Chris Beard arrived at Ole Miss last season with the goal of turning the Rebels’ basketball program around. He has done that, in part, by leading the program to its first March Madness appearance since 2019 in just his 2nd season.
However, Beard has larger sights for the program. Individually, he has not been back to the Final Four since leading Texas Tech to a national championship game appearance in 2019 before losing to Virginia.
So, what is he expecting out of his Ole Miss squad in the Big Dance after landing a 6-seed? For starters, he hopes to see a more confident squad after the Rebels knocked off some key SEC basketball teams in the final games of the season.
“I think we’re playing some of our best basketball… Beating Tennessee and Arkansas in the last 4 I think has given our guys some optimism and some confidence,” said Beard while also acknowledging they held their own in a loss to Auburn. “I think when you really get into it, we’re one of those teams like every other team that the games going to come down to a handful of possessions.”
Even in a late-season defeat, Beard noted his squad was taking good shots with the right players taking those shots. Now that it is all about “survive and advance,” he knows it’s about individual performances stepping up, but Beard and his staff is focused on putting confident players on the court.
“A lot of this comes down to individual performances in the NCAA Tournament. So, from a coaching standpoint, we just want our guys to be their most confident selves on this stage,” Beard explained.
“I think we’re playing some of our best basketball.” @CoachBeard told @ESPNDari & @ChrisDoering he likes the trajectory his team is on heading into #MarchMadness! @OleMissMBB | #HottyToddy | #SECThisMorning pic.twitter.com/vUhPQTduDB
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) March 18, 2025Ole Miss will have to wait to find out who it will face in the Round of 64 with the winner of the San Diego State vs. North Carolina First Four matchup advancing to face the Rebels. Friday’s tip-off is set for 4:05 pm ET on TNT.
On a larger scale, Ole Miss checks in at +2200 in the odds to reach the Final Four produced at BetMGM but is +275 to get out of the first weekend and advance to the Sweet 16.
Chris Beard looking for a confident, optimistic Ole Miss team in March Madness Saturday Down South.
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