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Rebels Will Bring Typical Beard Team Mentality to Bud Walton

Ole Miss comes to town with confidence it can fight in SEC after victory in conference opener

Jacob Davis

Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard calls out instructions during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center.
Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard calls out instructions during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —As Arkansas prepares to host its SEC home opener Wednesday against Ole Miss, the Razorbacks better come with boxing gloves ready for a fight.

Rather than schedule a bunch of cupcakes like last season, the Rebels played a challenging non-conference slate that consisted of neutral site games against Purdue, Colorado State and SMU along with road games at Memphis and Purdue, going 4-2, 11-2 overall. More than anything, Ole Miss has learned to become a strong -minded team full of fight after a slow start against Georgia in its SEC opener.

"We fought. In the first half against Memphis, we didn't play our best," Beard said after the Georgia game. "It's a two-point game, and then we got out-fought in the second half. Today, it's the same type of thing. The first conference game, a lot of nerves, both teams wanted to win, both teams have had good non-conferences.

"I thought in the second half, we fought. The stats are what they are, but we fought. We competed. We had some things not go our way today, but we just kept fighting."

The Rebels were down a bucket at the half to a tough Georgia team led by star freshman Asa Newell and SEC veteran coach Mike White. Defense is Georgia's calling card as they held Ole Miss to just 9-of-27 shooting from the field and 16 points off 13 turnovers.

Once the second half started, Beard's fighting mentality won over the Rebels' locker room as his team went on an 18-4 run in the first nine minutes of the second half to take a commanding 44-32 lead at the under-12 timeout. Ole Miss took control of the game making 7-of-12 attempts from the field while keeping Georgia at bay going just 2-of-14 from the field in that same stretch.

Georgia climbed out of its 12-point deficit to get within two points with just over six minutes remaining. The Bulldogs couldn't grab momentum, leading to a 1-of-7 stretch over the final six minutes of the second half, vintage style defense from Beard-led teams.

There's no question where Ole Miss hurts the most and that's rebounding on either end of the court. The Rebels, like Arkansas, sit near the bottom of the SEC when it comes to offensive boards averaging 10 per game (No. 12), but have a harder time grabbing defensive rebounds with 24 per game, which comes in at No. 14 among league members.

Ole Miss' rebounding struggles were magnified in its 87-70 loss to Memphis at the FedEx Forum Dec. 28 as the Tigers outrebounded Beard's group 45-34.

"I think with our concerns, it's no secret," Beard said Dec. 28. "It's 'Captain Obvious'. We've got to figure out the rebounding game."

In a move to rebound better, Rebels leading scorer Jaylen Murray didn't start as Beard opted to insert 6-foot-4 guard Davon Barnes instead. Barnes, in his first season with Ole Miss, scored just seven points in 34 minutes but has proven to be a willing rebounder throughout the season.

He pulled in six boards Saturday which helped keep the margin slim against Georgia. Arkansas has rebounding struggles of its own this season averaging just under 36 rebounds per game which ranks No. 13 among SEC teams and its 123 offensive boards ranks No. 332 nationally.

Wednesday night's game will come down to which team chooses to fight hardest to rebound. If Saturday's opening weekend of SEC play is an indicator of what's to come, it could be a physical game between the border rivals.

"I've got a lot of belief in faith and our guys," Beard said. "I see it on a daily basis in practice and the film room. I'll see if I feel the same way after the film, but I feel pretty confident in this. We fought."

HOGS FEED:

• Calipari chose bigger lesson over closer game with Tennessee

• Razorbacks sign former ACC wide receiver from transfer portal

• Razorbacks earn lowest Perfect Game ranking since 2021

• Former Razorback running back finds interesting new home

• Razorback set to make history according to early NFL mock drafts

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

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