Ole Miss Coach Explains How the Wolfpack Took His Team Down

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Finishing the non-conference slate with a win became the ultimate goal for NC State before it entered Sunday's matchup against Ole Miss with four losses already. The Wolfpack came out with a sense of urgency it showed rarely throughout the first two months of the 2025-26 season, but Will Wade's group did enough to defeat the Rebels, winning 76-62.

Ole Miss faced a similar situation, lacking quality wins while also struggling mightily throughout the non-conference portion of the schedule when facing power conference opponents. For Rebel head coach Chris Beard, the loss helped him realize how much work his team needs, while also opening his eyes to the talent of the NC State program in its first year under Wade.

What Beard said about the Wolfpack

Dec 6, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard watches from the bench in the second half against the St. John's Red Storm at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

NC State showed improved effort on the defensive end early in the first half, holding the Rebels scoreless for several lengthy stretches of the opening 20 minutes. Beard's group was incredibly frustrated by the switch-centric defensive approach taken by the Wolfpack, causing Ole Miss to quickly lose hope and confidence as Wade's group suffocated it.

"It was just an approach to the game. We weren't accomplishing anything we wanted to just from a fight standpoint, a competitive standpoint," Beard said. "... On offense, we just couldn't manufacture much at all. Their switching bothered us; their post defense bothered us. And we had some untimely turnovers that didn't help."

H11M. pic.twitter.com/etEv5FD2Fl
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) December 21, 2025

Beard, now in his third season in Oxford, knows what it takes to rebuild programs. He took Texas Tech to a National Championship game back in 2019 and already made a Sweet 16 in his second season coaching the Rebels. Wade's process in building the Wolfpack back into a power in the ACC is in its infancy, but Beard believes bigger and better things are coming in Raleigh.

"With the basketball game, I've got a lot of respect for Will and how he builds teams," Beard said. "First-year teams are hard, but I think he's got his guys improving from game to game. I know the last game might have been a little step back from them, but they certainly accepted the challenge of their coach's strong words in the last press conference he had."

NC State forward Ven-Allen Lubin needed to do his best to match the intensity of Ole Miss forward Malik Dia, who entered the matchup as the leading scorer for the Rebels. Lubin played with physicality and did enough to cancel out an 18-point performance from Dia. It caught the attention of Beard.

"I think Will puts him in great positions on the court. It's apparent to me that he knows his role, where his spots are..." Beard said. "I think he's a good player... We coached against him before, last year in a tournament, and he's kind of a double-double guy. He doesn't force, but at the end of the game, it's 15 and eight."

Want more NC State basketball content throughout the year? Follow @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker on X (Twitter) and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.