From UM Media Relations:
OXFORD, Miss. -- A tough test awaits No. 12/16 Ole Miss women's basketball in its second game of the season, welcoming future SEC foe Oklahoma to the SJB Pavilion Thursday for an opening night celebration. Tipoff against the Sooners is set for 6 p.m. CT, airing nationally on SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
No. 12/16 Ole Miss Rebels (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 6th Season at Ole Miss (80-76) • 11th Season in Career (173-138)
Oklahoma (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Head Coach: Jennie Baranczyk • 3rd Season at Oklahoma (52-16) • 11th Season in Career (244-112)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play by Play: Brenda VanLengen
Analyst: Tamika Catchings
Radio: 105.1 FM
Play by Play: Graham Doty
SERIES NOTES
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
Oklahoma enters year three under head coach Jennie Baranczyk coming off of an appearance in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament and a 26-7 campaign last season.
Highlighted by two-time Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year in Skylar Vann, four newcomers joined the Sooner roster this offseason in hopes of taking OU back to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.
OLE MISS VS. OKLAHOMA
The Rebels welcome the Sooners to Oxford in the final game of a home-and-home series between the two programs, where the all-time series remains tied at 2-2.
Ole Miss claimed the lone matchup in Oxford in a 77-75 win in 1998. Last year in Norman, Oklahoma utilized a fourth quarter surge to edge the Rebels, 69-59.
REBELS VS. THE BIG 12
Against schools from the current Big 12, Ole Miss holds a winning record of 24-15. The Rebels last win against a Big 12 opponent came in December of 2021 in a 65-50 victory over Texas Tech in West Palm Beach.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
In front of a rowdy Kids Day crowd, Ole Miss silenced Queens 91-44 to defeat the Royals in its season opener and kick off the 2023-24 campaign 1-0.
Madison Scott did what she does best, in recording her 22nd double-double of her career off of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Off the bench, Snudda Collins provided a spark to lead all scorers by dropping 17 points off of 6-of-10 shooting.
Ole Miss' three transfers shined in their Rebel debuts, with KK Deans finishing with six points and six assists, Kharyssa Richardson adding six points and Kennedy Todd-Williams dropping in 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
In the first game of her collegiate career, Zakiya Stephenson was all over the floor in dishing out five assists, adding five points and snagging two steals.
HOME SWEET HOME
Rebel nation has turned the SJB Pavilion into an intimidating environment for visiting teams, especially in the non-conference slate.
Ole Miss has won 20 of its last 21 games at home against non-conference visitors, dating back to the 2020 season.
DYNAMIC DUO
Now in year four together, Snudda Collins and Madison Scott feed off one another with the pair contributing to each other's success on the court.
When both Collins and Scott finish in double-figure scoring, the Rebels are bound to win at a record of 16-1.
THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
The motto of "We Defend" has not gone anywhere in the Rebel program, with Ole Miss once again reinforcing the message against Queens.
Outrebounding the Royals 55 to 28 for a rebounding margin of +27, set the tone that this team is not to be messed with off the glass.
The margin of +27 set the largest in a single-game under McPhee-McCuin and the most in a game since 2018.
It was the ninth game under McPhee-McCuin in which Ole Miss has outrebounded its opponent by 20 rebounds or more.
DIME DROPPIN' AND NOT STOPPIN'
Sharing is truly caring and against Queens, Ole Miss dished out 24 assists on 34 made field goals. Within the first quarter alone, the Rebels issued an assist on each of their six made shots.
KK Deans led the Rebels with six helpers, followed by Zakiya Stephenson with five. Eight Rebels contributed to the assist account, with Ole Miss issuing the most assists in the first game of a season under McPhee-McCuin.
GOING DEEP
Running 11 players deep against Queens on Monday, proved that the Rebel bench will be a key factor throughout the year.
Boosted by Collins with 17 points, the Ole Miss bench accounted for 46 points against the Royals. Four Rebels added five or more points as well.
PAINT PARTY ANYONE?
The Rebels sure made themselves comfortable on the interior against Queens, racking up 50 points in the paint.
Anchored by the presence of Rita Igbokwe, Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Scott, the Rebels look to continue its damage in the paint as the season progresses.
STEADY GOING SLIM
After choosing to return to the Rebels this offseason and utilize her sixth season of eligibility, Tyia Singletonis now one of the most tenured players in Division I women's basketball.
Singleton has appeared in 122 games in her collegiate career, making 74 starts. She sits tied for 11th nationally in active games played.
