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OXFORD, Miss. _ University of Central Arkansas head coach Anthony Boone has fond memories of his time at Ole Miss, both as a player and a graduate assistant coach.

But tonight those feelings take a back seat when his Bears take on his alma mater at 7 p.m. at The Pavilion at Ole Miss on the SEC Network.

The Bears (0-4) are in the middle of a three-game swing through the Southeastern Conference West Division, folliowing Saturday's game at Arkansas and prior to Wednesday's matchup at Mississippi State. But the Ole Miss game might mean the most to Boone, who played for the Rebels from 1994-98 and was on the coaching staff from 1998-2000.

"I was really excited that they reached out to us to see if we would be interested in playing,' said Boone, who had his jersey retired at the school. "It will be great to go back there. They have great facilities there now, very much upgraded from when I played there. I think initially it will be very strange, to be in that building and that atmosphere and not be representing Ole Miss. It will be very strange.

    "But once the game starts, I think it will be like any other game. We're going to have to have our guys ready to play hard, to play tough and to be competitive.'

The homecoming was supposed to have already happened as the Bears and Rebels were supposed to meet in the season opener on Nov. 25 as part of the Justin Reed Ole Miss Classic. That round-robin tournament was canceled due to covid-19 issues at Ole Miss, but the teams rescheduled for Dec. 14. 

Because of those issues, Ole Miss has only played twice this season, beating Jackson State 80-45 and UNC-Wilmington 78-58 last Saturday. Jackson State was also on the original schedule for both the Bears and Rebels in the tournament. The Rebels are led by All-SEC guard Devontae Shuler, who averages 20.5 points and 4.0 assists per game.Shuler was an AAU teammate of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.

UCA has managed to get in four games thus far, the latest a 100-75 loss in an historic matchup at Arkansas, the first game between the schools since 1947 and Arkansas' first regular-season game against an in-state opponent in 70 years. The Bears led for much of the first half and trailed by six points at the midway point of the second half before the undefeated Razorbacks pulled away.

Senior guards Rylan Bergersen and DeAndre Jones paced the Bears with 13 points each, with Jones handing our seven assists. Junior center SK Shittu came off the bench with 11 points and eight rebounds, while senior Jared Chatham had his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Boone played in 94 games and started 79 at Ole Miss but was hampered by four knee surgeries duing his career. However, he never missed enough games to qualify for a medical redshirt, and that attitude, dedication and determination are what earned him the honor of a retired jersey, one of just four in all sports at Ole Miss.

"I wasn't that great of a player,' said Boone. "I was OK, I was a decent athlete. But I worked hard. And the biggest thing with Coach (Rob) Evans and his staff, they valued what I stood for.

"It's crazy when I think about it, and I don't think about it a lot. But when I do, I think it's a huge honor and one that I still don't think I can live up to. My numbers weren't all that great. And people looking at my career are probably thinking, yeah, you were an OK player. And certainly helped our team to do well. But it went beyond that. It was what Coach Evans valued in us. 

"And that was the biggest expression that could be made in showing the value that Coach Evans saw in me.'

The game will be carried on the SEC Network and on The Bear 91.3, with a 7 p.m. tipoff.