Ole Miss finished just 7-11 in SEC play last season, had no wins over a ranked conference opponent, and lost both matchups with Auburn by 14 and 23 points, respectively. Auburn is an even stronger team this season, so for Beard and the Rebels to cut that deficit to only 10 points while keeping it close the majority of the game is impressive.

Texas coach Rodney Terry, Chris Beard's former lead assistant at UT, says the Ole Miss coach remains one of "my really close friends in the business."

The Texas Longhorns lost to the No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels 72-69 on Wednesday night. This game marked the first meeting between Texas head coach Rodney Terry and Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard since Beard's firing from Texas in 2022. Texas freshman guard Tre Johnson led all scorers with 22 points in the losing effort.