Chris Beard explodes on referees, ejected from Ole Miss’s game at Tennessee
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
It’s been a rough last few games for Ole Miss. The Rebels entered Tuesday night’s game against Tennessee with an 11-10 mark, on a three-game losing streak, and in 12th place in the SEC (3-5). After a Sweet 16 appearance in 2025, they’ll need a big turnaround if they’re even to make the NCAA Tournament in 2026.
The Rebels’ up-and-down season, along with their recent losing streak, likely led to Beard reaching his boiling point on Tuesday. After seeing a call go the Volunteers’ way that he disagreed with, he came off the sideline to argue with the referee.
Inevitably, Beard was thrown out after receiving a pair of technicals. Here’s video from ESPN:
After starting toward the locker room, Beard ran back to his team for a final word, clearly looking to light a fire under them down the stretch:
Whatever Beard said didn’t work. The Rebels eventually lost 84-66 as their losing streak reached four games. That ties a season-long stretch spanning from November 25 to December 6.
Ole Miss, which needs to start stringing some wins together in a hurry, returns to the court on Saturday as it looks to break out of its slump. It heads to Texas, which has won back-to-back games after beating South Carolina.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
