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For Chris Beard it is about 'stating the obvious' when preparing Ole Miss for Texas A&M

11by:Jake Thompson•about 12 hours•

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NCAA Basketball: Texas A&M at Kentucky
Jan 14, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas A&M Aggies forward Solomon Washington (9) blocks out Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) while a free throw is attempted during the first half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Not a lot has gone terribly wrong for the Ole Miss men’s basketball team but there has been one area of concern throughout the season; rebounding.

More specifically offensive rebounding, which has been one Achilles heel for the No. 16-ranked Rebels (15-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference), is a growing issue. Wednesday’s opponent has the potential to exploit that issue when No. 13 Texas A&M comes to Oxford for an 8 p.m. CT tip off.

The Aggies (14-4, 3-2) are currently averaging 16.5 offensive rebounds per game (298 on the season) and 41.4 total rpg. There are three players pulling down at least 5.1 boards per night with forward Washington Solomon leading the team with six rpg.

None of this is something Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard is leaving out when he preps his team for yet another ranked opponent that is good at extending possessions.

“State the obvious. This is who they are, this is their identity and this is how they do it,” Beard said on Tuesday about Texas A&M. “It’s one thing just to say, ‘Hey, we got to block out there. They’re going to crash.’ It’s much more detailed than that. There’s a method to their madness.

“I think it’s a plan. Some teams, they run a play, they get a shot. To me, teams like this, they run a play, they get the shot and they continue to run the play. I think there’s offensive rebounding strategy, teaching to this.”

The Rebels are averaging 18 offensive rebounds per game and allowing just over 10 offensive rebounds per game to their opponents.

In Saturday’s overtime loss to Mississippi State, the Bulldogs out-rebounded the Rebels 51-29 and 18-9 in the offensive rebound category.

Ole Miss will also try to avoid another troubling trend on Wednesday that led to its loss at Starkville.

In Saturday’s game Ole Miss fell into a 12-point deficit in the first five minutes, which ended up being the decisive moments in the game.

Slow starts have been an issue for the Rebels throughout their first 18 games and with 13 more SEC games remaining, mostly against Top 25 teams, that is something that Beard wants rectified.

“We can’t dig that kind of hole,” Beard added. “You know you’re going to get a great shot early, a great punch early. We set the game up in 10 four-minute games but you got to hold serve. You got to compete early.

“Think about it. It’s not just complex math. The game ends the score is tied but four, five minutes into the game we’re down double-digits. So, really, in a lot of ways was the difference in the game.”

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