By NATHANAEL GABLER / nathanael.gabler@oxfordeagle.com

JACKSON – Thousands showed up for the first Ole Miss basketball game in the state capitol in eleven seasons on Wednesday night. The game may have been sloppy, Ole Miss beat Southeastern Louisiana 69-47, but it’s the long-term results of playing elsewhere in the state that will have lingering effects.

“I just want to thank everyone that came. It was the first time we’ve done it since 2007 and I thought it was a great crowd for the start. Great to see a lot of Ole Miss children here, that lined up and got to see our players,” said Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis. “It’s something that we’re going to do. We have to work on an opponent for next year and I think this game will continue to grow.”

Ole Miss has been wanting to play games away from Oxford since Davis took over. He mentioned earlier in the week looking into playing games on the Gulf Coast in the future, in addition to Jackson. While the run-down Mississippi Coliseum isn’t exactly the nicest venue for a sporting event, Jackson is the largest metropolitan area in the state, and one with a hefty Ole Miss fan and alumni base.

“I just wanted to see the crowd and support. Hopefully they’ll come back down here and do it again,” said one Brandon, Mississippi resident with a daughter who attends Ole Miss. “I’m very impressed with the amount of people that are here tonight. It was a standing line outside coming in. I’m very surprised by the turnout, pleasantly surprised.”

Part of the decision to play a game in Jackson stems from the fact that students are away from Oxford on break at this time of year. While the Coliseum wasn’t full, there was a solid contingent that showed up to support the Rebels. No official attendance numbers were announced, but there were likely more people in the arena Wednesday that would have showed up to a similar game at The Pavilion.

“It’s a Wednesday night. There’s not a lot going on tonight, and the Ole Miss fan base is pretty heavy around here,” said one Jackson local. “Where I work, a lot of guys were talking about coming. It’s a welcomed change on a Wednesday night.”

Davis and the Ole Miss staff were pleased with the turnout in Jackson. While nothing is on the future schedule to date, it seems like something that they are going to try to make a push to do on a yearly basis. It’s a way to get out into the Mississippi community and grow the basketball fanbase, and an embraced opportunity to give players experience playing away from home, something they’ve struggled doing in past years.