Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard postgame after Illinois
Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard spoke on the importance of experience, selflessness after the Rebels’ 91-74 exhibition win against Illinois.
OXFORD − It didn’t take long for Ole Miss basketball to jump ahead of Illinois. Fighting Illini coach Brad Underwood knew it would stay that way.
“The game was truly over four minutes in,” Underwood said.
The No. 24 Rebels beat No. 25 Illinois 91-74 on Sunday at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. It was the first look of the Rebels for 2024-25 season. The game was part of a charity exhibition to raise funds for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of North Mississippi.
There were plenty of positive takeaways for Ole Miss before the season begins against Long Island on Nov. 4 (7:30 p.m.).
Ole Miss got off to a strong start through crisp shooting. Senior guard Sean Pedulla hit a 3-pointer on Ole Miss’ first possession. Then senior guard Jaylen Murray made a 3-pointer the next time down. Junior forward Malik Dia followed suit, and then Ole Miss tacked on a couple midrange shots.
It took Ole Miss three minutes to miss. The hot start wasn’t a one-off occurrence. Rebels coach Chris Beard said he’s seen similar flashes of offensive brilliance in practice.
“We’ve got a lot of veteran guys,” Beard said. “We’re a 3-point shooting team. We’re a post-up team. We’ve had some special moments in practice.”
The exhibition was taken seriously. A vocal crowd was on hand and both teams utilized their starters in more-or-less normal fashion. Ole Miss’ veteran-laden squad gave Illinois problems. Seven Rebels (Pedulla, Murray, Dia, Matthew Murrell, Dre Davis, Jaemyn Brakefield and Davon Barnes) played at least 19 minutes. Dia, a junior, was the only non-senior of the bunch.
“They are old as dirt,” Underwood said.
Ole Miss forced 22 turnovers and committed just nine. It’s a good sign for Beard who said the fate of the Rebels, like most college basketball teams, will be determined on defense.
“We forced a lot of turnovers,” Beard said. “There’s several games inside the game. The turnover game is one.”
Ole Miss’ team showed signs of selflessness that translated into a dominant victory.
Ole Miss had 25 assists. Pedulla, a transfer from Virginia Tech whom Beard said played like a floor general in his first game for the Rebels, led the way with eight assists.
“I do believe there’s a relationship between winning and experience,” Beard said. “That’s a big part of our DNA … with our team, there’s no denying when you look at it on paper, 10 seniors, seven or eight of them in the rotation. We’re an older team.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
