Ole Miss' Chris Beard Highlights 'Unacceptable' Start in Loss to Mississippi State

The Ole Miss Rebels started off slowly on Saturday, and they had to play from behind for the remainder of the game.

Jan 18, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard looks on during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The No. 21 Ole Miss Rebels suffered their first SEC loss of the season on Saturday night in an 84-81 final score against the No. 15 Mississippi State Bulldogs, and the visiting Rebels were behind the proverbial eight ball early.

State jumped out to a 14-2 lead around the 15-minute mark of the first half, and Ole Miss was forced to play from behind for the remainder of the game. The Rebels were able to tie things up and force overtime, but they ultimately were unable to come away with the win after regulation.

"The start of the game for us was just unacceptable," Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said postgame. "You can't dig a hole like that, but give them credit. I think they fed off the crowd. They were the more physical, aggressive team in the first eight minutes of the game, so now we're playing from behind."

There were a few key statistical trends that helped sink Ole Miss in Starkville as well. Mississippi State out-rebounded the Rebels 51-29 on Saturday, and the Bulldogs went 17-of-28 from the free throw line compared to a mark of 8-of-14 from Ole Miss.

"We understood what we were walking into today, just didn't get it done early," Beard said. "In the basketball game, really it was a difference in rebounds and free throws. They make more free throws than we shoot, but I have no major complaints on the officiating. Hard game to official. I thought they were the more aggressive team, and they did a good job drawing those fouls."

The rebounding woes will need to be remedied for Ole Miss moving forward, especially when Mississippi State makes its return trip to Oxford on Feb. 15. For now, the Rebels finally get to return to their home floor on Wednesday as they play host to Texas A&M.

Tip-off in that game is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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