'More Consistency!' Chris Beard Reveals Defensive Formula During Ole Miss' Losing Streak

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Chris Beard was made available to the media on Thursday where he discussed how his team can play better basketball after a three-game losing streak.

The Ole Miss Rebels are on a bit of a skid in Southeastern Conference play, having lost three straight games in the month of February.

How can the Rebels pump the brakes and return to winning basketball? In head coach Chris Beard's mind, a lot of it begins on the defensive side of the ball, seeking more consistency for the entirety of a game. 

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"That's life, especially in leagues like the SEC," Beard said. "We obviously need to play better on the road. The Texas A&M game was a great win for us, we gave ourselves a chance at South Carolina. The other games, we've just got to play better. 

"For 40 minutes, we have to have more consistency. In all those games, it's arguable that we've had one good half. That's not going to get it done. We've got to find more consistency. I think specifically, on defense, we've got to do a better job of guarding the ball. It all starts with guarding the ball. The ball is what scores."

Ole Miss' problems on defense have stemmed across multiple positions where the Rebels have surrendered 78 points per game during this stretch, including 91 points at home in a loss to the Auburn Tigers.

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"It's not just one player on our roster," Beard said. "If it was, that's an easy fix from a coaching point of view. But it's multiple players on our roster who have had many possessions in a game where we're not guarding the ball like we can or like we should."

Ole Miss has an opportunity to get back to the win column on Saturday when it plays host to the Missouri Tigers at the SJB Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.