College basketball: Ole Miss hires former Texas HC Chris Beard

Chris Beard is heading to Ole Miss.

Ole Miss officially announced Chris Beard as its new head basketball coach on Monday.

Beard was fired by Texas following a domestic violence charge against a family member in December. Rodney Terry took over for Beard as acting head coach and guided the Longhorns to a top 5 finish in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Legal charges against Beard were dropped in February, opening up the possibility for him to return to college basketball. Ole Miss jumped at the opportunity to hire Beard to lead its program.

Beard has a career record of 171-73 as a head coach with a strong track record in the NCAA Tournament. He led Texas Tech to a national championship appearance in 2019.

With Texas heading to the SEC ahead of the 2024 season, the Horns will share a conference with its former head coach.

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Texas Basketball: Horns picked third in Big 12 preseason poll

Texas received one first-place vote in the Big 12 coaches poll.

College basketball season is right around the corner. Just weeks away from the start of the 2022-2023 campaign, the Big 12 preseason coaches poll has been released.

Baylor is the preseason favorite to win the league title according to the Big 12 coaches. The Bears beat out defending national champion Kansas for the top spot.

Texas comes in at No. 3 in Chris Beard’s second season in Austin. The Longhorns bring back one of the more experienced rosters in the country, led by Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen.

TCU checked in at No. 4 after a strong finish last year. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech follow, tied for the fifth place spot.

Here is a complete look at the Big 12 preseason coaches poll.

  1. Baylor (5)
  2. Kansas (4)
  3. Texas (1)
  4. TCU
  5. Oklahoma State
  6. Texas Tech
  7. Oklahoma
  8. Iowa State
  9. West Virginia
  10. Kansas State

The Big 12 is incredibly balanced from top to bottom yet again this season. The conference has a strong argument for the best league in college basketball.

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