ON TO THE NEXT
Following an electrifying NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16 which captivated the country with its upset of No. 1 seeded Stanford on its home court, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and Co. are looking to what's next in the 2023-24 season.
The Rebels are primed and poised to compete to earn its third consecutive appearance to the NCAA Tournament and its 20th in program history.
GUESS WHO'S BACK?
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.
WHAT'S BACK FOR 2023-24?
• 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%)
RANKED AND REARING TO GO
In putting the nation on notice, Ole Miss enters the season with its highest preseason rankings in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll since 1995.
In the AP Poll, Ole Miss came in at No. 12 to also earn its highest ranking in the Poll since 1992 and the fifth highest to start a season. The Rebels begin the season ranked for the 17th time in school history.
After ending last season at No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Rebels start this season at No. 16 for their highest slot in the poll since No. 15 in 1995.
NO. 4 BUT WANTING MORE
In both the SEC Coaches and the Media Polls, Ole Miss was chosen to finish No. 4 in the conference for the third consecutive year in a row.
Yet another finish in the top-five of the SEC, would give the rebels its third straight finish as one of the best in the SEC for the first time since 1985-1988.
MILESTONE WATCH
SNUDDA COLLINS
• 144 career made three's - needs 20 more to crack top-five in Ole Miss history.
KK DEANS
• 1272 career-points - 228 to 1,500.
MADISON SCOTT
• 944 career-points - would become 29th player to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss.
• 22 career double-doubles - currently sits at No. 10 at Ole Miss.
KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS
• 937 career-points - 63 away from 1,000.
MY OH MADI
The development of Madison Scott since her arrival on campus has been undeniable, with the McDonald's All-American out of Bishop McNamara proving her progress each season.
Year three proved to be the best yet, with the rising senior earning Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive accolades as a junior. Totaling a team leading 11 double-doubles in 2022-23, Scott was also the Rebels' most efficient shooter with a team leading .510 field goal percentage.
Scott enters year four in Oxford touted as one of the best in the conference, earning First Team All-SEC acclaim by the league's coaches and a spot on the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List as one of the nation's top forwards.
PORTAL U
Developing talent is a key component of Coach Yo's vision, with the sixth year coach turning Ole Miss into a hotspot for those looking to grow and for a new home.
Seven Rebels on this season's roster made their way to Ole Miss after hitting the court at a previous school.
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.
KK Deans
• Graduate transfer out of Florida, spent three seasons at West Virginia.
• Leading scorer for the Gators in 2022-23 with 14.1 points per game.
• Rated as the No. 14 available transfer by ESPN.
• All-Big 12 Honorable Mention as a junior at WVU.
Kharyssa Richardson
• Transferred from Auburn following her freshman campaign.
• Appeared in 28 games for the Tigers, starting in 27.
• Led AU in rejections with a total of 23 blocks.
• Former AAU teammate with Rita Igbokwe.
Kennedy Todd-Williams
• Joined the Rebels following three seasons at North Carolina.
• Touted as the No. 11 available transfer by ESPN.
• Named Second-Team All-ACC as a junior, ranking second in scoring for the Tar Heels with 13.4 points per game.
• Led Carolina in triples in 2022-23 with a total of 52 makes from beyond the arc.
THE FRESHMEN FIVE
Experience is abundant through the Rebel roster, yet McPhee-McCuin scoured the globe to bring in some of the best talent worldwide with five freshmen joining Ole Miss.
Marija Avlijas
• Ranked as the third best player coming out of Europe by WorldWide Hoops in the class of 2023.
• Represented Serbia at the 2023 U18 Women's European Championship, averaging 20.6 points per game.
• Named the MVP at the 2021 FIBA U16 European Challengers after scoring 25.2 points per game.
Rhema Collins
• Second Bahamian under McPhee-McCuin at Ole Miss, joining Valerie Nesbitt.
• Integral part in The Webb School winning back-to-back Tennessee Division II-A State Championships in 2021 and 2022.
• Played for the Bahamas at the 2019 Centrobasket U17 Women's Championship.
Mariyah Noel
• Three-sport athlete out of Bonner Springs, lettering in volleyball, basketball and track.
• Averaged 23 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior.
•Two-time Kansas 5A State discus champion.
Zakiya Stephenson
• Led Princess Anne to back-to-back 5A State Championships in 2021 and 2022.
• Ranked as the No. 29 player in Virginia by MaxPreps.
• Rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 88 player in the nation by ESPN's HoopGurlz.
J'Adore Young
• Standout at Greenville, averaging 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 6.7 blocks as a junior.
• Earned South Carolina All-State accolades in 2021 and 2022.
• Touted as a four-star prospect and the No. 99 player in the country by ESPN's HoopGurlz.
THE YO EFFECT
Now entering year six into Yolett McPhee-McCuin's guidance at the helm of the Rebels, she is already responsible for two of the program's best starts in the last 30 seasons.
Through the first 18 games:
• 1991-92: 17-1
• 1994-95: 15-3
• 2021-22: 16-2
• 2022-23: 16-2
OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 101 of 144 opponents being held to five or fewer.
1st Season (2018-19)
17-of-32 (53.1%)
2nd Season (2019-20)
21-of-30 (70.0%)
3rd Season (2020-21)
14-of-22 (63.6 %)
4th Season (2021-22)
22-of-31 (70.9%)
5th Season (2022-23)
29-34 (85.2%)
6th Season (2023-24)
1-1 (100%)
RITA IGBLOCKWE
A defensive force around the rim against South Carolina in Oxford, Rita Igbokwe's six rejections set a season-high for the senior.
Igbokwe hit 200 in her career in the SEC Quarterfinals. She currently ranks third in active blocks nationally with a total of 206.
25 WINS SECURED
With the win over Stanford in the NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss notched its 25th win last season and set another historical milestone. The mark is the most wins in a single-season since the 1986-87 team reached 25 en route to a Sweet 16 berth under Van Chancellor.
Ole Miss now has a total of six 25-win seasons.
Van Chancellor's 1978-79 team holds the program record for most wins in a lone season at 31.
IT JUST MEANS MORE DEFENSE
To open the NCAA Tournament, the Ole Miss defense continued to play at the high-level McPhee-McCuin upholds it to, keeping both Gonzaga and Stanford to under 50 points each.
For the third time last season season, Ole Miss held opponents under the mark in back-to-back games. In total, the Rebels have kept eight total opponents to under 50-points in scoring.
The Rebels are just one of two teams in the NCAA Tournament this season to hold both opponents in the first and second rounds to under 50 points in scoring.
DON'T BE SHOCKED
Rebel history proved right once again as with every second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss has won all 11 of those games to advance to the Sweet 16.
The win over Stanford pushed Ole Miss to a perfect 11-0 in Round of 32 games in the tournament.
TOURNEY RECORDS SHATTERED
In its first NCAA Tournament win in 16 seasons, Ole Miss made it a memorable one breaking multiple program single-game tournament records.
The 23-point win over the Zags tied the largest in program history in an NCAA Tournament game, as well as holding the Zags to a big dance low of 48 points.
Carried by Collins' hot hands, the Rebels drained an NCAA game high seven three-pointers, while on the boards grabbed a high of 51 rebounds.
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
Following an 11-2 non-conference slate with losses against NCAA Tournament teams in Utah and Oklahoma, Ole Miss began SEC play red hot with a 5-0 start on the way to a historic season.
Highlighted by a 19-point comeback victory at Arkansas to conclude the month of January for its seventh SEC win, Ole Miss rattled off four more in February to hit the 11-win mark for just the second time in program history and the first under the SEC's 16-league game format.
NOT IN TYIA'S HOUSE
No one was getting in Tyia Singleton's way in Tuscaloosa against Alabama, with the senior swatting a career-high seven rejections. All together, Ole Miss rejected a season-high nine shots.
The seven rejections from Singleton rank third in program history in single-game blocks.
MAKING HISTORY - ONCE AGAIN
Hitting 10 wins in SEC play against Missouri, Ole Miss reached the double-digit win mark in conference play for the second year in a row and the first time in consecutive seasons in program history.
Ole Miss has three double-digit winning seasons in conference play. The 1991-92 Rebels went a perfect 11-0 in conference while the 2021-22 squad went 10-6 in league play.
THE BLOCK PARTY NEVER STOPS
The Rebels have proved that defense gets it done in the Coach Yo era and continued to defend around the rim this season as well. The 2021-22 team shattered the program record in single-season blocks at 142 and last year's squad rose to the challenge breaking that.
Through 34 games, Ole Miss rejected 174 shots last to set the single-season program record.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Rebels conclude a three-game homestand next Wednesday (Nov. 15), hosting Temple prior to headed to the Islands to the Battle4Atlantis.
Tip against the Owls is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network +.
