Chris Beard addressed reporters in Oxford on Monday ahead of Ole Miss’s first-round NCAA Tournament game. During the press conference, Beard was asked about recent comments made by CBS Sports analyst Tim Doyle. Doyle had called Ole Miss a “fraud” after the NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed, stating that while Ole Miss had opportunities and played in a strong conference, their performance didn’t justify their No. 6 seed. He also predicted that whoever won the game between San Diego State and North Carolina would beat Ole Miss.
Beard strongly disagreed with this assessment, defending his team. He emphasized that Ole Miss had played in what many consider to be the best conference in the history of college basketball and pointed to several accomplishments of the team, including not losing to any team outside the NCAA Tournament field. Beard also highlighted notable victories over teams like BYU, Louisville, and Alabama, all of which came on the road.
While acknowledging that people could have differing opinions about Ole Miss’s season, Beard made it clear that he didn’t view his team as a “fraud.” Ole Miss is set to face either North Carolina or San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.