Game date, time set for Ole Miss Women’s Basketball NCAA First-Round Tournament Matchup on Saturday
OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss women’s basketball team just finished its third-straight 20-win season and, more importantly, has just received its third straight NCAA postseason invitation.
The Rebels will travel to South Bend, Indiana for a Saturday, March 23, matchup with Marquette in first-round action. Tipoff between the Rebels (23-8) and the Golden Eagles (23-8) is set for 3:45 p.m. CT.
The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s Rebels enter the tourney as a No. 7 seed, while Marquette is a No. 10 seed.
“We have our work cut out with the opponents, with Marquette, who we’re getting ready to play,” Coach Yo said at the Rebels’ watch party and media opportunity Sunday.
“And then if we beat Marquette and then who we play after that….Notre Dame — and in their own place. But we’re no strangers to that either. So, as far as we’re concerned, this is an opportunity for us to continue to build the momentum that I hope we can have as we head into next year. So I’m excited to see how far we can take this.”
Coach Yo
Click HERE for the NCAA Women’s Tournament Full Bracket
If the Rebels defeat Marquette, they will play on Sunday against the winner of No. 2 seed Notre Dame vs. No. 15 seed Kent State with the winner advancing to Albany for the Sweet 16 round.
Setting the bar
Coach Yo and her teams continue to break records and set the bar even higher. The head coach recently earned her 100th win at Ole Miss. That feat has only been accomplished by one other coach in program history, Van Chancellor.
Last year, the Rebels tied a program best with 11 wins in SEC play, and this year they finished one better, setting a school record with 12 SEC wins.
In her sixth year at the helm of the Rebels, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has turned Ole Miss into a force to be reckoned with, finishing in the top-four of the SEC standings the last three seasons.
Further, under her tutelage this season, Coach Yo developed two All-SEC players as Marquesha Davis and Madison Scott were named to the First Team, with Scott also garnering All-Defensive Team honors.
One year ago, Coach Yo and the Rebs made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007, defeating No. 1 Stanford on their postseason run.
On Sunday, Coach Yo was asked her thoughts on facing Marquette.
“I mean, for us, we just have to be who we are. You know what we do. It’s no mystery to who we are and what we’re capable of doing. I like to think that the Southeastern Conference has prepared us for that, night in and night out. I’m really excited about the opportunity to go up against a team like Marquette. They’ve had ups and downs this season, but have a lot of respect for Coach (Megan) Duffy. And she played at Notre Dame, so you know she’s a competitor. And their players (forward) Liza (Karlen) and (guard) McKenzie (Hare) and (guard) Jordan (King) are all super talented. That’s their big three. And so we have to figure out how to stop them. And they’ve also had successful wins. They beat Arkansas, beat Creighton, beat Illinois and the game is closer to home for them. So I bet they’ll have home court attendance there. And so all in all, for us, we’re excited about the opportunity to play someone outside of the Southeastern Conference. That’s a blessing because, you know, it’s a jungle in the SEC. And we’re excited about seeing what we’re able to do out there, for sure.”
Coach Yo on playing Marquette
Next Up:
Ole Miss will face Marquette in the opening round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Tipoff is set for 3:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 23 in South Bend, Indiana. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
