Preview: Ole Miss women’s basketball travels to Starkville to take on State
“A narrative is like a room on whose walls a number of false doors have been painted; while within the narrative, we have many apparent choices of exit, but when the author leads us to one particular door, we know it is the right one because it opens.” — John Updike
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and the Rebel women’s basketball team continue to change the narrative and culture for hoops. Last season, the program progressed all the way to the NCAA tournament, and Coach Yo and her Rebs are out to equal — and pass — that performance in 2023, starting with a win today on the road at Mississippi State.
Ole Miss opens 2023 on the road with their 102nd meeting against Mississippi State. Tipoff from Humphrey Coliseum is set for 5:00 p.m. CST.
This rivalry game will bring the intensity and passion for which it is known, and, of course, bragging rights in the state.
The Rebels and Dawgs are both 12-2 overall and 1-0 in SEC play. This will be the second conference game for each. The last time Ole Miss won on the road in Starkville was 2007 when they pulled off an 86-84 overtime win.
Scouting State
Mississippi State returns home after a strong win in Nashville, 72-44, over Vandy. In his first season in Starkville, head coach Steve Purcell looks to continue to create momentum coming off a seven-game winning street
Today’s matchup should be a defensive showdown as State ranks fourth in nation and second in the SEC in scoring defense, holding teams to 50.1 points per game. It doesn’t end there — the bulldogs also are third in the country and in the SEC in defensive field goal percentage (30.8).
Jessika Carter is the nucleus of the MSU defense, leading the SEC in blocks (38) and blocks per game average (2.71). Carter is coming off scoring her 1000th-career point in the win over Vandy.
A look at the Rebs
Ole Miss opened SEC play with a dominant win over Auburn, 79-47, in Oxford. The Rebels capitalized on every play, causing 18 turnovers and closing with a 32-point margin of victory which was the largest margin for an Ole Miss win since 2007.
Ole Miss is catching national attention in its defensive efforts. The Rebel defense currently ranks 10th in the nation in scoring defense, holding teams to only 52.4 points. The Rebels also rank 11th in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to an average of 33.8 percent.
Ole Miss is 12-0 when holding its opponent to 60 points and under.
Two keys for the Rebs on the road will be to continue finding ways to create turnovers and to put up points off them, as well as slow down MSU’s Carter.
Creating long-term success is no easy task, but Coach Yo and the Rebels look to continue their path by kicking down the door in Starkville.
Game info:
Today’s game on the road in Starkville is set for a 5:00 p.m. tipoff and will be televised on the SEC Network.
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Lee Ann serves as the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She sees college football the way championship programs do—from inside the personnel room. Every evaluation, every roster move, every recruiting battle tells a bigger story about identity, culture, and how a program is built to win in December, not just July.
With more than 15 years covering the SEC and the national recruiting landscape, Herring-Olvedo has built a reputation as one of the sport’s most respected personnel-driven voices—blending film evaluation, roster construction, and long-term program vision through a true front-office lens. Her coverage of powerhouse brands like Ole Miss Rebels and Kentucky Wildcatshas consistently gone beyond headlines, focusing instead on the blueprint behind winning programs: development, fit, culture, and recruiting strategy.
That foundation was formed early at Brown University, where she worked in player personnel and recruiting while competing as a student-athlete. Inside those recruiting operations rooms, she learned how elite organizations are truly built—through relentless evaluation, relationship building, projection, and trust in the board. Those experiences shaped the way she studies the game today: part scout, part storyteller, part architect.
Her analysis and reporting have appeared across major platforms including ESPN, NFL coverage spaces, USA Today Sports, and Saturday Down South. She also brought her personnel-minded approach to the airwaves as an on-air analyst for the Wake Up 502 College Football Show on Big X Sports Radio 96.1, where she became known for combining film-room detail with a wider understanding of roster identity and program trajectory.
In 2025, covering the rise of Houston Cougars football under Willie Fritz reignited the part of the sport that first drew her into football—the culture, the edge, the belief that a roster can reshape an entire city. That inspiration led to the launch of Coogs 365 Sports, a platform built to cover Houston athletics through a true scouting and recruiting lens while connecting the emotion of the game to the heartbeat of H-Town.
Now, Herring-Olvedo returns to The Rebel Walk where with an even deeper perspective shaped by years inside recruiting circles, national SEC coverage, and hands-on evaluation experience. Her return brings a familiar voice back to Ole Miss coverage—but with an evolved lens rooted in roster architecture, player development, and the modern realities of building championship-caliber football in the NIL and portal era.
For Herring-Olvedo, recruiting has never been about stars beside a name. It is about identifying competitors, projecting growth, and building a locker room capable of sustaining success. Her philosophy mirrors the best front offices in football: stack traits, trust culture, and never stop building.
