Ole Miss head women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
Ole Miss is holding on by a thread as a projected host seed in the latest NCAA women’s basketball bracketology from ESPN. The Rebels are projected as a No. 4 seed and to host a Regional tournament in Oxford. ESPN projects the Oxford field as Ole Miss, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 12 Quinnipiac and No. 14 Louisiana Tech.
Of course, there are some buts. One is this is simply an educated guess. Secondly, 14th-ranked Ole Miss (20-5, 7-3 SEC) faces a difficult gauntlet of games to close out the regular season, beginning today at No. 18 Kentucky (19-7, 6-6 SEC).
After today, Ole Miss faces back-to-back home games with traditional powers Tennessee and LSU before hitting the road for Columbia and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Rebels close with a road date at Florida and a home finale versus Texas A&M.
The games versus Kentucky, Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina represent four Top 25 teams in a row for the Rebels.
HOW TO WATCH TODAY’S GAME
If you reside in Oxford and are lucky enough to have Internet or cable after Winter Storm Fern, the game can be viewed here (and anywhere else) on the SEC Network.
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Sam Gore
Color: Angel Gray
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
A LOOK AT KENTUCKY
Second-year head coach Kenny Brooks and the Kentucky Wildcats enter the matchup at 19-7 overall and 6-6 in SEC play, including an 11-2 mark at home. The Wildcats are outscoring opponents by +18.0 points per game on the season, while holding teams to a 36.2 percent clip from the field. In conference play, that margin narrows to +2.6, as Kentucky averages 70.8 points against SEC competition.
Clara Strack anchors the interior, averaging 16.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game with 69 total blocks this season. In league play, she continues to produce at a high level with 15.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest, serving as the focal point of Kentucky’s frontcourt on both ends.
Tonie Morgan powers the offense, posting 14.5 points and 8.4 assists per game overall. Her 219 total assists are the most by any DI women’s basketball player this season, proving her efficiency in dropping dimes. In SEC action, she has elevated her scoring to 16.3 points per game while shooting 50 percent from three. Kentucky averages 17.4 assists per game on the year, showcasing the Wildcats’ ability to move the ball and generate quality looks.
From the perimeter, Asia Boone (73 made threes) and Amelia Hassett (65 made threes) stretch the floor, contributing to Kentucky’s 8.7 made threes per game. Defensively, Kentucky protects the rim at an elite level with 6.8 blocks per game, ranking second best in the nation behind Virginia. The Wildcats are at their best when they control the paint, share the ball efficiently, and establish early rhythm from the perimeter, especially inside a tough home environment in Lexington.
BOTTOM LINE
In order to host and bring March Madness to the Pavilion, we believe the Rebels simply must win today. We believe they have to win every game versus everyone left on the schedule not named LSU or South Carolina. When it comes to those two juggernauts, the Rebels need to at least split those games to bring the magic of March to the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Key wins over Vanderbilt and at Oklahoma help their cause.
| SEC WBB | conf | cpct | overall | opct | home | road | neutral | strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Carolina | 11-1 | 0.917 | 25-2 | 0.926 | 14-0 | 9-1 | 2-1 | W6 |
 Vanderbilt | 10-2 | 0.833 | 24-2 | 0.923 | 14-0 | 6-1 | 4-1 | W4 |
 Tennessee | 8-2 | 0.800 | 16-6 | 0.727 | 9-1 | 7-3 | 0-2 | W1 |
 Texas | 8-3 | 0.727 | 23-3 | 0.885 | 16-0 | 4-3 | 3-0 | L1 |
 Ole Miss | 7-3 | 0.700 | 20-5 | 0.800 | 11-0 | 4-3 | 5-2 | W1 |
 LSU | 8-4 | 0.667 | 22-4 | 0.846 | 11-2 | 8-2 | 3-0 | L1 |
 Alabama | 6-5 | 0.545 | 20-5 | 0.800 | 16-1 | 2-4 | 2-0 | L1 |
 Oklahoma | 6-5 | 0.545 | 18-6 | 0.750 | 12-2 | 3-3 | 3-1 | W1 |
 Kentucky | 6-6 | 0.500 | 19-7 | 0.731 | 11-2 | 7-4 | 1-1 | W1 |
 Georgia | 5-6 | 0.455 | 19-6 | 0.760 | 10-3 | 5-3 | 4-0 | L1 |
 Mississippi State | 4-7 | 0.364 | 17-8 | 0.680 | 13-3 | 2-5 | 2-0 | W1 |
 Missouri | 4-8 | 0.333 | 16-11 | 0.593 | 9-6 | 4-4 | 3-1 | L2 |
 Florida | 3-9 | 0.250 | 15-12 | 0.556 | 12-4 | 1-8 | 2-0 | L1 |
 Auburn | 2-9 | 0.182 | 13-12 | 0.520 | 9-5 | 2-6 | 2-1 | L6 |
 Texas A&M | 2-9 | 0.182 | 9-11 | 0.450 | 5-5 | 2-5 | 2-1 | L1 |
 Arkansas | 0-11 | 0.000 | 11-15 | 0.423 | 8-7 | 1-8 | 2-0 | L12 |