Getty Image / Porter Binks
March Madness is nearly upon us, but some teams didn’t make the big dance. Even so, they’re making some news anyway.
The Ole Miss Rebels made a controversial decision recently when they hired Chris Beard to be their new head coach.
Now, it appears teams across the SEC are not happy with the program.
According to John Talty, multiple SEC schools claim they’re not thrilled with Ole Miss hiring Chris Beard.
Heard from people at multiple SEC schools in Nashville this past week who weren't thrilled, to put it mildly, about Ole Miss hiring Chris Beard and the message that it sent.
— John Talty (@JTalty) March 13, 2023
Beard of course is a controversial figure in college basketball right now after being involved in a recent scandal involving an alleged felony domestic abuse case.
Although the charges were eventually dropped, teams across the SEC aren’t liking how quickly Ole Miss was to hire Chris Beard as their head coach.
Even so, it’s hard to imagine the Rebels caring. They clearly don’t, as they’ve named Beard their new coach.
Even with the charges dropped, you can’t deny this being a controversial hire for Ole Miss. The timing of it all doesn’t look great, as it didn’t take long for a team to jump at the opportunity to hire him.
Regardless, the SEC seems to be making strides in the college basketball world. After dominating college football for so long, the conference is shaping up to be rather competitive in another sport.
Look for Ole Miss to be a potential tourney threat this time next year with Chris Beard leading the way, even if the rest of the SEC is upset with their hiring choice.