On3 Things to Know: Ole Miss is back hunting and Arkansas is up next

The Ole Miss women’s basketball team got the taste of two straight Southeastern Conference losses out of their collective mouths with a big win over Mississippi State this past Thursday.

Not only did the Rebels (17-4, 6-2 SEC) get back in the win column but they secured the first regular season sweep over the Bulldogs since the 2003-04 season. The victory also allowed Ole Miss to go 2-2 in its second pod of the SEC schedule.

A bounce back performance like Ole Miss put on against its in-state rival might have been just what the team needed. The players were feeling like they were during the five-game winning streak to open up conference play.

“I think that we learned a lot losing those two games and I think tonight we had fun,” said guard Myah Taylor. “I think we got back to Ole Miss basketball. We defend and I just think we did that tonight and that’s why we went out there and played the way we did. So, I think we’re going to be back rolling and back to playing Ole Miss basketball.”

Ole Miss got its groove back and now is back in hunting mode with Arkansas (17-6, 4-4) next in the crosshairs. A trip to Fayetteville is up next for the Rebels on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT who are looking for a victory over their sixth different SEC opponent this season.

Lets take a closer look at the upcoming matchup, with game notes provided by Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ARKANSAS

Ole Miss holds a five game advantage over Arkansas in the series dating back to 1985, with the Rebels leading 26-21.

The Rebels have shown success the last two seasons against the Razorbacks, claiming the last two meetings against UA. Last season in Oxford, Ole Miss handily defeated Arkansas 70-62, as Shakira Austin set an SJB Pavilion record with 16 rebounds.

Arkansas has defended home court in Fayetteville, leading 14-5. Ole Miss is on the hunt for its first win in Fayetteville since 2011.

SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS

Riding a three-game slide into Sunday’s matchup, Arkansas sits at 17-6 overall and 4-4 in SEC play.

The Razorbacks are coming off of two losses in the last three games decided by one possession. As one of the strongest offenses in the SEC, the Razorbacks rank fourth in the conference averaging 75.35 points per outing.

One of the hottest teams beyond the arc nationally, Arkansas prepares to go up against the Rebels touted three-point defense averaging 8.35 triples per game.

Erynn Barnum paces the Razorbacks, averaging 15.9 points per game to rank seventh overall in the conference. UConn transfer Saylor Poffenbarger leads the charge on the boards with 7.1 per game.

SNUDDA SQUAD

No doubt Snudda Collins was feeling herself on Thursday against Mississippi State, with the junior draining a career-high tying five three’s off the bench. 

With 44 made triples this season and 144 attempts, Collins is climbing her way up the Ole Miss history charts. Collins is 22 made three’s away from ranking in the top-five in a single-season.

SHARING IS CARING

Dropping a 20 dimes against Mississippi State, the Rebels showed that sharing the ball proved to be an extreme benefit. The 20 assists were the most in an SEC game by the Rebels this season.

Three Rebels combined for 18 of those 20 dimes, with Angel Baker, Madison Scott and Myah Taylor dishing out six apiece.

The last time Ole Miss had three Rebels with five or more dimes, was last season against Texas A&M from the SJB Pavilion.

THE ROAD TO 20 WINS

21 games into the season, Ole Miss’ 17 wins have them three away from hitting yet another historic milestone.

Ole Miss has not had back-to-back 20 win seasons since the 1993-94 & 1994-95 seasons.

Those teams respectively tallied 24 & 21 wins en route to two straight NCAA tournament appearances.

SCOTT STILL STREAKING

Madison Scott hasn’t cooled off the last 11 games, tallying double-digit points in each of them. Six of those games have been with 15 or more points as well.

This is the longest scoring streak of its kind for any Rebel this season and the longest scoring streak of Scott’s career. Last season, Shakira Austin recorded double-digits in 10 straight games as well.

MUST PACK – DEFENSE

It’s no secret that Ole Miss thrives off its defense, yet with the win over Georgia, the Rebels picked up its third straight SEC road victory.

It’s the first time Ole Miss started 3-0 on the road within the conference and the first time since 1991-92 the Rebels have won back-to-back-to back road games against SEC foes.

WHAT’S IN THE SECRET SAUCE?

The correlation between Rebel wins and rebounding is evident, as all 17 Ole Miss wins have come when outrebounding its opponent.

Through seven games in SEC play, Ole Miss has outrebounded its opponents by an average of +7.3 boards per game.