Ole Miss HC Chris Beard bullish on SEC's toughness as record number of teams make the Sweet 16

The SEC has always been a major powerhouse conference, but their strength and popularity lie more on their football programs rather than their basketball ones.

Aside from a brief spell by the Florida Gators at the turn of the millennium up until the late 2000s, it was only the Kentucky Wildcats that were good enough to win a national title in March Madness.

This year seems to be different, as the SEC now has seven programs still alive in the Sweet Sixteen, and they are spread out throughout the bracket. As many as five schools could still be playing when the Elite Eight comes around. One of those programs is the Ole Miss Rebels.

Rebels coach Chris Beard made an appearance on Jon Rothstein’s show on CBS, "College Basketball Wednesday," and discussed what it’s like coaching in the SEC this season. He also spoke on the conference’s newfound toughness in its basketball programs.

“It’s awesome (coaching in the SEC). At the end of the day, it’s an opportunity, pressure is a privilege … This is why you sign up for this. When I got into coaching, it’s to coach the best players on the highest stage …

"As hard as the SEC is, the grueling two games a week and all that. When coaches started whining about that, they ought to get another job. There's not another coach in the country that wouldn't want to coach in the SEC where every night is a Tier 1 game.”

The March Madness bracket is a good indicator of how good the SEC was this season, with 14 of the 16 total schools in the Big Dance. Only one of those teams was not in the top 10 seeds, with Texas, which had the conference’s worst record of all its participants, falling in the First Four for the 11th seed in the Midwest Region.

Heard turning around the Rebels in his second year

The Ole Miss Rebels weren’t really known to be a powerhouse basketball team, being more of a football powerhouse. But second-year coach Chris Beard is doing his best to put their basketball program on the map.

After a solid first season in which the Rebels went 20-12, Beard went 21-10 this regular season and now has his team in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2001.

He also beat powerhouses along the way, getting the better of Hubert Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels, and upset the third-seeded Iowa State Cyclones in the second round.

Leading their attack is their senior guard Sean Pedulla, who leads the team in scoring, assists and steals. Jaemyn Brakefield, Matthew Murrell, Dre Davis and Jaylen Murray provide solid scoring support while Malik Dia anchors their defense.

Standing in their way is the No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans have been a bit vulnerable lately, needing a come-from-behind win in their second-round matchup against the New Mexico Lobos. So, they will be wary of the Rebels in this one.

The Sweet Sixteen matchup between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Michigan State Spartans will be played on Friday night at 7:09 PM ET at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The game will be broadcast on CBS.