From the first shovel of dirt to the final bolt on the basket, former Texas basketball coach Chris Beard watched Moody Center rise up in an empty lot and become one of the premier college basketball arenas in the country. But he only got to coach five games in the still-sparkling new home of the Longhorns, which opened in 2022.
That could make for some interesting emotions Saturday when Beard, now coaching Ole Miss, visits Moody Center for the first time since his suspension and subsequent firing more than three years ago.
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An officer tries to restrain Mississippi head coach Chris Beard as he runs back onto the court after being ejected during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Wade Payne/Associated Press
Or not. Beard is a hard-nosed sort who could still be heated from getting ejected in Tuesday night’s 84-66 loss at Tennessee. He’s got reasons to fume, too, considering his Rebels (11-11, 3-6) have taken a step back this season after reaching at least 20 wins in his first two years on campus. Beard needs a win over Texas (14-9, 5-5) to keep his team’s faint NCAA Tournament hopes alive, and he apparently doesn’t need to rehash what happened on Dec. 12, 2022, when he was arrested on a third-degree felony domestic violence charge after an altercation with his then fiancée, Randi Trew.
TEXAS VS. OLE MISS
When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Moody Center.
TV/radio: ESPN+; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM.
Beard was immediately suspended by the University of Texas and then was fired on Jan. 6, 2023. Five weeks later, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against him because of a lack of sufficient evidence as well as the statement from Trew asking the county not to pursue the charges.
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Chris Beard has moved on from Austin
Beard, who was hired by Ole Miss shortly after the 2022-23 season, hasn’t talked much about his arrest and subsequent firing by Texas. In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN in March 2025, he briefly discussed the case.
“It went through the legal process,” he said. “I was never charged. The case was rejected. I never went to court (then) I was back in college basketball two months later.”
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When asked by ESPN if there was a nondisclosure agreement with Trew, Beard said he’s “not going down those roads.”
Texas head coach Chris Beard and his team celebrate a Nov. 7, 2022, win over UTEP which was the inaugural game played at Moody Center. Beard’s UT record was 29-13, including the school’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2014 in 2022.
Jay Janner/American-Statesman
Ole Miss has had its struggles
Beard went 5-0 in Moody Center, a mark that included an impressive 93-74 win over No. 2 Gonzaga that hinted at things to come for the Longhorns. Texas ended the 2022-23 season with a 29-9 record and reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 2008. The Longhorns had a 7-1 record at the time of Beard’s suspension and went 22-8 under interim head coach Rodney Terry.
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Terry signed a five-year contract after the season, but was fired after going 40-29 with one NCAA Tournament win over the subsequent two seasons. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte hired Sean Miller in March 2025.
Beard, who has a career record of 334-226 in 11 seasons as a head coach, took over the Ole Miss program prior to the 2023-24 season after going 29-13 in little more than a year at Texas. He went 20-12 in his first season with the Rebels and 24-12 a year ago while reaching the NCAA Tournament, but Ole Miss has struggled to find consistency this season.
According to Miller, Beard remains one of the best coaches in the game despite his team’s current struggles. He especially relates to Beard’s fiery coaching style, which can include the occasional technical foul as Rebels fans saw at Tennessee.
“I consider Chris Beard a friend of mine,” Miller said. “We’ve talked occasionally over the last couple of years, as we’ve kind of both had our own respective journeys. I certainly respect him as much as any coach in the country in terms of how he coaches the game, how he coaches his team, how he loves the game. I think we probably share in that.”
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Texas (14-9, 5-5 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (11-11, 3-7): How to watch
Where: Moody Center, Austin
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TV/radio: ESPN+; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM
