Chris Beard addresses officiating vs. Mississippi State, disparity in free throws

Coming off a major upset win over Alabama, head coach Chris Beard and Ole Miss wanted to make a statement against rival Mississippi State. However, they ended up walking away from that game with a tough loss.

In a game that ended 84-81, one major difference seemed to come at the free-throw line. In particular, with the disparity in free throws shot, something that Beard noticed and addressed while speaking about the officials following the game.

“In the basketball game, really it was the difference in rebounds and free throws,” Chris Beard said. “They make more free throws than we shoot, but I have no major complaints about the officiating. Hard game to [be an] official.”

Ole Miss shot just 14 free throws in the game, making eight of them. That’s a 57.1 percent conversion percentage at the line. As for Mississippi State, the Bulldogs had 28 free throws, double that of Ole Miss, and made 17. That’s 60.8 percent of free throws made. In a three-point game, that’s a massive swing.

For Chris Beard, the difference wasn’t the officiating. Instead, it was how Mississippi State was able to force those fouls by playing aggressively with the ball.

“I thought they were the more aggressive team and they did a good job drawing those fouls,” Beard said. “But the free-throw differential was big. To overcome that you’ve got to do something special in the game.”

Free throws weren’t the only issue that Ole Miss ran into. There was also a massive rebounding gap in the game, with Ole Miss only snagging 29 rebounds to the 51 rebounds that Mississippi State had. That included 19 offensive rebounds for the Bulldogs, helping to make up for the Bulldogs making four fewer three-point shots in the game and the five extra turnovers that Mississippi State had over the course of the game.

“Give Mississippi State the credit,” Beard said. “They were the more aggressive team and played great today at home. Was a good college basketball game.”

With the loss, Ole Miss dropped to 15-3 on the season and 4-1 in conference play. That still puts them toward the top of the standings, sitting in a three-way tie for second. Meanwhile, Mississippi State improved to 15-3 and 3-2 in conference play. That’s good for a six-way tie for fifth in the SEC. It’s a crowded race.

Now, Ole Miss will need to bounce back and find a way to get back on track in a difficult SEC slate. That starts on Wednesday when Ole Miss is scheduled to host Texas A&M, another team ranked in the Top 25 of the current AP Poll. For their part, the Bulldogs will take on Tennessee on Tuesday.