Chris Beard addresses how Ole Miss leaders are handling tough stretch of games

Ole Miss has lost five of its last six games, most recently falling to No. 20 South Carolina 72-59 on Saturday. While it hasn’t been easy, head coach Chris Beard is pleased with how his players have handled the adversity.

“I’m proud of our players,” Beard said. “Look, our expectations were this time of year to be in position to still be fighting for the conference championship, and we find ourselves in a different situation. But again, this is life. You know, you just keep competing, you stick together in these kinds of times. But, I’m extremely proud of our players. I think our effort has been, our hearts have been where they need to be all year long.

“We just ran into a really good team tonight without three of our best players being able to play. I think all that stuff will be written after the season, the narrative of this season. But you can’t deny that we’re sitting here in late February, and this is a hurt locker room right now. Why? Because we’re still in the fight and a lot of basketball left, four games left.”

Ole Miss’ conference play struggles have been a stark contrast from the beginning of its season. When the calendar flipped to 2024, Ole Miss was undefeated with a 13-0 record and the No. 22 team in the AP Top 25.

In their latest loss, Ole Miss shot 18-54 (33.3%) from the field and 3-16 (18.8%) from beyond the arc. While four players scored double figures for the Rebels, none of them were able to tally more than 13 points.

Things aren’t about to get any easier on Ole Miss. On Wednesday, the team will face off against No. 13 Alabama. While fans may be nervous about the matchup, Chris Beard sees the showdown as an excellent opportunity.

“We got one of the best teams in the country coming in here on Wednesday, and so to me that’s an opportunity,” Beard said. “I think pressure is a privilege. And there’s nobody I’d rather play on Wednesday than one of the best teams in college basketball. So it’s an opportunity for us to respond quickly.

“We’ve got a 12-hour rule around here. Coach Saban had it at 24. And, we used some simple math there. We play a couple of games a week. They play one. So we just tell our guys, you’ve got 12 hours, you’ve got 12 hours to celebrate it, or you’ve got 12 hours to beat yourself up a little bit. Nothing wrong with that. Then we’ve got to get right back to work.”