Chris Beard states Alabama is 'as good as advertised'

Chris Beard says the Rebels will have few comparisons to look to ahead of their matchup at No. 4 Alabama on Tuesday.

Beard spoke about the Tide in comparison to the other teams that Ole Miss has faced so far this season during a press conference yesterday. He said they could take some aspects from game plans here and there from their non-conference but, overall, there are few equivalent approaches to how they play at ‘Bama.

“Maybe not quite like the full, the full plan of Alabama. We’ve played teams before that are very aggressive to shoot the three. We’ve played teams before that are really good on offensive rebounds and that’s their identity,” said Beard. “You know, the complete package of Alabama – they play in a very unique way. So maybe, some of our non-conference games, you can pick and choose a few things.

“But this is a system. This is a way to play the game. You know, probably more important than their pieces is their system. And, you know, give Nate (Oats) a lot of credit for this.”

Alabama is 14-2 overall so far this season with a 3-0 start in the Southeastern Conference. With that, the Tide are posting another top offense at 91.1 ppg, which is currently most in the country as one of the top-rated ones in efficiency in the nation, with their average points per game over six seasons under Oats at 84. The past two seasons specifically, each at 90-plus ppg., are also the two highest-scoring seasons in program history in Tuscaloosa.

As for the aspects of that offense that Beard mentioned, Alabama is 25th in the country in three-pointers made and are grabbing the eighth-most offensive rebounds. They’re scoring a third of their points from three with 10.3 triples per game at a 32.3% clip while getting second-chance points as well from 15.1 boards on the offensive glass.

Alabama has consistently been one of the best college teams over the past half decade with what they present to opponents. That’ll now be Ole Miss’ problem tonight in a Top-25 matchup in Coleman Coliseum.

“This game presents a lot of challenges, like most SEC games do,” said Beard. “But, no doubt about it. They’re as good as advertised.”