The Ole Miss men’s basketball team shocked the landscape this season with their incredible two-year turnaround under head coach Chris Beard. After years of being irrelevant in the SEC, the program finished with a winning record in one of the best conferences in history and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in decades.
Michigan State ended their incredible run as they took down the Rebels in a hard fought matchup in the Regional Semifinal. Legendary Spartans coach Tom Izzo spoke about Coach Beard’s team after the game and paid the program quite a compliment.
“The toughest, most physical defensive team we’ve played in years,” said Izzo.
This comment may not ease the pain of such a close loss right away, but as Coach Beard and his staff reflect on the season, words like this from such a highly respected leader should give them a boost heading into the offseason. The Rebels will have to rebuild their roster as almost all of their main contributors were seniors, but now Beard has reassurance of what kind of player to look for.
Ole Miss was a tough, physical team that played with tons of energy and did not back down from anybody, which helped them play better than the talent on their team would have indicated. If someone like Coach Izzo speaks positively of this kind of player and team, then Coach Beard would be smart to listen.
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