NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard did not provide an answer Thursday when asked if the Rebels would accept an NIT bid.

The Rebels are not in line to make the NCAA Tournament.

"There will be a different time sooner than later to talk about that," Beard said at Bridgestone Arena after Ole Miss lost to Texas A&M 80-71 in the second round of the SEC tournament.

With the growing emphasis on the transfer portal, the value of accepting an NIT bid has been debated across the sport. The transfer portal opens Monday, and some players with coaching changes already are looking for their next steps.

The Rebels collected 20 wins in Beard's first season, finishing with the same record (20-12) as projected NCAA Tournament teams Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Seton Hall. However, the Rebels entered Thursday at No. 92 in the NET rankings ( while the three aforementioned teams are in the top 70).

Performance in nonconference play played a role in the low NET ranking. The Rebels beat Detroit Mercy and Temple by one, but neither team is inside the top 200 of the NET, a key metric the NCAA Tournament selection committee uses to shape the March Madness bracket.

According to Torvik, another advanced metric publication, 10 teams with résumés similar to Ole Miss' − ranging from Minnesota in 2008 to South Carolina in 2022 − failed to earn an at-large bid.

Ole Miss hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2019 and last played in the NIT in 2021.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Will Ole Miss basketball accept NIT bid? Here's what Chris Beard said