Chris Beard's Rebels Suffer First Setback, Ole Miss Coach Gives Reaction

The Ole Miss Rebels were "kicked" against the Tennessee Volunteers over the weekend. What's next?

The Ole Miss Rebels suffered a 90-64 blowout loss to the top-five Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, and head coach Chris Beard called the effort "a tale of two halves."

The Rebels (13-1, 0-1 SEC) trailed 40-31 at halftime after a buzzer-beating three fell for the Vols, and from that point on, the game was all Tennessee. Beard gave his reaction to the contest after the game on Saturday, praising Tennessee while also noting need for improvement on his own side.

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"I'll start by saying this: Tennessee is really good," Beard said. "I think they're a Final Four contender. They have experience, size, great point guard play. They have an identity. Really, really impressed with them."

Beard believes that Ole Miss was "hanging with" Tennessee in the first half of play, and the score would attest to that. In the second half, however, everything seemed to unravel, and the Rebels had seemingly lost the game by the halfway point of the frame.

"I thought we played well in spurts in the first half, just with our physical rebounding," Beard said. "Against one of the best teams in the country, to be down a couple baskets at halftime, there's a lot of good there."

"Really just kicked us in the second half."

What leads to "getting kicked" like Beard referenced? Tennessee obviously has elite talent and is one of the top basketball programs in the country, but part of it also boils down to effort, something that he believes the Vols have plenty of.

No. 22 Rebels Overwhelmed by No. 5 Tennessee in SEC Opener, Suffer First Loss of Chris Beard Era

"Definitely was trying everything I could do," Beard said. "We got kicked today. Not just the players, us too. The whole organization. You tip your hat when somebody outplays you like that. If you don't have the physicality, effort and competitiveness, it doesn't matter what you do scheme-wise."

The road ahead doesn't get easier for Ole Miss. The Rebels will navigate a difficult SEC slate in the weeks ahead, beginning with their home conference opener against the Florida Gators on Wednesday.

Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.