.
“We’re going to play a really good team,” Beard said. “That’s what the NCAA Tournament is all about. I think we’ll be up to it.”
Beard said he’s been in a lot of NCAA Tournaments — he guided Little Rock, Texas Tech and Texas to appearances before taking over at Ole Miss — but he said he’s never played a team from the First Four games.
“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Beard said.
The Rebels, one of a record 14 Southeastern Conference teams in the 68-team field, earned a No. 6 seed. Should Ole Miss win Friday, the Rebels will face the winner of a first-round game between Iowa State and Lipscomb on Sunday.
Tipoff times will be released later today or early Monday.
Ole Miss is in the South Regional. Auburn, the SEC regular-season champion, is the No. 1 overall seed. The Tigers defeated Ole Miss in Nashville on Friday in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
The rest of Ole Miss’ region includes Michigan State, Texas A&M, Michigan, Marquette, Louisville, Creighton, New Mexico, Yale, Bryant and St. Frances.
On Sunday, Ole Miss’ players filed into Funky’s about a half-hour before the selection show began on CBS. They watched highlights of their season and then didn’t have to to wait long for their name to be called.
“We want to enjoy the ride,” Beard said. “Another week as a team and great competition. We’re going to be us and smell the roses.”
