What Went Wrong For Ole Miss Basketball in Loss to Missouri? Chris Beard Reveals

The Ole Miss Rebels suffered their third-straight loss on Wednesday night at the hands of the Missouri Tigers.

Jan 25, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tony Perkins (12) shoots against Mississippi Rebels forward Malik Dia (0) during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels are officially on a losing streak after dropping a road 83-75 loss to the No. 22 Missouri Tigers on Wednesday night.

Ole Miss (15-5, 4-3 SEC) has now lost three-straight games in league play, and after a red-hot shooting performance from some key Tigers on Wednesday, head coach Chris Beard went into detail about what sank his team during the game in Columbia.

"Really hard to win in the SEC when the opponent shoots more than twice as many free throws as you," Beard said. "Second thing in the game is they had two special performances. [Tamar] Bates and [Caleb] Grill had special games.

"I think if those guys go 9-for-15 from the three point line between them, I don't think they'll lose many games in the SEC. Those are two of the best players in the league. They had A-plus performances tonight and was just a little bit too much for us to overcome."

Beard isn't making excuses, however. Yes, Missouri had some strong performances on Wednesday, but the Rebels were also simply outplayed, from the head coach's perspective.

"We didn't win today because Missouri was the better team," Beard said. "They out-rebounded us. They got to the free throw line significantly more than us which is an indication that they were the more aggressive team.

"Again, two special performances by two of the best players in the league. If those two guys have those games on the same night together, [head coach] Dennis [Gates] will have some great evenings after games around here."

The Rebels will try to halt their skid on Wednesday night when they return home to face the Texas Longhorns at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

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