Latest news with #ChrisBeard
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Iowa basketball draws early-season SEC test in Acrisure Series
Iowa basketball will get a tough non-conference matchup early in the 2025-26 season. The Hawkeyes will travel over to Palm Springs, California, to compete in the 2025 Acrisure Classic on November 25. They're in a group with Utah, Ole Miss, and Grand Canyon, and they found out their matchup on Friday morning from longtime college basketball writer Jon Rothstein. They'll match up with the Rebels of Ole Miss in the opening game of the tournament. Ole Miss is coming off a successful NCAA Tournament run last season, where they beat North Carolina and Iowa State on their way to the Sweet 16, ultimately losing by three to Michigan State. They're coached by veteran winner Chris Beard, who's building quite the program down in Oxford. The Rebels lost some really good players from last year's team in Sean Pedulla and Dre Davis, but Beard has reloaded extremely well entering the 2025-26 season. He's bringing in the 16th-best recruiting class according to 247Sports, which includes four-stars Niko Bundalo, Tylis Jordan, and Patton Pinkins. He's also brought in some talented transfers in Koren Johnson, AJ Storr, and Travis Perry. This will be a good measuring stick opponent for the Hawkeyes early on this season. The Rebels are a good program in an elite basketball conference, and if Iowa hangs with them or even picks up a win, it'll say a lot about the direction of the program. All eyes will be on the Hawkeyes as they take on the Ole Miss Rebels at the Acrisure Classic. The winner of this game will face the winner of Utah and Grand Canyon on November 26 in the final. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ole Miss Makes Announcement Concerning AD Keith Carter
Ole Miss Makes Announcement Concerning AD Keith Carter originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Ole Miss athletics program is currently in a golden era. Nearly every Rebels athletic team had success during the 2024-25 season, and several individual players earned some of the highest honors in their respective sports. Advertisement Ole Miss' football team has won 10 or more games in three of the last four seasons, and both the men's and women's basketball teams made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament this year. The baseball team was on the cusp of the College World Series, and the softball team made the Women's College World Series for the first time in program history. This historic stretch was capped off by a school-record 27th-place finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup, which is a measure of the overall success of a school's athletic programs. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter (left).© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Athletic Director Keith Carter has been a crucial part of this success, as he was responsible for the hiring of head football coach Lane Kiffin and head men's basketball coach Chris Beard. Both of those programs have been turned around dramatically in recent years. Advertisement As a result of these incredible feats by the athletic program, the school announced that it would be extending Carter's contract through the 2029 school year. Carter was once a student-athlete for Ole Miss, as he played for the Rebels' basketball team from 1995 to 1999. Though he went undrafted in the NBA Draft, he did end up carving out a decade-long professional career, primarily in Italy. He was an All-SEC talent under head coaches Rob Evans and Rod Barnes, and now he is paying it back to Ole Miss by serving as a key part of the athletic program's development into a national powerhouse. Related: Ole Miss Loses Out on Coveted 4-Star LB to Colorado Related: Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin Earns Surprising Ranking in College Football 26 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
KU researchers discover ‘big possum' species from 60 million years ago in Texas
Paleontologists at the University of Kansas have discovered a new 'big possum' species that lived in the warm, tropical and vegetation-filled ecosystem of far west Texas 60 million years ago. The scientists discovered a new species of ancient near-marsupials, or Swaindelphys, while analyzing fossils from Texas' Big Bend National Park, according to a news release from KU. The 800,000 acre park is roughly 500 miles southwest of Fort Worth. The fossils were originally found decades ago, but they had not been thoroughly studied. The project's lead author, doctoral student Kristen Miller, was particularly interested in unknown molar fossils. She wanted to find out what species they represented. The researchers, who published their findings last week in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, were surprised at what they found. This new species, called Swaindelphys solastella, is remarkable for multiple reasons. First, it is much larger than any other similar species known from the Paleocene period, according to the release. This is the period that occurred just after the extinction of dinosaurs. The Swaindelphys solastella 'was gigantic by the standards of Swaindelphys,' but researchers estimate it was the size of a modern hedgehog. 