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Everything Ole Miss Coach Chris Beard Said After SEC Tournament Win

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6 months ago

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Ole Miss coach Chris Beard and sophomore Travis Perry sit on the SEC Network Live set after Thursday's win. | Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss kept its season alive for one more day after defeating Georgia 76-72 in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday.

After the game, and before a trip to Hall’s Steakhouse, Rebels’ coach Chris Beard spoke to reporters about the game and his team’s mentality as it faces a daunting challenge to get into the NCAA Tournament. Here’s what he said:

Opening Statement…

We wish Georgia the best of luck in the NCAA Tournament next week. They’re a quality opponent and Mike does a great job every year. This was a great win for our program. Obviously we’re in survive-and-advance mode right now, so we live to see another day.

When you look at the basketball teams we’ve faced — Texas yesterday and Georgia today — those are two of the best offenses in college basketball. I thought we played about three and a half halves of the best defense we’ve played all year. It really started yesterday with our defensive effort, and today against Georgia, one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country, I thought our guys were dialed in.

Our first-half defense was about as good as it could be. In the second half, like all good teams do, we knew Georgia was going to get aggressive. Some of our misfortune during that stretch was self-inflicted. But I want to recognize that our guys did a really good job in the last five or six minutes of the game. Georgia had a lot of fouls to give at that point, so their defense was extremely aggressive. I thought for the most part we handled the ball well in the final few minutes. Again, we wish Georgia the best. I’m really proud of our guys. We set this up as a four-team tournament. We won the first one, so we’ll get back, recover as best we can, and tomorrow we’ll start the next four-team tournament.

On Rebels finishing strong…

Some of that stretch was self-inflicted, but give a lot of credit to Georgia. They got super aggressive and the press heated us up a little bit. But our guys showed poise. We’re just in the mode right now of trying to extend our season. Fortunately — or unfortunately — we’ve been in a lot of games like that this season. I think our past experience helped us. Our coaching staff did a good job weathering the storm, and we had contributions from different players. Klafke made some plays, Keza finished the game. It was really a team effort.

On Perry’s development…

Travis Perry is a sophomore in college basketball. He had a role last year at his previous school, and the idea at Ole Miss was for him to have a bigger role. Travis isn’t a soft player. He’s a competitor. But in basketball there are possessions where you have to initiate contact and play with strength. We’ve encouraged him from day one to embrace that. Tonight’s six rebounds speaks for itself. He took a big pop on that flagrant as well. He’s got that edge in him. We’re just trying to pull it out of him.

On knowing what Ole Miss needs to get to the NCAA Tournament…

Our big thing is just tapping into NCAA Tournament experience. We’re not doing anything different. This is survive-and-advance. Starting next week, 68 teams will be in the same situation. That’s the mode we’re in right now. We’re not really talking about winning the whole tournament to get a bid. We’re just trying to win the next game on the schedule. But we understand the moment.

On Rebels’ ability to make a tournament run…

My biggest belief about this team is that these guys have never quit. People who haven’t seen us play all season are starting to see that now in Nashville. Yesterday against Texas, today against Georgia — you see it. It’s not always pretty and we’re not perfect, but our guys don’t quit. That’s what I’ll always remember about this group.

On team’s routine…

We’re switching it up a little bit. Normally we go back to the hotel for dinner, but tonight we’re going to Hall’s Steakhouse. James used to live in Charleston and the Hall brothers are friends of mine. It’s one of the best restaurants in the country. We told the guys if we got it done tonight we’d go to Hall’s. When Kezza was at the line for that last free throw, I pulled him aside and said, ‘Look, big shot here. I really want that shrimp cocktail in about 45 minutes.’ So shout-out to Hall’s for helping us get the win — and shout-out to Kezz for making the biggest free throw of the season.

