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Malik Dia's big night 'earned some trust' in Chris Beard as No. 23 Ole Miss defeats Arkansas on the road

11by:Jake Thompson•about 20 hours•

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NCAA Basketball: Mississippi at Arkansas
Jan 8, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Ole Miss Rebels forward Malik Dia (0) drives against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jonas Aidoo (9) during the first half at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

There has been a constant expectation for Malik Dia to showcase why Chris Beard went after him and brought him to Oxford. Until Wednesday that had not happened but Dia provided solid proof of concept by putting Ole Miss on his back for a key Southeastern Conference win on the road.

The No. 23-ranked Rebels defeated Arkansas 73-66 inside Bud Walton Arena for the first win in Fayetteville since 2015. Dia played a key role in this with a game-high 21 points.

Dia scored 11 in the first half and 10 points in the final 20 minutes go with a team-high eight rebounds and one blocked shot.

Beard has continue to go with Dia in the starting lineup over the first 14 games but the results on the box score had not provided a strong return on investment just yet. Though when Dia picked an early third foul, Beard was not hesitant in letting him play through it. The decision paid off for both.

“I’ve only been coaching Dia for a year, so tonight was a big step in our relationship,” Beard said after the game. “The big fellow earned some trust tonight. I thought we did a good job just subbing offense for defense, just trying to survive as long as we could in the second half.”

Arkansas took an early lead and was looking to outpace the Rebels (13-2, 2-0 SEC) but the vistors managed to scratch their way back into the game, tying it at 33 heading into halftime. A demonstrative block by Jon Bol signaled the momentum was shifting in the second half.

The foreshadowing was correct with Ole Miss jumping out with a 19-9 run in the first seven minutes of the second half. The Rebels never let Arkansas (11-4, 0-2) get any closer than six points the rest of the way.

Road teams have been hard-pressed to find wins in the first week-plus of SEC play, but Beard and the Rebels managed to put on in their proverbial back pocket, showing resilience in the second half.

“We just had a lot of poise tonight,” Beard said. “We knew the crowd was going to be a factor. We kept Arkansas from having too many runs. I think they’re an explosive team and they can kind of knock you out in four-minute segments. So, we had some good possessions on offense and defense when the crowd was getting kind of ready to erupt. …I’m not a big road and home guy. Let’s just talk about how to win in this league. You’ve got to have some A performances”

Sean Padulla scored 16 points and Dre Davis finished with 10 points and was three rebounds shy of a double-double.

In the hustle stats Ole Miss won the rebound battle, 36-35, though Arkansas did pull down more offensive rebounds (8-6).

Up next the Rebels host LSU (11-4, 0-2) on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network.

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