Ole Miss players better hope coach Chris Beard doesn’t have a side gig helping Santa Clause deliver gifts.
Because if he did, the Rebels would find coal in their stockings after their performance Saturday in a 76-62 loss to NC State.
The biggest problem for Beard and Ole Miss is the cause of Saturday’s loss is a familiar one.
Lack of effort
The first half was one of the worst all season by Ole Miss and Beard wasn’t hiding his frustrations from the tv cameras.
The Rebels shot just 35 percent (8-of-23) from the field in the first 20 minutes. They also went 3-for-14 from beyond the arch, had six turnovers and were out-rebounded 23-11.
NC State, meanwhile, made 53 percent of its field goals, including 48 percent on three-pointers.
Beard’s displeasure was obvious by who was on the court to end the half. Ilias Kamardine, AJ Storr and Malik Dia, all of whom average 24 minutes or more per game, were on the bench while players like Zach Day (6.1 mpg) and Eduardo Klafke (9.5 mpg) were on the court.
Kamardine and Storr have a combined one point (0-for-6), three rebounds, three assists and two turnovers. Dia was able to make 75 percent of his field goals, but had just one rebound, two personal fouls and a turnover.
The lack of effort from the Rebels’ best players can be traced back to late November/early December. Ole Miss had lost three straight games, the latest a 75-66 loss to Miami.
Beard gained a lot of attention with his response after that game, cutting off a response by Storr who was asked about fixing the lack of effort.
“Play different players,” Beard interjected as Storr began to answer the question.
Beard has taken that approach. Nine players are averaging 10 minutes or more per game and only two are below 5.5 mpg.
The results have varied and Saturday definitely left us with more questions than answers.
Beard kept most of the starters on the bench for the second half. Storr, Chest and Kamardine got a chance to earn some more playing time, but were subbed out after just two minutes. They never reentered the game.
After the 10-minute media timeout, the Rebels’ did show some life. They went on an 13-0 run to make the score 63-47 and held NC State scoreless for almost five minutes.
But the first half performance was too much for the Rebels to overcome in the second half.
Next up
Ole Miss (7-5) will have more than a week off to regroup and find a way fix the problems that have been plaguing the Rebels most of the season.
The Rebels will host Alcorn State next Monday, January 29 at 7 p.m. The game will air on SEC Network. Hopefully, those tv cameras find a happier Beard.