On decision not to call a timeout during Georgia’s 20-2 run…

From a coaching standpoint, I felt like I needed those timeouts late in the game because Georgia has one of the best presses in college basketball. It also came down to trust. Were we having a complete meltdown or just making a couple individual mistakes? I trust Ilias 100 percent. There’s nobody I’d rather have the ball in their hands. So I didn’t feel like he needed me to call a timeout. Those decisions are tough as a coach, but tonight it worked out. My focus was having timeouts available in the last four minutes because I know what Georgia can do defensively.

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Basketball

Ole Miss Basketball Appears in First Look at Expanded NCAA Tournament Field

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4 months ago

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May 8, 2026

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Ole Miss Men's Basketball during the game against Mississippi St. at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi on January 17, 2026. | Ole Miss Athletics

Most college sports fans saw Thursday’s news that the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are expanding to 76 teams. Eight additional teams will be added to what is currently the First Four, turning it into a 24‑team play‑in stage with 12 games across two days. The winners will join the 52 teams already slotted into the traditional first‑round bracket.

We already talked about what expansion means for both Ole Miss programs, and it’s still way too early to know which teams will actually benefit next season. But you know that won’t stop anyone from trying.

NCAA.com analyst Andy Katz posted his first 76‑team projection Friday morning, based on his initial Power 44 rankings for 2026‑27. Katz or his model must really like what Ole Miss has done this offseason. The Rebels show up at No. 39 in the Power 44 and land as a No. 10 seed in the South quadrant.

Again, it’s early. The last season ended a month ago. Ole Miss shouldn’t start booking hotel rooms in Pittsburgh just yet.

Still, this tells us two things about Ole Miss and the new tournament format.

First, it’s going to be hard for a middle‑of‑the‑pack SEC team to miss the field now. Second, if the bracket had been at 76 teams this past season, the committee would’ve had a real decision to make about the Rebels.

Maybe they get in. Maybe they don’t. Did they deserve a spot? Probably not, and adding eight more at‑large bids doesn’t change that much.

But the future looks better now for Ole Miss.

Andy Katz’s Initial Power 44

1. Duke

2. Florida

3. Michigan

4. Illinois

5. Tennessee

6. UConn

7. Arizona

8. Arkansas

9. Texas

10. Michigan State

11. Vanderbilt

12. Virginia

13. Kansas

14. Houston

15. Louisville

16. Alabama

17. Nebraska

18. Iowa State

19. Purdue

20. USC

21. Gonzaga

22. St. John’s

23. Miami (FL)

24. Indiana

25. Missouri

26. VCU

27. Saint Louis

28. UCLA

29. Ohio State

30. BYU

31. Iowa

32. Texas A&M

33. North Carolina

34. Providence

35. Baylor

36. Wisconsin

37. Auburn

38. Xavier

39. Ole Miss

40. Marquette

41. Texas Tech

42. Kentucky

43. Maryland

44. New Mexico

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Basketball

What NCAA Tournament Expansion Means for Ole Miss Basketball

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4 months ago

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May 7, 2026

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Ole Miss basketball players celebrate a SEC Tournament win against Alabama on Friday night. | Ole Miss Athletics

Missing the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments is about to get a lot harder.

Multiple outlets reported and the NCAA itself announced Thursday that the committees overseeing both tournaments have officially voted to expand the fields to 76 teams.

None of this should catch anyone off guard. The NCAA started exploring expansion about a year ago, and reports two weeks ago made it clear the process was in its final stages. Now it’s done. The new format will debut in 2027.

According to ESPN, top NCAA officials met with the tournament’s media partners to finalize the updated contracts before the vote. The committees required signed agreements before making anything official, and once those were in place, expansion moved forward.

The biggest change comes at the front end of the tournament. Eight additional teams will be added to what is currently the First Four. That round will grow into a 24‑team play‑in stage with 12 games spread across two days. The winners will join the 52 teams already slotted into the traditional first‑round bracket.

The NCAA is expected to rebrand the First Four language, but the structure stays familiar. The opening round will still include both automatic qualifiers and at‑large teams. All 16 seeds and half of the 15 seeds will make up half of the 24‑team group. The other half will come from the lowest‑seeded at‑large teams, including a mix of 11 and 12 seeds.

It’s a significant shift, but the goal is simple: more teams, more access, and fewer seasons ending on Selection Sunday with nothing to show for it.

What This Means for Ole Miss

On the women’s side, this doesn’t move the needle much. Yolett McPhee‑McCuin has raised the bar to the point where simply making the tournament isn’t the goal anymore.

Ole Miss wants to host a NCAA Regional for the first time in program history, and that standard doesn’t change with a bigger field.

The men’s side is a little different. It depends on the year. Two seasons ago, expansion wouldn’t have mattered. This past season, it would’ve changed everything.

Ole Miss finished 15-20 and sat at No. 80 in the NET. In a 76‑team bracket, that puts you on the bubble, and one more win in the SEC Tournament probably gets the Rebels into the field.

For programs in a league as deep as the SEC, the extra spots matter. The women’s side won’t feel much of a shift, but the men’s side absolutely will. Bubble teams in this conference won’t be living on the same razor’s edge anymore.

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Basketball

Ole Miss Basketball Transfer Portal Picture Comes Into Focus

Published

4 months ago

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May 5, 2026

By

Ole Miss coach Chris Beard

It’s been two weeks since the transfer portal window closed, and after a slow start, Ole Miss is finally nearing the end of its roster‑building phase.

The Rebels have added seven transfers, plus TJ Clark who committed back in December. Four‑star recruits Jaron Saulsberry, Yohance Connor and Daniel Patton are also on the way this summer.

Those 10 newcomers will join Ilias Kamardine and Patton Pinkins, the only returning Rebels, to form the foundation of next year’s roster.

The question is whether that’s enough, and whether Chris Beard is actually done adding.

The honest answer is maybe and probably not.

Nobody knows yet if this group will be better or worse than what Ole Miss just put on the floor.

There’s no headline addition, but that doesn’t mean the roster can’t mesh, grow together and avoid needing a miracle run in March.

There’s also the chance it looks like last season, when the pieces never fully clicked.

Given the current guard‑heavy build, it feels likely Beard will look for more frontcourt help. Stefan Cicic gives Ole Miss a true 7‑footer and Santiago Trouet adds more size, but the Rebels could still use another proven interior presence.

One name to watch is former Florida Atlantic forward Devin Williams, who has reportedly met with Ole Miss over Zoom and is visiting Arizona this week. Williams finished fifth nationally in blocks last season at 2.58 per game, which would give Beard a real defensive anchor inside.

In the end, Ole Miss won’t know what this roster really is until the group gets on the floor together, but the picture is at least starting to take shape.

Beard has rebuilt almost the entire program for the second straight offseason, and there’s still room for one or two more pieces to round it out.

Whether this version ends up being better, worse, or simply different from last year’s team is impossible to know in May, but the next additions will tell us plenty about how the Rebels plan to finish the job.

Ole Miss Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker

Men

Outgoing

Incoming

  • Christian Brown, F, 6-8, Fr. (James Madison)
  • Stefan Cicic, C, 7-0, Fr. (Pepperdine)
  • Adam Clark, G, 5-10, Jr. (Seton Hall)
  • TJ Clark, G, 6-3 (Hermosillo)
  • Dasear Haskins, G, 6-8, So. (St. Joseph’s)
  • ND Okafor, F, 6-7, Jr. (Washington State)
  • Roman Siulepa, F, 6-6, Fr. (Pittsburgh)
  • Santiago Trouet, F, 6-10, Jr. (Arizona State)

Women

Outgoing

  • J’Adore Young, 6-4, C, Soph.
  • Sira Thinenou, 6-1, F, Soph.
  • Tianna Thompson, 5-10, G, Soph. (Baylor)

Incoming

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