How to Watch | No. 20 Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Tips Off Monday Morning Against No. 3 USC

OXFORD, Miss. – With the start of the 2024-25 campaign finally upon us, No. 20/21 Ole Miss women’s basketball faces off today against No. 3 USC in the 2024 Aflac Oui-Play in Paris, France. The highly anticipated match up will air from Adidas Arena on ESPN starting at 11 a.m. CT.

TEAM FACTS

No. 20/21 Ole Miss Rebels (2023-24 Record: 24-9, 12-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 7th Season at Ole Miss (103-84) • 12th Season in Career (197-147)

No. 3/3 USC Trojans (2023-24 Record: 29-6, 13-5 PAC-12)
Head Coach: Lindsay Gottlieb • 4th Season at USC (62-32) • 15th Season in Career (297-160)

ON THE AIR

Television: ESPN
Play-by-Play: Ryan Ruocco
Color: Rebecca Lobo

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty

OLE MISS VS. USC

Ole Miss opens season 50 in Paris as they face No. 3 USC in the 2024 Aflac Oui-Play. This game will mark the first time the Rebels and Trojans face off.

USC is a newcomer to the Big Ten conference, as head coach Lindsay Gottlieb enters her fourth season at the helm. The Trojans went 29-6 last season and are coming off a conference title as a member of the Pac-12.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

The Trojans reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament last season, the fourth time in program history and the first in 30 seasons. The Trojans scored 90-plus points three times last season, led by All-American JuJu Watkins.

Alongside Watkins, the sophomore’s teammates Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen all returned to USC for the 2024-25 season and are all featured on the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List.

SEASON OPENER HITTERS

For the first time in 15 years, the Rebels will kickstart their season away from the comfort of their own home in the SJB Pavilion.

The last time Ole Miss opened the season at a neutral site was on Nov. 15, 2008, where the Rebels defeated North Carolina A&T, 80-64, in the Winthrop Hilton Garden Inn Classic at Rock Hill, S.C.

All time in season openers, the Rebels are 42-7 and 5-1 under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.

CLIMBING NEW HEIGHTS

Following another electrifying season for the Rebels, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin led her team to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 20th in program history during the 2023-24 season.

Team 49 etched their names into the record books, tallying 12 SEC wins to mark the most in program-history. Clutch conference victories over top-foes in Tennessee and Florida propelled the Rebels to achieve the feat.

With eight returning letterwinners and the addition of seven newcomers to bolster the squad, Ole Miss is primed and poised to make another historic run in 2024-25.

WHAT’S BACK FOR 2024-25?
• Points: 1,100 of 2,261 (48.6%)
• Rebounds: 731 of 1,369 (53.3%)
• Assists: 245 of 411 (59.6%)

GIVE ME THE NUMBERS

The 2024-25 Ole Miss basketball roster boasts some serious career statistics. Four players have scored over 1,000 points in their collegiate career, including Madisosn Scott (1337), KK Deans (1322), Kennedy Todd-Williams (1276) and Starr Jacobs (1151).

Collectively, the team possesses 6566 career points, 3210 rebounds, 1269 assists, 846 steals and 294 blocks.

RANKED REBS

For the past three years, Ole Miss has put the nation on notice and this season is no exception. The Rebels commence the season ranked in both the preseason AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll for the second consecutive year. Prior to last season, this recognition had not happened since 1995.

In the AP Poll, Ole Miss came in at No. 20 after ending last season outside the top-25. The Rebels begin the season ranked for the 18th time in school history.

Additionally, Ole Miss earned a spot in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll, claiming the No. 21 spot.

IT MEANS EVEN MORE

The gauntlet of the SEC got even tougher this season with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the conference for the 2024-25 academic year.

In the Media Poll, Ole Miss was chosen to finish No. 5 in the conference, while in the Coaches Poll, the Rebels were slotted to the No. 6 spot despite ending last year as the third-best team in the SEC.

The Rebels have surpassed expectations over the past four years, ending the season higher in the standings than voted on in the preseason polls.

50 YEARS OF OLE MISS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Dating back to 1974, Ole Miss women’s basketball has made its mark across countless lives on and off the court, and now Ole Miss Athletics is set to honor and celebrate these men and women for the 50 Year Anniversary of the program throughout the 2024-25 season.

Over 900 program wins, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 Sweet 16’s and five Elite 8’s, Ole Miss women’s basketball has been a key fixture of the university and the Oxford community throughout the last decade. As one of 33 teams to make 20 or more NCAA Tournament appearances, the Rebels have proved their longevity on the national stage.

With 17 First Team All-SEC selections, five All-Americans, four Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, the breadth of Ole Miss can be felt all throughout the game of women’s basketball. Throughout the WNBA and internationally, Rebels have made marks all over the professional ranks with seven WNBA draftees and multiple former players and coaches leading teams across the league.

JOY!

Every season, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin meticulously devises a phrase for the team to live by and this year she chose JOY!

McPhee-McCuin stated that this word came to her when she was reflecting on last year and how the Rebels faced a lot of hardships. Throughout these adversities, the Rebels lost a lot of their joy and McPhee-McCuin wants to ensure that it doesn’t happen again in 2024-25.

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS

When it comes to facing off against ranked opponents, Ole Miss owns 90 wins against such teams. The Rebels picked up three of those victories two seasons ago, including two in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Under Yolett McPhee-McCuin, the Rebels have knocked off 10 ranked opponents.

Ole Miss has toppled 30 teams ranked in the top-10, with 13 of those victories occuring while the Rebels are unranked.

This season, Ole Miss will face six teams in the AP preseason top-10 in No. 1 South Carolina, No. 3 USC, No. 4 Texas, No. 7 LSU, No. 9 NC State and No. 10 Oklahoma. Overall, the Rebels will see at least eight preseason top-25 foes, with five of those matchups taking place at the SJB Pavilion.