Ole Miss has created a 'system' that is built for quick turnarounds in the NCAA Tournament
Sunday was a day for the Ole Miss women’s basketball team to get some practice time in, watch some film but most importantly take advantage of just under 48 hours between games.
The Rebels knocked off Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, punching their ticket to a second round showdown with host team and 2 Seed Notre Dame (27-6) on Monday afternoon.
But this downtime between games feels like a week layoff for Ole Miss (24-8) after playing in two previous tournaments this season with less time. The tournament in the Bahamas in November and the SEC Tournament earlier this month is a game-a-day format, advancing does not come with a day off.
Because of this, Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her staff are more than prepared for the extra time allotted to them in South Bend this weekend.
“That’s why we’re built for the tournament, because our system is our system,” McCuin said during Sunday’s press conference. “We don’t have to change it. We make a few tweaks, and that’s about it.
“We honestly feel like this is a gift because we get a day where we can watch film and truly prepare for a great staff and a great team in Notre Dame. Last night I think we were up, coaches, until about midnight, and then we watched film this morning at 11:00 for about an hour, and now we’re here. As far as we’re concerned, we treat it almost like a conference prep, even though we get two days. This is more than enough time for us to prepare.”
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Monday presents another opportunity for Ole Miss to get a second win over a top two seed in the NCAA Tournament in as many years.
Last season the Rebels knocked off No. 1 seed Stanford in Palo Alto and this year they can beat the Irish inside their home gym to get to a second straight Sweet 16.
The task will be just as difficult with freshman guard Hannah Hildalgo and her team-best 23 points per game paired with junior guard Sonia Citron’s second-best 17.1 points per game.
The Fighting Irish will be without senior forward Kylee Watson who tore her ACL during the ACC Tournament earlier this month. But that does not slow down this team, which beat 15 Seed Kent State 81-67 in the first round.
“It’s the whole team. I think for us it’s just about sticking to our principles,” Ole Miss guard Kennedy Todd-Williams said on Sunday. “We know they’re hard to guard, especially those two, but just being ready, staying in front of them, and really sticking to our principles is going to be the keys. We know that. Hidalgo is a scrappy player, but it’s about us at this point.”
