re: Ole miss opting out of the NIT

“Timing is everything, and the timing is not right for our team to continue the season in any of these tournaments. We have some guys dealing with some personal things off the court... Jamarion Sharp's mother is in critical care. He did an amazing job the last couple weeks of the season with the pressure and everything he had going on with his family off the court. I wanted to personally thank Sharp for his commitment to the team. We have some guys academically that are working toward graduation. Timing right now just doesn't put us in a situation where we think it's the best thing to try and play in one of those tournaments. Nothing but respect for all the tournaments, including the NIT... We're proud to be playing in the Preseason NIT next year at Ole Miss."

Chris beard quote