When Ole Miss brought Coach Chris Beard to Oxford, Mississippi, to be the next Men’s Basketball Head Coach, expectations were heightened but still at bay as the Rebels had not seen the fruits of success in some time. Last season, under Former Head Coach Kermit Davis, the Ole Miss Rebels finished with twelve wins; through nine games under Chris Beard, the Rebels remain undefeated. A perfect 9-0 is something Ole Miss Basketball has longed to see since the days when Keith Carter was scorching the nets of the Tad Pad. In every conversation leading up to the 2023-2024 season, Coach Chris Beard mentioned changing the culture of Ole Miss Basketball for generations to come. Not many imagined he would change the complete overview of the program in a mere nine games.

With wins over Memphis, Temple, NC State, and UCF, the 2023-2024 Rebels Basketball team has been battle-tested ahead of the gauntlet of the Southeastern Conference.

Ole Miss Basketball has quickly taken over the conversation, landing them in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament bid in the middle of December. As of December 13th, Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com has Head Coach Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Basketball Rebels a nine-seen playing in Omaha, Nebraska, against Colorado, with Kansas looming in the shadows. There are still two months remaining, and Ole Miss could very well play its way into a home environment in Memphis as the FedEx Forum is on deck to host the first and second rounds of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

As the season progresses, adversity will strike. However, Ole Miss has leadership under Chris Beard that has taken his former programs to heights unimaginable at Ole Miss. Ole Miss has remained undefeated by winning the ugly games decided by a few possessions or less; the 9-0 record hasn’t been a pretty 9-0, but the Rebels keep getting it done. Credit in part to the coaching of Head Coach Chris Beard, his in-game management of his Rebels has Ole Miss in the position to run the tables in non-conference play, setting the mood for an absolute zoo when Ole Miss welcomes the Gators of Florida to Oxford for the Southeastern Conference home opener on Wednesday night, January 10th.

A lot of basketball remains for Ole Miss. However, Coach Beard and his staff have delivered on their promise to change the culture of Ole Miss Basketball for generations to come. As it stands, Ole Miss will have the opportunity to compete in the Southeastern Conference for Championships in year one under the new staff.

Ole Miss will return to action on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas, where they will face the Bears of California.