Chris Beard has now led four schools to NCAA Tournament wins during his coaching career, but it did not take the path he expected. Legal troubles from a domestic dispute cost him a dream job and left questions about his ability to return at the top of college basketball.

Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard was visibly emotional after his team’s 73-70 NCAA Tournament elimination loss to Michigan State at State Farm Arena.

The coach’s Tech tenure would last only two more seasons. Beard dealt a shocking blow to Lubbock when he departed for Texas in 2021. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte flew out to the small town of Plainview in April to hold an early-morning meeting with Beard.

Ole Miss has played inspired basketball through the first two games of the NCAA tournament and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. The Rebels ha

College basketball has always thrived on energy and how coaches build a strong connection with their fanbase. Chris Beard understood this dynamic better than most. In just two seasons at Ole Miss, he turned a once-overlooked basketball program into a competitive force in the SEC.

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Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels will take on the No. 2 seeded Michigan State Spartans on Friday night in Atlanta (Ga.) with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line in State Farm Arena. Beard and Co.