Ole Miss basketball’s Chris Beard on Tom Izzo, Michigan State impact

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Andy Mathis
 |  Special to USA TODAY

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Ole Miss coach Chris Beard utilizes a “Michigan State rebounding” drill in practice as an homage to Tom Izzo’s coaching legacy.The Rebels, in their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2001, will face Michigan State in the South Regional.Beard said he’s got “nothing but respect” for Izzo and the Spartans.

ATLANTA — Michigan State is a part of Chris Beard’s daily practice schedule at Ole Miss, as strange as that seems.

“We have a drill that we’ve done every day since 1999 at Fort Scott (Community College): Michigan State rebounding,” said Beard, who is in his second season as head coach of the Ole Miss men’s basketball team. “The college basketball game is better because of Coach (Tom) Izzo’s time in the sport. I look up to him.”

The Rebels, who are making their first Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2001, will face the second-seeded Spartans in the South Regional on Friday. Under Izzo, the Spartans have made the tournament 27 years in a row.

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“I have got nothing but respect for Coach Izzo and Michigan State, Hall of Fame coach, have followed his teams my whole career,” Beard said Thursday. 

Beard has clearly taken a page out of Izzo’s book, leading his team through a SEC gauntlet. Fourteen SEC teams made the tournament, seven of which advanced to the Sweet 16. 

“We had been through a lot of adversity early, and the coaching staff did a great job of creating those environments for us,” senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield said. “Them putting us in those opportunities to be us and be the best version of ourselves, they’ve done a great job of that.”

The Rebels have found success this March due largely to their phenomenal 3-point shooting and ability to space the…

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Publish date : 2025-03-27 19:50:00

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