State and Ole Miss women set for Sunday showdown inside the Hump

In a women’s basketball rivalry that has seen some drastic swings over the years, Mississippi State and Ole Miss has become as competitive a matchup as ever in recent seasons.

Ole Miss has a 67-39 advantage all-time in the series, but the Bulldogs have made up some incredible ground since the early years. From 1975-1997, Ole Miss was an incredible 50-1 against a struggling Bulldog program.

As Sharon Fanning-Otis made the series as competitive as it had been, Vic Schaefer’s arrival created State’s most dominant run with a 13-2 record against the Rebels that included starting a 14-game winning streak. Yolette McPhee-McCuin has helped create more balance in the series and the coach has won four of the last six in the series.

Sam Purcell is currently 1-3 against the coach himself and is hoping that he gets closer to evening things up this year after splitting games with the Rebels a season ago. His team’s 69-57 triumph at Humphrey Coliseum last year was one of the high marks of the season and he needs another one this season.

“First and foremost, this game is for the fans. We understand being here the importance of the Mississippi State and Ole Miss rivalry,” Purcell said. “I think it’s a really cool weekend for basketball this weekend. That’s going to be a great vibe and there’s a pride factor you want to represent your state.

“I have tremendous respect for that program. Coach Yo has done a phenomenal job taking that program to the next level. She has a ton of returned experience so we have to make sure that we’re dialed in.”

Sunday presents major opportunity for Bulldogs’ postseason hopes

Sunday’s matchup pits two teams that are fighting to jump inside the top 25. The Rebels (12-5, 3-2 SEC) spent most of the regular season in the rankings but have recently fallen out after a couple of conference losses to Texas A&M and Alabama.

The Rebels’ metrics are strong with a top 20 ranking in the NET with four of the five losses coming to ranked opponents USC, UConn, NC State and Alabama. State is ranked 34^th in the NET with all four of its losses coming against top 25 teams in Georgia Tech, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee. The “big” wins still need to come for the Bulldogs and Sunday would be one of those.

State enters the ball game at 15-4 on the year with a 2-3 SEC mark after falling 86-73 on the road at No. 15 Tennessee on Thursday. The Bulldogs are led by Jerkaila Jordan (15.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG), Eniya Russell (13.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.3 APG) and Madina Okot (11.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG). However, Purcell has been impressed with the play of players off the bench as well like Destiney McPhaul, Kayla Thomas and Chandler Prater.

“We have a lot of special pieces so our bench can understand that you don’t have  to have a mentality that you have to be a starter to have success here,” Purcell said. “Value the minutes that you have coming off the bench and we can be a special team. It’s really cool to watch these different personalities come on and make our team stronger.”

Rebs have shown top half of the league potential

The Rebels have shown some major boom or bust potential in recent weeks and present a tough matchup on Sunday (2 p.m., SEC Network). Veteran Madison Scott is back for her fifth year with the program and averaging 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. Kennedy Todd-Williams also returned for a final season and KK Deans is back after missing most of last year with a knee injury.

Where the Rebels have found their offensive groove has been with freshman Sira Thienou. After dropping 29 points on Thursday night in a blowout win over Florida, Thineou is averaging 13.1 points per game to lead her team. She also leads the team with 47 steals on the season to create a major case for the best freshman in the league.

“I’m very familiar with them because I’ve studied them in the summer and in past years. They’re just extremely athletic, well-coached and are dogs. They take on (McPhee-McCuin’s) personality – they play hard and love to defend,” Purcell said of Ole Miss. “She has done a phenomenal job of getting offensive players and has a special freshman that has a chance to be Freshman of the Year. Returned experience with a lot of newcomers, they’re a tough team and will bring it for four quarters.”

Sunday’s game is part of a two-day matchup between the instate schools as the Bulldogs play the Rebels on Saturday night in men’s basketball action. The men’s game is the first between the two teams where each squad is ranked.