Boos rained down as Chris Beard returned to Austin. His homecoming, marked by a hostile crowd and a controversial past, sparked intense emotions on the court.
Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard is no stranger to boos.
During his 1.5 seasons at Texas, Beard was greeted with an extremely hostile environment every time they travelled to face his former team, Texas Tech, in Lubbock, Texas.
On Saturday, it was the Longhorns' turn to boo him as Beard's Rebels jogged onto the court of a packed Moody Center. His return to Austin came just over three years after he was fired following a domestic violence arrest.
Texas is not only Beard's former team, it's his alma mater (graduated with a Kinesiology degree in 1995).
Receiving such a negative crowd response from such a special place has to hurt, no matter how much one tries to downplay it.
"I didn't really notice it," Beard said after the game. "I thought it was a great home crowd for basketball on a Saturday in Austin, Texas. I did hear a few things from the student section entering the floor and leaving the floor, but no different than the things you hear at other great home advantages around the country."
"I was pretty locked in. I've always been like that."
Beard was trying to take away the emotion for himself, but that doesn't mean he didn't explain his situation to his locker room before this game.
He said that he's always looking for ways to motivate his players emotionally, and that was his way of trying to do that.
"It's the next game on the schedule, but we talked to the guys a lot about getting emotionally attached to each game," he said. "We're always looking for locker room material... so did I explain to our players that several of us on this coaching staff used to coach at Texas? Well, of course I did, because we're trying to find the edge."
Speaking of bulletin board material, Ole Miss may have some if they were to face off against the Longhorns in the SEC Tournament.
It was reported that before the game, a Texas assistant coach told Rebels guard Eduardo Klafke that he "can't dribble."
Beard was not amused.
"If the basketball gods put us against Texas again in Nashville, I'm sure we'll kind of use that (as bulletin board material)."
After an abrupt and ugly exit as the Longhorns' head coach, Beard most likely knew an unpleasant reception awaited him.
But that won't make it hurt any less.