Chris Beard has the Ole Miss Rebels in the thick of the Southeastern Conference standings. He credits what he learned from Bob Knight.

The No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels came out hot in Tuesday's matchup with the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats. Although they haven't done much of this during SEC play, everything came together, especially in the first half as the Rebels jumped out to a lead that they rode to a 98-84 win over the college basketball blue blood.

Ole Miss beat Kentucky on Tuesday night in the first 20 minutes of the game. That was the ball game. Despite a second-half performance that saw the Wildcats drop 53 points while shooting 63 percent from the field and 45.

Here's where Chris Beard's Ole Miss basketball team stands in the latest NCAA tournament bracket predictions after a loss to No. 1 Auburn

Ole Miss basketball dominated Kentucky on Tuesday night, beating the Wildcats 98-84. The Rebels used a 23-point halftime lead to down the Wildcats, as Kentucky was never able to close the gap in the second half.

The Rebels picked up a 72-69 win against Texas to start last week. Senior guard Davon Barnes hit big free throws down the stretch to lift the Rebels to a late win. That win ended Ole Miss' three-game slide, but the Rebels failed to the win on Saturday. Ole Miss lost 92-82 to No. 1 Auburn. Despite the loss, Beard was optimistic after the game.

Texas coach Rodney Terry, Chris Beard's former lead assistant at UT, says the Ole Miss coach remains one of "my really close friends in the business."