And while no one was looking…
This happened.
The No. 17 Ole Miss women stormed into Norman and defeated the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners Thursday night. It ended a 13-game win streak for the highly-touted Sooners.
It also sent a message to the women’s college basketball world: Ole Miss isn’t just hype. These ladies are for real and own a legitimate chance to be the next Rebel team to challenge for immortality.
Why was no one looking? Well, because the football program has already ascended to that elite level and was caught up in the midst of a Hurricane Thursday night in the form of Miami. The game was an instant classic and became more thrilling as it played out.
Meanwhile, it was a glorious night for head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her crew. Defense travels, and it did last night.
“What we just did is not easy to do,” McPhee-MCuin. “They don’t just let people come in here and beat them…
“I have so miuch respect for (Oklahoma heaed coach) Jennie (Baranczyk), and she’s been kicking my butt since we started to play, before she even came to the SEC.”
Perhaps even more amazing is the Rebels start. They improved to 15-3 overall and to 2-1 inside the rugged SEC. They dd so with a roster composed of 83 percent newcomers…a roster full of transfer players and freshmen.
Ole Miss star Cotie McMahon…one of 10 newcomers to Coach Yo’s roster this season, led the Rebels in scoring Thursday night with 22 points against the No. 5 Sooners.
THE CHEMISTRY
This team should only get better as its chemistry does.
“I got10 new players man, said McPhee-MCCuin. “I got 10 new players, and I’ve got two players that are playing new roles. I have a brand-new team.”
The Rebels almost won at second-ranked Texas on Sunday after falling behind by 19 points. That game ended when a Cotie McMahon three-point shot hit off the front of the rim.
“I was really grateful for the Texas loss,” related McPhee-McCuin. “I thought it prepared us for tonight. After we lost to Texas, I told my team, ‘If they’re number two, I guess we;re number three.’ So, like, we just never stopped believing in ourselves.
“This is just the beginning. This is just our third (SEC) game. I wish this was the end, then we could say yay. But this is just our third game, so we’ll just continue to learn and grow.”
That continuing to learn and grow is what ought to have people talking the day after this epic win.
The Rebels host rival Mississippi State on Sunday. Tip0off is set for 5 p.m. and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network.