OXFORD — Ole Miss experienced highs and lows last week, knocking off Alabama in Tuscaloosa Tuesday before falling in overtime at Mississippi State on Saturday.
In the loaded Southeastern Conference, there’s no time to celebrate or mourn. Instead, as Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said, it’s critical to simply move on.
“I’ve always thought the next game is the biggest game on the schedule,” Beard said Tuesday. “It’s the same thing after a victory. As a coach, sometimes that’s even more challenging. When a team wins a game that’s perceived by others to be a big game — I’ve never really understood what that meant; the big game is the next one on the schedule — but it goes both ways. When you have some disappointment and heartbreak, you have to respond quickly. When you have some success, you have to get over it pretty quick and respond as well.”
His words ring true this week, starting with Wednesday’s 8 p.m. game between the 16th-ranked Rebels (15-3 overall, 4-1 in the SEC) and No. 13 Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2) at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
The game will be televised on ESPN2 with Tom Hart, Dane Bradshaw and Alyssa Lang on the call.
Texas A&M has picked up key wins this season over No. 21 Ohio State, No. 21 Creighton, Rutgers, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, and No. 11 Purdue. In SEC action, the Aggies have wins over Texas, No. 17 Oklahoma and LSU, with losses to No. 5 Alabama and No. 8 Kentucky.
“This is one of the best teams in college basketball,” Beard said. "It starts by just understanding they were good last year and they basically returned their whole team. The pieces they’ve added, from the outside looking in, look like perfect fits. …I think they’re one of those teams that could make a run. They’re one of those teams you probably could put on two hands that you could visualize winning a championship.”
Texas A&M is led by SMU transfer Zhuric Phelps’ 15.6 points per game, just ahead of fourth-year Aggie Wade Taylor IV at 15.4. Texas A&M is led on the glass by Solomon Washington at 6 per game.
Guided by Washington, the Aggies lead all of college basketball in offensive rebounding per game with an average of 16.6, and are a top-10 total rebounding team with a clip of 41.4 per outing. Texas A&M also ranks highly in free throw attempts per game (26, No. 11 in the NCAA), rebound margin (plus-8.5, No. 14 in the NCAA), free throws made per game (17.6, No. 24 in the NCAA), and bench points per game (30.5, No. 24 in the NCAA).
For Ole Miss, which was out-rebounded, 51-29, at Mississippi State last weekend, the boards are simply critical. It’s a message Beard has delivered to his team all week.
“There’s a method to their madness,” Beard said. “It’s a plan. Some teams, they run a play and they get a shot. To me, teams like this, they run a play, they get the shot and they continue to run the play. There’s an offensive rebounding strategy and teaching to this.”
