Ole Miss finished just 7-11 in SEC play last season, had no wins over a ranked conference opponent, and lost both matchups with Auburn by 14 and 23 points, respectively. Auburn is an even stronger team this season, so for Beard and the Rebels to cut that deficit to only 10 points while keeping it close the majority of the game is impressive.

The Tigers had four different players hit from long range as Auburn ended the half on a 6-0 run. Ole Miss shot 40% from deep and was led by Jaemyn Brakefield’s 12 first half points.