Coach Yo Addresses Identity, Urgency After Road Loss to Kentucky: ‘We didn’t compete like we usually compete’

LEXINGTON, Ky. — In a matchup with major NCAA Tournament implications, No. 14 Ole Miss saw its hopes of maintaining a top-16 seed take a bit of a step back Sunday afternoon, falling 74–57 to No. 18 Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

The loss snapped a six-game losing streak for Kentucky in the series and came at a critical moment for the Rebels, who entered the game projected as a top-16 seed and thus a projected NCAA tournament host according to women’s bracketologist Charlie Creme, who also predicted that a Kentucky win would likely result in the two teams swapping positions, pushing Ole Miss just outside the hosting line and giving the Wildcats a lift into a coveted hosting spot.

From the opening tip, however, Ole Miss struggled to find its footing.

“I thought Kentucky came out with a lot of passion,” head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “You have to stay steady.”

It was a sentiment that the Rebels struggled to play with, particularly in the first half. Ole Miss managed just 20 points before the break, its lowest first-half output of the season, including a nine-point second quarter in which it failed to make a field goal over the final nine minutes and 46 seconds. The Rebels also had a frustrating, seemingly never-ending stretch when Coach Yo’s squad just couldn’t figure out how to get the ball through the net, missing thirteen straight shots at one point in the second quarter.

Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin

Ole Miss entered the contest amid a stretch of unusual off-court turbulence. A midseason schedule revision caused by Winter Storm Fern forced the Rebels into four games in eight days (all of which come against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25, no less), with Sunday’s matchup serving as the opener to that gauntlet. McPhee-McCuin acknowledged that the disruption has contributed to some growing pains that were already very much present.

Coach Yo

Those issues were most evident on the offensive end. Ole Miss shot just 27 percent from the floor and 3-of-15 from three-point range. Star forward Cotie McMahon, one of the SEC’s most dynamic and prolific scorers, was held to 4-of-18 shooting.

“We started trying to do stuff we don’t normally do,” McPhee-McCuin said. “They did a great job defending us.”

She was quick to credit Kentucky’s physicality and length.

“Credit Kentucky, they are really long,” she said.

Despite the rough start, Ole Miss showed fight in the second half, trimming the deficit to as few as six points with under seven minutes remaining. But Kentucky responded with another surge powered by its offense which the Rebels just couldn’t find answers for, pulling away late as Ole Miss struggled to string together stops.

Coach Yo

Kentucky, meanwhile, found consistent success against a Rebels defense that has a reputation for being one of the nation’s toughest to score against. The Wildcats shot 51 percent from the floor and 37 percent from beyond the arc, led by center Clara Strack, who poured in 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

McPhee-McCuin pointed to leadership — or the lack thereof — as a key factor in the loss.

“Teams that are doing well are player led,” she said. “I thought tonight two players that needed to come with energy didn’t.”

That absence of cohesion extended to ball movement, something Ole Miss has relied on during its best performances this season.

“Just sharing the ball,” McPhee-McCuin said. “We are really good when we have a committee, and we didn’t do a good job moving the ball.”

The loss also underscored the unforgiving nature of SEC play, particularly with Ole Miss staring down a brutal upcoming stretch. As mentioned earlier, the Rebels will face three straight AP Top 25 opponents—home games against Tennessee and LSU over the next four days, followed by a road trip to No. 3 South Carolina—with little margin for error if they hope to reclaim a top-16 seed.

“That’s just this league,” McPhee-McCuin said. “You can lose any night. Everybody in our league is really good.”

Still, despite the setback, McPhee-McCuin expressed confidence in her team’s ability to respond, especially away from home.

“We’re not afraid to go on the road,” she said. “Some of our biggest wins have been on the road.”

At the same time, she made it clear that internal reflection is necessary as Ole Miss searches for consistency during the upcoming gauntlet.

“We are going through a bit of an identity crisis,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I didn’t feel the energy today. Today it wasn’t what it should have been.”

As the calendar turns toward March, the margin for error continues to shrink, a reality not lost on the Rebels’ head coach.

“We fight night in and night out, and sometimes we all get penalized for that,” she said. “I wish we didn’t have the conference tournament.”

For Ole Miss, Sunday’s loss served as both a warning and a measuring stick. With elite competition looming, how quickly the Rebels rediscover their identity may determine whether they are hosting in March or heading back on the road.

Next up:

Ole Miss takes on Tennessee on Tuesday, February 17, back home in the SJB Pavilion at 6:00 pm on ESPNU.