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Ole Miss women's basketball is not dealing with an identity crisis but a bigger issue

11by:Jake Thompson•about 14 hours•

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Ole Miss women's head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. Mandatory credit: Ole Miss athletics

Through the first four games of Southeastern Conference play the Ole Miss women’s basketball team would best characterize it as an up and down start.

Two blowout and convincing wins mixed with two losses that left head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and the players scratching their heads.

Most recently the loss to then No. 18 Alabama last Sunday saw the punishing defense the Rebels are known for be neutralized by a hot three-point shooting ever from the Crimson Tide.

Between the two wins and two losses, it seems there is an identity crisis for the 2024-25 version of Ole Miss. But in McCuin’s eyes it might be a bigger issue.

“They’re not trying to figure (their identity) out. We’re trying to get them to buy into it fully,” McCuin said on Tuesday. “You see a game where we play a Vanderbilt and keep them 30 points below their average. If you watch them last night they almost beat LSU at LSU. I can’t figure out this team.

“It’s really the point of the season where my players have to take control of how they want things to go. It’s really that simple. In coaching you kind of feel helpless in these moments, but as a parent of two they kind of have to go through it.”

The mindset of McCuin is different at this point of the year than it has in previous seasons when the schedule hits mid-January.

Ole Miss (11-5, 2-2 SEC) not fully committed, according to McCuin, into what the vision and plan is for the season when the season is more than half over feels like too big of a problem to overcome.

There are still 12 games remaining in the SEC slate and plenty of time to get the season back on track.

Aspirations of hosting and earning a top four seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament were more than a pipe dream with the roster McCuin put together but the results are telling a different story. Ole Miss is now 0-4 against ranked opponents this season. Not a résumé-boosting stat if you are a team with the goal of playing the first two rounds of the tournament in your own arena.

The Rebels are still No. 15 in the latest NET rankings, giving them a solid foundation to build off of the rest of the season. Tuesday’s newest ‘Bracketology’ update from ESPN’s Charlie Creme he had Ole Miss moved down to an 8 Seed.

“At the beginning of the year I was hooting and hollering about us wanting to host but we can’t put the cart before the horse,” McCuin added. “We want this to be our fourth year going to the NCAA Tournament. Now, the SEC this year is dangerous and very competitive. I do think we have an opportunity to take 12 teams. We want to be one of the 12.”

Ole Miss is back in action on Thursday when it hosts Florida (11-7, 2-2) at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

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