Ole Miss basketball HC Chris Beard makes request after historic win over Alabama
Yesterday at 11:34 AM
When Ole Miss basketball and Alabama appeared on the schedule, many thought it would be a nice win for the Crimson Tide. Don’t tell that to Rebels head coach Chris Beard. The 15-2 SEC squad took down Alabama on their home court and left many stunned.
Following the game, Beard made a bold statement about the national attention that Ole Miss basketball should receive.
“Maybe it’s time to talk a little bit about Ole Miss,” Beard said via Sam Hutchens of the Clarion Ledger.
Although the comment comes off as being disrespectful, it wasn’t Beard’s intent. A 15-2 record and knocking off one of the top SEC teams isn’t easy work. After all, Alabama head coach Nate Oats was disgusted by the loss to Ole Miss. The 10-point victory was obtained by capitalizing on careless Crimson Tide turnovers that made the difference.
Still, Beard feels he should draw positive attention to his program.
“I do think my job is to take up for my team a little bit,” Beard said. “Tonight, two really good teams played 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.”
Chris Beard knows Ole Miss basketball is legit
Winning against a Top 5 opponent is one thing. To win against that opponent on their home floor is another thing. Furthermore, much of the game was back-and-forth. That’s what the Rebels expected and that’s what Beard expected. The head coach knows a thing or two about playing in big games.
When he was previously at Texas Tech, he took them to the 2018-19 Final Four. Although they couldn’t go all the way, Beard gained national attention. Then, he went to Austin to coach the Texas Longhorns. Following a short-lived stint, he wound up in the SEC, and coaching Ole Miss.
Most importantly, the head coach recognized junior forward Malik Dia for his performance. He dropped 23 points and a whopping 19 rebounds in the win. Beard brought that back to his original point that more respect needs to be given to Ole Miss basketball.
“If you’re going to win a big boy game, and this was a first-place type game, you have to have some special performances,” Beard said. “Dia, the basket opened up for him tonight. He really rebounded the ball. Lots of good things from our angle.”
The Rebels will travel to Starkville and take on their in-state rival, the Mississippi State Bulldogs. If another dominant win happens, Beard’s demand of more respect could come to fruition.
The post Ole Miss basketball HC Chris Beard makes request after historic win over Alabama appeared first on ClutchPoints.
