Ole Miss Basketball's Chris Beard Breaks Down Shooting Woes in Loss to Memphis

Ole Miss suffered its second loss on the season on Saturday. Head coach Chris Beard broke down two reasons why after the game.

Dec 3, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard calls out instructions during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Ole Miss basketball suffered its second loss of the season in a 90-77 final score on Saturday against the Memphis Tigers.

The Rebels (11-2) struggled throughout much of the game to find a bucket, and they were never able to overcome some big runs by the host Tigers. One of the key differences in Beard's mind between last year's win over Memphis and this year's loss simply boiled down to success in shooting.

"Basketball is a game of making shots," Beard said postgame. "We made shots last year. It shouldn't have been the difference in the game, but it's obviously going to be the difference in the outcome."

As a team, the Rebels shot 36.4 percent from the floor, and 25 percent from three-point range. Memphis, on the other hand, shot 47.5 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from downtown.

This is also just the second true road game for Ole Miss thus far. It gained a win in the SEC/ACC Challenge over Louisville earlier this year, but Saturday's game in the FedEx Forum was a very different story after the Rebels gained a win over Memphis last season in Oxford.

"Our guys have to embrace what it's going to be like playing on the road this year," Beard said. "We played at Louisville, at Memphis today, but we have nine of these coming in the SEC. I certainly think where the game's played has a little bit of impact on these two games we've had against [Memphis coach] Penny [Hardaway]."

The inability to make shots from the floor absolutely played a major role in the Rebels loss. Memphis shot 11 percent better from three-point range and 12 percent better from the floor. While every team will have an off day shooting, it's paramount to be able to find other ways to score if the shots aren't falling.

Playing only the second "true road game" of the season against a rival was another deciding factor in the game. This "Mid-South Rivalry" means a great deal to Memphis athletics as well as the fanbase as evidenced by a massive hostile crowd in the FedEx Forum on Saturday. In order to be successful in SEC play, the Rebels will have to find success on the road sooner rather than later.

Ole Miss is back in action at home against Georgia next Saturday, Jan. 4, to open SEC play. Tip-off is set for 11:00 a.m. CT and will be televised on the SEC Network