Ole Miss men's basketball is looking to get a win more than anything at this point in the season.
For a program that had March Madness expectations buzzing at the beginning of the season, a whole month without any wins is a historic freefall for Chris Beard's squad.
And at this point, no one can blame the Rebels players for losing their morale as soon as they see their next game going sideways.
Ole Miss men's basketball losing their fight
But Beard feels that is exactly what made them lose a seventh straight against Mississippi State on Sunday, especially when they could have gotten the game back in control.
"There’s also a mental toughness component. Our guys wanted to win. They understood what was at stake in a rivalry game. But when things didn’t go our way early, we didn’t hang in there the way we needed to. This needed to be a game where you’re down eight, nine, ten points at halftime and still very much in it. I thought the first half was where the game was really lost," Beard said in his press conference post-Mississippi State loss.
"But when things didn’t go our way, it affected our defensive intensity. There’s a price to win. It’s not free. It requires physicality and mental toughness, especially against an opponent like this."
Their next opponents, Texas A&M, will also be desperate for a win coming off a four-game losing streak.
However, the Rebels desperation far utweighs theirs.
Beard said there were some lessons in particular that the beatdown from the Bulldogs taught them.
"They were tougher than us for most of the game — 50-50 balls, rebounding, hard screens, getting back on defense. Those are the things we needed to do consistently, and we didn’t."
"I think our guys hang their heads too quickly, and that’s something we’ll continue to address. That’ll be one of the main lessons from this game when we get back to work Monday."
The whole oxford is equally disheartened the way this season turned out. The only thing remaining to be seen is whether Beard's squad can give him a strong finish to the season he wants, or does the 7-loss albatross around their neck keeps them playing like they have already lost.