‘This is the fun time’: Coach Yo, Ole Miss coming down the stretch in crowded SEC
Let the fun begin.
Seven games remain in Ole Miss women’s basketball regular season, then comes the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina, from March 6-10. The Rebels (16-6, 6-3 SEC) are currently in a three-way tie for third in the conference with rivals LSU (19-4, 6-3) and Mississippi State (19-5, 6-3).
Powerhouse and undefeated South Carolina (21-0, 9-0) sits atop the standings. The Rebels had won four games in a row and were looking for just their second all-time win over the nation’s No. 1 team when the Gamecocks, on Sunday, rolled them in Columbia, 85-56.
Ole Miss next hosts Texas A&M (15-6, 3-5) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
“Big game ahead for us with A&M,” Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said Tuesday during her weekly press conference with local media. “The standings, the race is kind of really jumbled up. I don’t know if anybody (in the SEC) will be able to get separation. Maybe we could have had we pulled the unimaginable against South Carolina.
“It’s going to go all the way to the end as far as the standings are concerned, and this is a big game for us. This is a big game for Texas A&M. Luckily for us, with one game this week, our focus can be solely on them and preparing for them.”
Ole Miss has had to roll out nine different starting lineups this season due to a few high-profile injuries.
However, the Rebels, over the last five games, have settled into an initial rotation of Marquesha Davis, Kennedy Todd-Williams, Snudda Collins, Madison Scott and Rita Igbokwe. South Carolina was the group’s first loss.
Davis, in particular, has really stepped up her game. The one-time Arkansas transfer has scored double-digit points in a career-best seven straight games. She was the first Rebel since Shakira Austin in 2021 with three consecutive games with 20 or more points.
Austin was a Top 5 selection in the WNBA Draft.
“This is the fun time,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Luckily we get to play (the Texas A&M) game at home, and our focus is to protect home court.”
Collins and Kharyssa Richardson, her Rebel teammate, joined McPhee-McCuin for Tuesday’s media session. Here’s everything the trio had to say.
