Evaluating Chris Beard's First Season With Ole Miss Past Halfway Point

With the Ole Miss Rebels more than halfway through their 2023-24 schedule, now is a good time to evaluate how Chris Beard has faired in his first campaign with the program.

OXFORD, Miss. -- We are officially a little more than halfway through Chris Beard's first season with the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team, which makes now the perfect time to evaluate how his inaugural season in Oxford is going.

Through 17 games, Beard has coached the No. 22 Rebels to a 15-2 overall record, and Ole Miss currently sits at No. 7 in the stacked Southeastern Conference. On paper, it is very easy to say that Beard has exceeded expectations early in his tenure at Ole Miss. The Rebels went undefeated in the non-conference portion of their schedule, surpassing their win total from a season ago before conference play even started, and were voted into the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2019.

Carleigh Harbin-The Grove Report

The Rebels certainly appear to be trending in the right direction, but it has not all been sunshine and rainbows for Ole Miss. Since SEC play started, the Rebels have earned their first two losses of the season, and both have come on the road. Ole Miss got stomped by the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers 90-64 and recently lost to the LSU Tigers on the road 89-80. 

'Back to Work!' Brandon Murray Reflects on Rebels' Shooting Struggles vs. LSU

The Rebels have allowed more than 80 points in three of their last four contests, and if that trend continues, it will be difficult for Ole Miss to win conference battles, let alone road games. Ole Miss also entered its contest versus LSU as the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the SEC, only to shoot 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Overall, Beard has the Rebels in a good spot, they just need to find consistency as we get deeper into conference play. Ole Miss has already been projected to start the NCAA Tournament as a Top 10 seed, but a woeful SEC record could put a damper on those dreams.