OleMiss365.com’s exclusive interview with head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.
Ole Miss played the undefeated and second-ranked Texas Longhorns as good as anybody on Sunday in Austin. The Rebels, down by 19 at one point, found themselves and stormed back. With the game on the line, Cotie McMahon’s three-point shot hit the rim as time expired on a 67-64 Longhorns win.
Time for an easy opponent now, right?
Nope.
The Rebels (14-3, 1-1 SEC), ranked No. 18 in this week’s Associated Press Women’s Top 25 poll, now head into a Thursday night affair versus the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on the SEC Network+.
Such is life in the SEC.
“I felt like our team has always been competitive. I don’t want us to be the comeback kids,” said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, in reference to the Rebels also being down to Notre Dame by 19 points earlier this season only to rally to victory.
“I want us to be a team that can come out and play with that sense of urgency from the beginning. But I also know that I have a brand-new team.”
The Rebels’ roster this season is composed of a whopping 83 percent newcomers from the transfer portal and high school ranks.
“People don’t talk about it enough,” McPhee-McCuin related. “I see a lot of teams out here…on the men’s and women’s side…struggling because they have a brand-new team. It just goes to show that our team has bought in to what we’re trying to do. We’re not going to be able to reap until we understand what it takes to win those type of games.”
The Rebels march ahead Thursday night in their grueling SEC schedule.
THE SOONERS
Oklahoma brings in a record of 14-1 and owns a 2-0 mark in SEC play.
What particular problems does McPhee-McCuin see that the Oklahoma Sooners can present on Thursday?
“That’s the thing that is challenging about this league. In this league, you play one team that has one style, then you play another team that’s a totally different style,” explained McPhee-McCuin. “Oklahoma’s style is completely different than Texas. Where as Texas was a ground and pound game, Oklahoma will pound you, but they also want to ut a hundred on you, if they can.
“You have to be able to limit their transition looks. You have to dictate the tempo of the game. Every time we’ve played Oklahoma…it has always been a close game, and we’ve done a good job of dictating the tempo. If we allow them to dictate the temp by taking quick shots or doing uncharacteristic things that is not advantageous for us, it can get ugly pretty quickly.”
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
Jennie Baranczyk leads Oklahoma as the ninth head coach in program history. She’s compiled a 115-35 record in her five-year tenure with the Sooners. This season, she’s guided Oklahoma to a 14-1 record entering Thursday’s competition, 13 of which have come consecutively. Oklahoma’s only loss this season came in its second game of the year against UCLA.
During their 13-game winning streak, the Sooners have averaged 98.1 points per game which includes a four-game stretch north of 100 points. In total, Oklahoma has dropped at least 100 points in six contests this season, the most being a 126-point stomping of NC Central on Dec. 22. Oklahoma ranks second in the national conversation in terms of scoring offense, averaging 94.5 points per game.
The starting five of Oklahoma have much to do with its high-scoring prowess, as each are averaging at least 10 points per game. Freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez and senior center Raegan Beers are the headliners of the offense, each complementing the other’s game nicely. The duo are averaging 18.9 and 17.4 points per game, respectively. Chavez has become a more-than-capable point guard for Oklahoma, leading the team with 4.4 assists per game, which is second-most among SEC freshmen, with 1.9 steals.
Her favorite target, Beers, is one the premier rebounders and defenders in the conference, averaging 10.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. She averages the third-most rebounds in the conference and leads the country in double-doubles with 12.
As a team, Oklahoma is also one of the best nationally in disrupting opposing offenses, holding the top defensive field goal percentage in the country. The Sooners hold opponents to 29.8 percent shooting on average while having the most defensive rebounds in the NCAA at 36.5 per game. Their strong offense and defense has led to one of the best scoring margins, winning games by an average of 34.9 points.
IUWALA IS BACK
Center Christeen Iuwala returned from injury in time for the Georgia game. She appeared to be a little hobbled versus Georgia but looked much more fluid in her efforts versus Texas.
“I think she did a good job,” said McPhee-McCuin. “I do think we could have done a better job as far as getting her more touches because she is so impactful around the rim.”
Iuwala is averaging 14.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
Television: SEC Network+, 6 p.m. CT
Play-by-Play: Chad McKee
Color: Bryndon Manzer
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SEC WOMEN’S STANDINGS
| conf | cpct | overall | opct | home | road | neutral | strk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Texas | 2-0 | 1.000 | 17-0 | 1.000 | 11-0 | 3-0 | 3-0 | W17 |
 Vanderbilt | 2-0 | 1.000 | 15-0 | 1.000 | 9-0 | 3-0 | 3-0 | W15 |
 Kentucky | 2-0 | 1.000 | 15-1 | 0.938 | 8-0 | 6-0 | 1-1 | W8 |
 South Carolina | 2-0 | 1.000 | 15-1 | 0.938 | 9-0 | 4-0 | 2-1 | W8 |
 Oklahoma | 2-0 | 1.000 | 14-1 | 0.933 | 9-0 | 2-0 | 3-1 | W13 |
 Tennessee | 2-0 | 1.000 | 10-3 | 0.769 | 6-0 | 4-1 | 0-2 | W3 |
 Alabama | 1-1 | 0.500 | 15-1 | 0.938 | 13-0 | 0-1 | 2-0 | W1 |
 Georgia | 1-1 | 0.500 | 15-1 | 0.938 | 9-0 | 2-1 | 4-0 | W1 |
 Mississippi State | 1-1 | 0.500 | 14-2 | 0.875 | 11-0 | 1-2 | 2-0 | L1 |
 Ole Miss | 1-1 | 0.500 | 14-3 | 0.824 | 9-0 | 2-1 | 3-2 | L1 |
 LSU | 0-2 | 0.000 | 14-2 | 0.875 | 7-1 | 4-1 | 3-0 | L2 |
 Florida | 0-2 | 0.000 | 12-5 | 0.706 | 9-2 | 1-3 | 2-0 | L2 |
 Missouri | 0-2 | 0.000 | 12-5 | 0.706 | 7-3 | 2-1 | 3-1 | L2 |
 Auburn | 0-2 | 0.000 | 11-5 | 0.688 | 7-2 | 2-3 | 2-0 | L2 |
 Arkansas | 0-2 | 0.000 | 11-6 | 0.647 | 8-3 | 1-3 | 2-0 | L3 |
 Texas A&M | 0-2 | 0.000 | 7-4 | 0.636 | 4-2 | 1-1 | 2-1 | L2 |