'Cinderella' is a term that is getting hotter by the second in Oxford, because Chris Beard is doing what he does best: busting the bracket.
Ole Miss Rebels are on their way to be the Cinderella of the season after two massive upset wins in the SEC Tournament. The 10-game skid made them the under-the-radar underdogs with no pulse left for a run. But 2 stunning upset wins later, Oxford is buzzing like a beehive.
Chris Beard firm on his mantra for Ole Miss basketball
When asked whether the Rebels are loading another Sweet 16 appearance, Beard didn't resort to coach-talk. Instead, he laid out a classic Beard 'survive-and-advance' masterclass, cutting right through the Cinderella hype.
"Our big thing is just tapping into NCAA Tournament experience. We’re not doing anything different. This is survive-and-advance. Starting next week, 68 teams will be in the same situation. That’s the mode we’re in right now. We’re not really talking about winning the whole tournament to get a bid. We’re just trying to win the next game on the schedule. But we understand the moment," Beard said post-Georgia win.
His locker room needed him to screech the brakes on the hype train since they're coming off a historic low in their program. They still need to take it slow, one calculated step at a time.
But that didn't mean Beard was shying away from praising his team for not quitting after surviving the nightmare of a season.
"My biggest belief about this team is that these guys have never quit. People who haven’t seen us play all season are starting to see that now in Nashville. Yesterday against Texas, today against Georgia — you see it. It’s not always pretty and we’re not perfect, but our guys don’t quit. That’s what I’ll always remember about this group."
Nashville is used to Beard disrupting the bracket, headlining the Madness in March Madness.
Now he has to do it again against Alabama on Day 3 to punch their tickets to the semis; one step closer to possibly making a run for the Big Dance.