Ole Miss men’s basketball won its third-straight conference game Saturday night against its archrival, Mississippi State in a 68-67 contest.
Afterwards, Rebels’ coach Chris Beard answered questions during his post-game press conference. Here’s everything he said:
Opening Statement…
Yeah, obviously a big win for our team. It’s a great college basketball rivalry, and I have a lot of respect for (Chris) Jans and what he’s done everywhere he’s been.
It was just a really good college basketball game. We knew we had to compete on the boards. We didn’t out-rebound them, but we were competitive enough to give ourselves extra chances to win.
It was a low-turnover game, which helped our offense survive some stretches where we couldn’t buy a shot. I think the game came down to the final possessions, and we were able to make one more play than they did.
We had some special performances tonight, which is what you need in an SEC game. Malik Dia rebounded the ball as well as I’ve seen him rebound, and I thought Elias really controlled the game. Just a lot of good things overall, and again, a lot of respect for Jens and his team.
This was a good win for us, especially because of the respect we have for that opponent.
On winning back-to-back games…
From our point of view, we’ve been playing better basketball since the Christmas break. We gave ourselves a chance in Norman against Oklahoma, but it didn’t go our way. We ran into an explosive Arkansas team at home, and that game was a one-possession game with under a minute left.
We’re just trying to get the guys to stay the course. The scoreboard can’t always be the measure of how your team is playing, but you do need some validation wins along the way. Getting our first SEC win against Missouri helped, and there’s no denying our guys are playing with more confidence as a unit right now.
On AJ Storr…
AJ’s playing really aggressive. I’ve never been overly concerned about the starting lineup. A lot of our teams over the years have had our best player coming off the bench for a reason. This team has six or seven guys who could start.
I appreciate AJ’s willingness to just go play the game. What matters most to me is who we trust at the end of the game. AJ’s been aggressive offensively, and defensively he’s made real improvements. He has great poise—he never gets too high or too low—and the team feeds off him in big moments. He leads through performance and demeanor. It’s hard to rattle him.
On Rebels’ defense and flow of the game…
On the road in the SEC, you just want to give yourself a chance. At halftime, we felt good about where we were, even though we weren’t making shots. We were getting quality looks but giving up too many layups on defense.
We made a few simple adjustments and recommitted to the game plan. In the second half, we won the game with our half-court defense, holding them under 40 percent shooting. It was a low-turnover game, which allowed us to absorb a poor three-point shooting night. There are different ways to win games.
It’s up to the players to recognize during the game what gives you the best chance to win that night. We caught a little bit of fortune with some of Hubbard’s shots—he usually makes those—but I think we earned that fortune by how hard we played. We were very connected as a team, and that started yesterday in practice.
On team’s improved play during SEC games…
It’s about staying the course. In non-conference play, we were in almost every game, and several losses were one- or two-possession games. Now that we’re back in those moments in league play, it’s about playing the game the right way.
It’s not as simple as just saying, “Go win the game.” The other team wants to win, too. It’s about matchups, execution, and doing what you want to do on both ends of the floor. Since Christmas break, we’re definitely playing better basketball.
On Patton Pinkins…
Patton is one of the best freshmen in college basketball. There’s only so much space and time for stories, but I think over time he’ll demand that his story gets told.
Like Klafke last year, Patton has earned the right to be in our rotation as a freshman. He’s grown a lot since November and is a much different player now. He lets the older guys lead him, but he also has the confidence and swagger to take big shots—like the baseline shot tonight that was essentially the game-winner.
To make that shot, you have to have courage, and Patton doesn’t lack confidence. He wants to be in those moments. I truly believe he’s one of the best freshmen in the country, and hopefully, if we keep winning, his story will get told.
