Illinois State will make its fourth appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in the past five seasons when it takes on Ole Miss Wednesday.

The NIT announced Sunday that Illinois State will play at Ole Miss in the tournament's first round.

The Redbirds (20-13, 9-9 Missouri Valley) lost to No. 19 Creighton in the conference tournament championship after upsetting No. 16 Wichita State in the semifinals.

Illinois State finished in a tie for third behind those two teams, both in the NCAA field, in the Missouri Valley regular season.

Ole Miss (20-13, 8-8) finished in a sixth-place tie in the SEC. The Rebels have won 5 of their last six.

Illinois State and Ole Miss have played three times and the Redbirds have won the last two. The most recent meeting was in 2004.