Beard Faces Old Team: How to watch, start time and TV channel for Ole Miss-Texas

Eighty percent (13 of 16) of SEC teams are currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss among them. 

But the Rebels are going in the wrong direction. 

Bracket predictions this week still have Ole Miss comfortably in, including as a 6-seed by ESPN. The Rebels have reached the ‘Big Dance’ just nine times in their 100-plus-year history. They’re vying for their first bid since 2018-19.

But they have to stop the bleeding following three straight conference losses.

Three of their five losses were by a combined six points. No. 23 Ole Miss (15-5, 4-3 SEC) picked up its first-ever Top 5 road win in program history at Alabama. The Rebels are No. 22 in the NET, with a resume boosted by such non-conference wins as at Louisville by over 20 points.

Louisville is on a nine-game winning streak.

“We just stay the course,” second-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said after Saturday’s loss at Missouri. “This is the SEC. A two-game winning streak and it’s free breakfast burritos in the morning and people want to throw you a parade. A two-game losing streak you feel like the sun won’t come up tomorrow. It’s a short-term memory. Just stay the course — the same thing we do after wins. We just get back to work. 

“Right now we’re in a little slide. We played three of the best teams in the country, so it’s understandable in this league. We’ve just got to keep working. It’s a long season, an 18-round fight. We’ve got to play better and most importantly stay the course.”

Next up for Beard and Co. is a home showdown with his old team, Texas, at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

HOW TO WATCH

Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart
Color: Dane Bradshaw

HOW TO LISTEN

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes

SERIES HISTORY

Ole Miss and Texas first met in basketball back in 1955. The teams played consistently throughout the 60s and 70s. Texas won seven of the first eight meetings. 

The Rebels won five in a row from 1970-74. The most recent matchup was in the 2018 SEC/Big 12 Challenge in Austin, Texas. Ole Miss fell, 85-72. Texas leads 9-6 in the all-time series. Ole Miss has won four of five in Oxford.

SCOUTING TEXAS

Texas is 14-6 so far this season, including a 3-4 mark in SEC games. The Longhorns are coming off back-to-back wins over ranked teams. 

They claimed non-con wins over Syracuse and NC State. Their SEC wins include Oklahoma, No. 22 Missouri and recently No. 13 Texas A&M. They’re No. 32 in the NET.

Tre Johnson is the SEC’s leading scorer (18.8 points per game). Johnson was the No. 5 overall recruit in the nation. He had 30 points in a comeback over rival Texas A&M, including a perfect 10 for 10 from the free throw line. 

Topping Texas in rebounding is Kansas State transfer Arhur Kaluma. Kaluma averages 8.2 rebounds per game. He’s posted five double-doubles on the season.

Texas, like Ole Miss, has been great at taking care of the ball this season. The Longhorns and Rebels are tied for 10th in the nation in turnovers (9.6), Texas is No. 36 in field goal percentage (48.2) and No. 40 in 3-point field goal percentage (37.4).

Rodney Terry has accumulated a record of 57-27 over the past three seasons at Texas. Terry took over for Beard as Longhorns head coach two years ago and led them to the Elite Eight. His other head coaching stints were UTEP (2018-21) and Fresno State (2011-18). 

“Chris Beard and I go way, way back,” Terry said at SEC Media Day back in the fall. “You’re talking about 25 years of friendship (and) one of my really, really close friends in the business. I wouldn’t have this opportunity here in Texas if he wasn’t kind enough to bring me back to Texas.”