Ole Miss basketball's investment in home environment is paying off. Just ask Mississippi State
OXFORD ― The video clips that made their way to social media Tuesday night showed a part of what it felt like inside the SJB Pavilion, where Ole Miss basketball beat Mississippi State, 86-82.
But the views of a gray-haired security guard hyping up the Ole Miss student section and women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin "Swag Surfin'" wasn't the only part of the raucous vibe.
Ole Miss basketball is fun again. The 10,630 fans that packed into their seats – setting a record for a Rebels home game – made it so.
"This is what rivalries should feel and sound like," Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said afterward.
Lower-bowl seating for Ole Miss students filled more than an hour before tip-off to heckle the Bulldogs as they warmed up, no doubt fueled by discounted libations. Funkys, an Oxford bar, sponsored a promotion that cut the price of beer in half for students for 30 minutes after doors opened.
Shrug that initiative off as inconsequential if you'd like. But it is undoubtedly part of an intentional effort by first-year coach Chris Beard and the Ole Miss athletic department to cultivate a home-court advantage for basketball.
"One of the best environments in college basketball tonight," Beard said. "Record attendance at the Pavilion. Really starts with our student body getting here early and not only coming to the game but just bringing the energy and bringing the juice. That was pretty cool."
This time a year ago, the environment inside the SJB Pavilion begged for baseball season. It was more suitable for a nap than an SEC basketball game. On Tuesday, it played an integral part in an Ole Miss victory.
Before reflecting data from Tuesday's win, the Rebels were averaging 7,549 fans at their home games ‒ up from 6,092 the season before.
GAME RECAP: How Ole Miss basketball made up ground in the margins to beat Mississippi State
The biggest factor in that development, no doubt, is winning. Ole Miss is 13-0 in home games this season. But the work being done behind the scenes has mattered, too. The Rebels are serious about building a legitimate college basketball program, and that means building a legitimate college basketball environment.
"It starts with a vision from the Chancellor, the Athletic Director," Beard said. "Let's do this. Let's get into the game of men's basketball in the SEC. Let's kind of try to be a part of the fight. If you're going to win the fight, you gotta be part of the fight. I think we're definitely doing that.
"For the marketing department at Ole Miss, a lot of people went into this. It's not a one- or two-man deal. A lot of people worked on this, and we're super appreciative."
It's not a trend specific to men's basketball. After tireless efforts by football coach Lane Kiffin to get fans to fill Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Ole Miss reported attendance of at least 60,000 fans at home games in 2023. In 2019, Matt Luke's final season in charge, an average of 48,233 fans attended home games.
Kiffin's Rebels went unbeaten at home in 2023.
Does Kiffin's team beat LSU in October without a record 66,703 fans packed into The Vaught? Maybe not. Likewise, does Mississippi State miss two vital free throws with less than five seconds left without an avalanche of sound rolling in from the bleachers? Again, maybe not.
"Not only thank you for the attendance, but thank you for impacting the game with the environment," Beard said, speaking to the fans. "It was pretty cool."
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Ole Miss basketball's investment in its home environment helped vs MSU
