Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard talks about the Rebels’ win over Memphis
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men’s basketball head coach Chris Beard met with the media after his Rebels’ 80-77 victory over the Memphis Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
“I would like to wish coach (Penny Hardaway) and the Memphis program best wishes this season. I said it this week that I have a lot of respect for Penny. He is one of the best players to play college basketball or NBA basketball. I think he has established himself as one of the best coaches in our game. He has a program and a culture of back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in the new modern age of college basketball…“
Coach Beard on Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway
The Rebels were behind by as many as 11 points in the second half. “We just had to stay the course,” Coach Beard said. “It’s a long game, and it’s a long season. Can’t get too high or too low.”
Beard added that Memphis is a top-10 type team. “They had one poor half of basketball out in the Bahamas that kept them from being the 15th-ranked team in the country coming in here today. My respect for them is off the charts and still is.”
The Rebels took on Memphis in front of a sold-out crowd of 9,416 in the Pavilion.
“We have no plan other than to have a home-court advantage to compete in the SEC, to get this program to where we all like it, and today was another great step in the right direction,” Coach Beard explained. “I am super appreciative of all our students coming out on a Saturday for a one o’clock game and our season ticket holders (who couldn’t be there) for giving them to someone to fill their seats,” he added.
Bravo @UMClubRed 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/SimZkFD3by
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
“A sold-out crowd from where I was sitting. It got loud in there a couple of times to where it was hard to hear each other. A great sign to be in those situations at home.”
Chris Beard
Ole Miss found itself in foul trouble early, particularly Allen Flanigan. But TJ Caldwell and Moussa Cisse came in and provided depth off the bench.
“We have a lot of confidence in our players. We put five guys out there in Ole Miss jerseys and expectations don’t change. It was good to see the team play in different combinations tonight. Not just with Al, but with Moussa. Moussa impacted the game in the role that he had.”
Chris Beard
Beard was impressed with Memphis — and with how his team played against the Tigers.
“I thought we competed in my opinion against one of the most talented teams in college basketball,” Beard said. “We will see if my prediction is right. Memphis is good. I thought we competed and took some punches and threw some punches to help us win a close game. That’s what the story of our season will be as every other team in the SEC.”
The Rebels hit six of their final 8 from the floor, and Coach Beard talked about winning another close game.
“It’s the same thing we say every day, it’s process over outcome. We’re not playing the scoreboard, we’re playing Ole Miss basketball…Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which way you look at it, this isn’t our first rodeo with these games. Maybe that paid some dividends. You’re not going to win them all, but what you can do is not lose them. You either win a game, or run out of time.”
Coach Beard
Next Up
Ole Miss returns to the SJB Pavilion Tuesday, Dec. 5 as the Rebels host Mount St. Mary’s. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on SECN+.
Adam Brown
Adam Brown joins The Rebel Walk as the Managing Editor after being on the Ole Miss beat as a Sports Editor for over 11 years. He is a lifelong Oxford resident. Brown graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Prior to The Rebel Walk, Brown was the sports editor of HottyToddy.com covering every Ole Miss sport and local high school sports in the community.
