The NCAA Tournament continues to generate buzz as the games progress, with several teams emerging as serious contenders over others. The Ole Miss Rebels have made it into the Sweet 16 race, while Chris Beard remains focused on taking it step by step and keeping his feet on the ground.
The Rebels’ solid victory over Iowa State is turning heads, with many starting to view them as one of the most consistent teams so far. The question now is: Is Ole Miss truly a serious title contender in this March Madness?
After the game, where his team triumphed 91-78 over the Cyclones, Chris Beard spoke with the press and made it clear that his Rebels are wearing the title contender label and are fully focused on chasing that goal.
“This is not about me,” Beard said via Brad Logan of 247 Sports on X (formerly Twitter).”It’s about the players. We felt the pressure and wanted to be a team to win the tournament. Plausible? No. Possible? Yeah.”
Sean Pedulla #3, Jaylen Murray #5 and Jaemyn Brakefield #4 of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrate a win over the Iowa State Cyclones 91-78 in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Fiserv Forum on March 23, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Lastly, he was firm in expressing his confidence in his players for this tournament: “If I didn’t believe this team could win this tournament I wouldn’t be doing my job.”
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What’s next for the Rebels?
The start of competition in this NCAA Tournament may not have been as expected. Not because of the final result, which saw a victory over North Carolina, but due to the performance, which was questioned by many once the game ended.
Despite that, the Rebels regained their focus, and with 20 points from Sean Pedulla, along with standout performances from Jaemyn Brakefield and Malik Dia, they managed to overcome the tough challenge posed by Iowa State.
The next step will be to face the Michigan State Spartans in a Sweet 16 matchup. This tough contest will take place on Friday, March 28, in Atlanta, Georgia.