'Since everything is bigger in Texas, this is perhaps not surprising,' said curator and professor Chris Beard, co-author of the study. Miller said the Swaindelphys solastella is also the youngest and most southern species from this time period. While the fossils were found in Texas, the ecosystem they came from was drastically different than the one we see today. Miller said the environment would have been warmer and more tropical than it is now, with lots of vegetation and rivers. The fossils were found in a deposit from an ancient river system, even though that river is long gone today. Researchers said Swaindelphys are very similar to early primates. So, they hope to use this new discovery to inform studies about early primates in the same ecosystems in Texas. Miller also said she wants to continue this research to see if ancient landscapes posed obstacles to species distribution, like the distribution of the Swaindelphys.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ole Miss Basketball Makes 2025-26 Announcement
Ole Miss Basketball Makes 2025-26 Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Coming off a thrilling Sweet 16 run last season, the Ole Miss Rebels have officially announced their roster for the 2025-2026 season. Advertisement The Rebels' squad will showcase a blend of four returning players, eight transfers and four talented freshmen. Two of the Rebels return to the court with unique routes. Zach Day, who was signed as a true freshman the previous season, took a redshirt to focus on development and adjust to the college level. Max Smith, a senior guard, returns after missing all of last season due to injury, despite turning heads with a promising preseason camp. Ole Miss Basketball head coach Chris Davis-Imagn Images Forward Malik Dia will be returning as well. He was one of the Rebels' most consistent contributors last season. Dia averaged 10.8 points in just 20.8 minutes per game across all 36 games, as well as being the team's glass cleaner, posting a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game. Advertisement This year's transfer class consists of eight players, including proven scorers, versatile defenders and experienced big men highlighted by Corey Chest, AJ Story and Kezza Giffa. Ole Miss made a major splash on the recruiting class, landing three ESPN Top 100 players: forward Niko Bundle, forward Tylis Jordan and guard Patton Pinkins, indicating a clear investment in the program's future. After coming up just short in a 73-70 Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State, third-year head coach Chris Beard enters the new season with a reloaded roster and unfinished business. Even with key departures like John Bol, TJ Caldwell and Robert Cowherd, the Rebels' revamped roster has all the tools necessary to make a return trip to March Madness. Related: 5-Star LSU Wide Receiver Commit Sends Strong Ole Miss Message This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ole Miss Basketball Finalizes Roster With All-American Transfer
Ole Miss Basketball Finalizes Roster With All-American Transfer originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Head coach Chris Beard has been hard at work this offseason rebuilding the Ole Miss men's basketball team. Almost the entire roster from last year's Sweet 16 team graduated, and a handful more jumped into the transfer portal. Advertisement Big names like former Kansas forward AJ Storr and Kentucky guard Travis Perry are now Rebels, as are a handful of other power conference players like Louisville's James Scott and Koren Johnson, as well as LSU's Corey Chest. Beard has been putting in work on the high school recruiting trail as well, landing three top 100 recruits, including top-30 player Niko Bundalo. Ole Miss HC Chris BeardAndrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Rebels still have a handful of open spots on this year's roster, however, and on Wednesday, they added High Point guard Kezza Giffa. To finalize the 2025-26 roster, they signed wing Hobert Grayson on Friday, who was a Division II All-American last season at Ouachita Baptist Advertisement Grayson began his college career at the junior college ranks, much like coach Beard did. There, he was an All-Conference selection and worked his way up to Ouachita Baptist, where he was an All-Region and All-American honoree after averaging 21.8 points per game. The 6-foot-6, 195-pound wing also contributed 11.0 rebounds per game and dished out 68 assists while recording 52 steals as well. Grayson should have at least two more years of eligibility considering he has only played one season at the NCAA level. Beard continues to add tough players to the Ole Miss basketball program as he eyes an improvement from last year's 24-win squad. Grayson will have his hands full competing with Chest and Storr for playing time, but this Rebels roster is loaded with talent once again. Related: 5-Star LSU Wide Receiver Commit Sends Strong Ole Miss Message Related: Undrafted Ole Miss TE Signs with Broncos This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
