Chris Beard puts nation on notice after win over Alabama: 'Maybe it's time to talk a little bit about Ole Miss'

Ole Miss pulled off one of the bigger upsets of the season on Tuesday night, knocking off Alabama on the road. It was a game that head coach Chris Beard saw as an opportunity for the country to be introduced to Ole Miss.

The win moved Ole Miss to 15-2 on the season and 4-0 in SEC play. After the game, Beard met with the media and shared that he feels it’s time for people to begin talking about Ole Miss more than they have been this season.

“Nothing but respect for Nate and his team,” Chris Beard said. “They were in the Final Four for a reason last year. They’re certainly one of the best teams in college basketball. Maybe it’s time to talk a little about Ole Miss. It’s early.”

Going into the game, Ole Miss was ranked 21st in the country in the AP Poll while Alabama was ranked fourth. The win over Alabama did move Ole Miss into a tie for first place in the SEC at 4-0 in conference play with Auburn. It also helped to shake up the BPI rankings, with Ole Miss jumping up to 24th after previously being outside of the Top 25 by that metric.

“I don’t say that in a self-promoting way. I’ve been here before,” Beard said. “But I do think my job is to take up for my team a little bit. So, tonight, two really good teams playing and I think most of the national scene didn’t give Ole Miss much of a chance. Our players believed that we could be successful in this game and that’s what we did.”

Ole Miss shot just 38.6 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three-point range. That was coupled with an excellent defensive effort, stealing the ball 14 times, part of 21 turnovers by Alabama that helped turn the game in Ole Miss’ favor.

For Chris Beard and Ole Miss, the win will have done more than just to make noise nationally, it also made program history. This was the first time Ole Miss beat a top-five team on the road.

Now tied for first place in the competitive SEC, Ole Miss will look to stay in the national spotlight for some more time. That begins with another tough test on Saturday when they’ll take on rival Mississippi State. Both teams are entering that game ranked, making it another prestigious matchup.