Ole Miss Basketball Kickstarts 2025-26 Season With 10th Annual Square Jam Event

Chris Beard and Yolett McPhee-McCuin headline the event in Oxford, both programs unite with season inching closer.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Basketball's Instagram.

OXFORD, Miss. – One of the most unique college basketball traditions in the country returned to Oxford as citizens came out in droves Monday night to hype Ole Miss’ men’s and women’s basketball programs for the 10th annual Square Jam in partnership with the City of Oxford, powered by Ashley Furniture, Cannon Motors and Chevrolet.

The celebrations kicked off with the introductions of head coaches Chris Beard and Yolett McPhee-McCuin, who were joined by their respective athletes.

After McPhee-McCuin and men’s forward Malik Dia addressed the crowd, the teams warmed up and participated in games of knockout and tic tac toe, followed by a three-point contest.

The tipoff event – emceed by the two head coaches – featured a complete basketball court laid down on The Square in front of City Hall, complete with lighting, sound system and video board.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Women's Basketball.

Dia and women’s guard Kaitlin Peterson opened the festivities by claiming the knockout titles. Afterward in tic tac toe, Tianna Thompson claimed the top spot for the women as Ilias Kamardine won the men’s bracket.

Men’s senior Max Smith and women’s freshman Lauren Jacobs shined from long-distance, claiming the respective three-point contests with 12 and nine made shots, respectively, to close out the ceremony.

Both programs will host an exhibition doubleheader on Sunday, Oct. 26 with the men hosting St. Mary's at 11:30 a.m. and the women taking on Southern Arkansas at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Basketball.

Ole Miss women's basketball will open its regular season on Monday Nov. 3 from the SJB Pavilion for its annual Kids Day versus Norfolk State at 11 a.m. Men's basketball tips off its 2025-26 campaign against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. from Oxford as well.

Preseason AP Top-25 Poll: WBB Earns the Nod

As the beginning of the 2025-26 season nears, Ole Miss women's basketball continues to gain national recognition, as the Rebels were voted the 12th-ranked team in the nation, according to the preseason edition of the AP Poll.

This marks the third consecutive year and the 19th time in school history that the Rebels have received preseason honors by the Associated Press. Additionally, it's the tenth time in program history that the Rebels have earned top-15 preseason honors. This marks the highest preseason ranking since 2023, when the Rebels were also slated at No. 12 coming off a Sweet 16 appearance in the previous season.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Women's Basketball.

The honors have started to roll in for the 2025-26 season, as Ole Miss was recognized at No. 6 in the projected order of finish in the conference, while Cotie McMahon was selected to the preseason All-SEC second team by the media.

Ole Miss returns three letterwinners from last year's Sweet 16 squad, who earned at least ten conference wins and 20 total victories for the fourth consecutive season. Sophomore Sira Thienou leads the way for the Rebel returners, as she was recently named an All-SEC Freshman honoree.

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