Ole Miss HC Chris Beard takes responsibility for loss to Mississippi State

It was a big game for the then-No. 19-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday. They were riding a three-game winning streak and playing host to the then-No. 22 Mississippi State.

It was a big-time rivalry game at home, and the expectations were high for the Rebels.

The result was an uninspiring 81-71 loss that head coach Chris Beard said wasn't all that surprising considering the listless way the Rebels have been playing lately — despite the winning streak.

“I wish I could tell you I was surprised but I wasn’t,” Beard said after the game (h/t On3). “I think these last two games, the four halves we played on the road, fortunate to win those games, but I would agree with the players they weren’t the most aggressive team tonight.”

The Rebels were massively outrebounded, 48-36, which is usually a sign of a lack of effort. An even bigger sign was the offensive rebounding disparity. The Bulldogs snagged 14 offensive rebounds compared to seven from Ole Miss.

Ultimately, Beard put the loss and lack of energy on himself as head coach.

"College basketball is a players’ game," Beard said. "You’ve got to have guys show up to play. Ultimately, where the coach fits in, is it’s his responsibility to get the guys ready to play. I want to apologize to all the fans that drove into Oxford today to watch this rivalry. We did our best to explain to the guys how important this game was. We obviously didn’t get it done."

Up next for Ole Miss is a game at Vanderbilt on Feb. 22.