No. 12 Ole Miss women’s basketball tips off today vs. Queens on Kid’s Day in the SJB Pavilion
OXFORD, Miss. — The No. 12 Ole Miss women’s basketball team leads off the season for a trio of Top 25 basketball teams who’ll be playing today, as three ranked vs. ranked matchups are on the schedule.
The 12th-ranked Rebels host Queens at 11:00 CT Monday morning to ring in the 2023-2024 women basketball season. It’s Kid’s Day in the SJB Pavilion, as Ole Miss welcomes elementary, middle and high school students from across the state of Mississippi.
The opener will be streamed on SECN+.
Then, at noon on ESPN, No. 6 South Carolina meets 10th-ranked Notre Dame in Paris, France. At 1:00 pm, it’s No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 21 Southern Cal in Las Vegas, followed by No. 1 LSU and No. 20 Colorado at 6:30 on TNT.
The other ranked SEC team tipping off today is No. 25 Mississippi State who’s hosting Alcorn in Stark Vegas.
The Ole Miss women, led by head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, are coming off a thrilling season from a year ago, one that saw the Rebels knock off Gonzaga and No. 1-seed Stanford in Palo Alto in the NCAA Tournament, earning a Sweet-16 appearance.
Coming off a 25-win season and a Sweet-16 appearance, Coach Yo and the 12th-ranked Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Team are the first team on the court in the 2023-2024 season starting at 11 AM. See y’all there! 🏀 pic.twitter.com/nVSV6LARWA
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) November 6, 2023
In spite of the losses of leaders in Angel Baker and Myah Taylor, the Rebels bring back a strong core of starters in Marquesha Davis, Madison Scott and Tyia Singleton as well as extra depth coming off the bench with Snudda Collins, Elauna Eaton, Rita Igbokwe and Ayanna Thompson.
They also bring back the following production:
- Points: 1,521 of 2,334 (65.1%)
- Rebounds: 1,091 of 1,421 (76.8%)
- Assists: 169 of 419 (40.3%)
- Blocks: 155 of 174 (89.0%)
- 3-Pointers: 101 of 164 (61.5%) – Snudda Collins accounted for 55 of 164 (33.5%)
McPhee-McCuin hit the portal this offseason once again in search of fresh talent to infuse into the Rebel program, picking up three Power Five transfers, including two of ESPN’s Top-15 available.
Look for KK Deans (Florida), Kharyssa Richardson (Auburn) and Kennedy Todd-Williams (North Carolina) to make an immediate impact on the Rebels.
- Deans was the leading scorer for the Gators in 2022-23 with 14.1 points per game and was rated as the No. 14 available transfer by ESPN.
- Richardson transferred from Auburn following her freshman campaign after appearing in 28 games for the Tigers, starting in 27. She led Auburn in rejections with a total of 23 blocks.
- Todd-Williams joined the Rebels following three seasons at North Carolina. She was touted as the No. 11 available transfer by ESPN. She was named Second-Team All-ACC as a junior, ranking second in scoring for the Tar Heels with 13.4 points per game. She also led Carolina in triples in 2022-23 with a total of 52 makes from beyond the arc.
All-time in season openers, the Rebels are 41-7 and 4-1 under McPhee-McCuin. In home openers, the Rebels are 45-3.
Coach Yo, now entering her sixth season with the Rebels, is obviously extremely excited to see this team in action and is anticipating an outstanding debut in front of the Rebels’ home crowd.
“I feel confident saying this is the toughest team I’ve had. I know that people say when they describe us, they describe us as gritty, defensive minded and we’re going to be that. That’s never going to change. This is the most competitive group I’ve had. Team 49, they don’t take a play off. I think it’s because the talent has increased, so everybody has to bring their A-game every single day. They are fearless and they are willing, they have big big goals. I think three years ago we just wanted to get to the tournament. We didn’t care how, by bus or if we had to walk. This team is like we have other bigger things. We feel like we’re going to get to the tournament and that’s a great place to be. I’m in year six, I don’t know if I would be standing here if we weren’t at this place right now, let’s be honest. That’s where our program is right now and I’m pretty pleased by it.“
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
Under her tutelage in the first two seasons of the transfer-portal era, Ole Miss has compiled 48 wins against 18 losses (.727) with NCAA Tournament berths in the first two seasons of the NCAA’s free-transfer era.
Hotty Toddy!
David Walker
David is the consummate true-freshman quarterback, first pioneering the position only a year after college freshmen were given varsity eligibility by the NCAA in 1972. In 1973, the left-handed all-state gunslinger from Sulphur, Louisiana started for the Texas A&M Aggies and earned the All-Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year award as selected by the league’s coaches. David is the first college quarterback ever awarded Freshman of the Year in the NCAA. He was only 17, and still holds the NCAA record as the youngest starting quarterback in college football history. He wore No. 8 at A&M in honor of one of his football heroes, Archie Manning.
In becoming the winningest quarterback ever at A&M, David was converted from a dual-threat QB to a triple option trailblazer. The two-time team captain led three record-breaking offenses that changed the direction of football at A&M forever, establishing once and for all the winning tradition that the Aggies had so-long desired.
As a high school head coach in Houston in the late ‘80s, David stationed his quarterback in the shotgun formation, having him reading defenses and throwing hot routes at a time when such offensive schemes were frowned upon by traditional fans and coaches. One of his quarterbacks tossed 57 passes in a single game, which stood as the all-time Greater Houston Area record for many years.
As you can tell from his bona fides, David is extremely qualified as our expert on all things Quarterback at Ole Miss. Enjoy his exclusive analysis only here at The Rebel Walk!
