Sean Miller Gets Honest About Chris Beard Before Texas vs. Ole Miss

The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team is looking to fight its way further into NCAA Tournament contention as the calendar turns to February.

But as the SEC slate continues, the team and fanbase will briefly be dealing with some notable headlines Saturday when Texas hosts the Ole Miss Rebels at the Moody Center.

Of course, Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard will be making his return to Austin after less than two years at the helm for the Longhorns. His tenure ended with a mid-season firing in Jan. 2023 following an arrest for third-degree domestic violence charges the month prior. Rodney Terry ended up taking Texas to the Elite Eight that year before lasting two full seasons as head coach.

Sean Miller on Chris Beard: "I Consider Him a Friend"

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller reacts during the first half in a 74-70 loss against the Texas A&M Aggies at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Texas head coach Sean Miller was asked about the upcoming matchup against Beard and Ole Miss following the Longhorns' win over South Carolina on Tuesday, and made it clear that he has respect for Beard despite

"I would say that I consider Chris Beard a friend of mine," Miller said. "We've talked occasionally over the last couple of years, as we've kind of both had our own respective journeys. Certainly respect him as much as any coach in the country in terms of how he coaches the game, how he coaches his team, how he loves the game."

Beard, a graduate of Texas in 1995 and a former graduate assistant for the men's basketball team, will be stepping into an SEC game that certainly means more, whether he will admit it or not.

Should Beard meet with the media after the game, win or lose, it will be interesting what he has to say about Texas or his short time in Austin as the team's head coach. When he was hired at Ole Miss in March 2023, Beard avoided most questions about his sudden departure from Texas, so don't expect much of that to change on Saturday.

Texas Longhorns head coach Chris Beard reacts as he coaches against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Ole Miss made it to the Sweet 16 last season under Beard but have struggled this year with an 11-11 record and 3-6 mark in SEC play.

That said, the Rebels could rally around their head coach with sights set on making his return to the Forty Acres one that ends with a road win.

Knowing the potential buzz that will be in the Moody Center on Saturday, Miller said that the crowd will play a major role in Texas coming out with a win.

"We expect to have a game against a really good team playing their best, prepared, and we have to be equally prepared and juiced up and ready to go and try to take advantage of our home atmosphere," Miller said. "So I'm hoping that we, between the students and everybody, can have one of our best crowds of the season on Saturday. I think we could really benefit from that happening."