"Nobody feels worse than we do": Chris Beard calls foul disparity "puzzling" while apologizing to fans post Texas A&M loss

Chris Beard and the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels suffered a 63-62 loss at home to the No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies on Wednesday. Beard felt bad for the home crowd to have witnessed them lose in the fashion they did.

The Rebels head coach reflected on the loss after the game, giving credit to the Aggies for making plays down the stretch to snatch victory from the home side.

“Trust me, nobody feels worse than we do. We feel like we let a lot of people down tonight. It’s a long season and we’ll get back to work. Give A&M credit for doing what they had to do in the last couple of minutes to give themselves a chance to win the game,” Beard said.

Beard does not fault the officiating by saying they're the best in the sport, but found the lack of foul calls puzzling.

"These are the best officials in college basketball, period. So it’s never about that. But it was a puzzling stat. Opponent can come in here and play physical and tough, that’s their identity, that’s who they are. Their coach will tell you that more than I can. So no fouls off the ball, 17 minutes in an SEC game. That was puzzling, to say the least," he said.

What's next for Chris Beard, Ole Miss?

It was a disappointing loss for Chris Beard and the No. 16 Rebels in front of the home crowd, especially after beating the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide 74-64 on Jan. 14.

The defeat saw Ole Miss fall to 15-4 on the season, 4-2 in conference play. They are putting up 77.9 points on 44.5% shooting from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc, beating opponents by a margin of 12.4 points per game.

Sean Pedulla leads the offense with 14.3 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per contest. Jaylen Murray comes next with 11.8 points and 4.1 assists, Matthew Murrell puts up 11.3 points and 3.2 rebounds, while Jaemyn Brakefield provides 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds off the bench.

Chris Beard and the No. 16 Rebels will look to return to the win column when they prepare for their next ranked matchup against the No. 22 Missouri Tigers at the Mizzou Arena on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. ET.