The No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels have enjoyed a solid start to the 2024-25 season, currently holding an 11-1 record with one non-conference game left on the schedule.

Ole Miss has had many players step up and play productive roles in the first couple months of the campaign, whether it be guards like Sean Pedulla, Matthew Murrell or Jaylen Murray or maybe a forward like Jaemyn Brakefield. Beard and the Rebels fell short of the NCAA Tournament in the first year of his tenure in Oxford, but what could be a difference for this year’s team in making the Big Dance?

Beard recently sat down with The Field of 68 Podcast to discuss what the “biggest surprise” of this year’s team has been so far. The Rebels coach wasn’t exactly surprised by this observation, but he is pleased with how his players have shared the load during the non-conference schedule.

“One thing I’d say is that we had an idea with so many 1,000-point scorers coming together, it was going to be a process to figure out shot selection,” Beard said. “Not a surprise, but definitely pleased that our guys seem to be embracing this early in the season.

“We really are one of these offensive teams where I’d hate to coach against us in terms of ‘this is their best player.’ I really do think we have six or seven options on offense. That’s not a surprise to me, but I am pleased because I think we’re a little bit ahead of schedule in terms of our guys’ willingness to be unselfish and play together.”

Ole Miss is averaging 81.8 points per game through 12 contests this season, so Beard’s assessment thus far is accurate. Guards like Pedulla, Murray, Murrell and Dre Davis are all averaging over 10 points per game as an individual, and if the defense can also play on solid footing, the Rebels could be poised to make a better run in SEC play this season than they saw last year.

The basketball Rebels will take a trip up I-55 on Saturday to take on the Memphis Tigers in the final non-conference game of the season. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN2.