Rebels Quickly Turn Around to Host No. 5 Texas A&M

			OLE MISS (9-8, 3-8 SEC) vs. #5 TEXAS A&M (19-1, 10-1 SEC) Sunday, Feb. 21 • 3 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball won't have a lot of time to dwell on a hard-fought loss at No. 18 Arkansas on Friday night, as it will have a quick turnaround to host the No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies on Sunday afternoon. The game will air live on SEC Network at 3 p.m. CT and serve as Senior Day for six Rebel managers and practice players.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (9-8, 3-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (25-53) • 119-116 career record (8th Season)

#5 Texas A&M Aggies (19-1, 10-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Gary Blair • 18th Season at Texas A&M (424-168) • 832-331 career record (36th Season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Pam Ward
Color: LaChina Robinson

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: 105.1 FM
Audio: TuneIn
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty

SERIES NOTES vs. TEXAS A&M

Series History
Texas A&M leads, 9-2

Current Streak
Texas A&M, 3

First Meeting
Dec. 18, 1995 • Las Cruces, N.M.
• L, 75-60
• Part of L'eggs Classic at New Mexico State

First SEC Meeting
Feb. 21, 2013 • College Station, Texas
• L, 82-53

Last Meeting
Jan. 6, 2020 • College Station, Texas
• L, 79-35

Last Time in Oxford
Feb. 3, 2019
• L, 72-60
• A&M ranked No. 20
• Ole Miss led 37-34 at halftime
• Mimi Reid: 6 points, 6 assists
• Chennedy Carter: 28 points, 14-of-17 FT
• Held Carter scoreless for first 13:27
• Kayla Wells: 17 points
• Ciera Johnson: 13 points, 8 rebounds
• Held Texas A&M to 1-of-9 from 3PT

Last Win
Feb. 26, 2017 • Oxford, Miss.
• W, 62-49

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M

Record
19-1, 10-1 SEC

National Rankings
AP Ranking: 5
Coaches Ranking: 5

Last Game
Feb. 14 • W, 80-70, vs. #16 Tennessee
• Top Scorer: Destiny Pitts (18)
• Seventh straight win, eighth total over ranked opponents
• Shot 48.1 percent overall, 55.6 percent from three, 73.5 percent from free throw line
• Held two-point lead heading into fourth quater

Notes
• Top Scorer: Aaliyah Wilson (13.3)
• Top Rebounder: N'dea Jones (10.6)
• Top 3PT Shooter: Destiny Pitts (.464)
• Leads SEC in rebounding defense (31.5/game)
• Ranks NCAA top-30 in: FG percentage (9th, .482), total free throws made (9th, 307), three-point percentage (12th, .391), scoring margin (16th, +16.2 PPG), rebounding margin (26th, +7.8) and scoring offense (28th, 76.5 PPG)
• Jordan Nixon leads SEC, 12th NCAA in free throw shooting (.912)
• N'dea Jones: 4th SEC, 27th NCAA in rebounding (10.6/game)
• Jones: 5th NCAA in double-doubles (12)

LAST TIME OUT (at #18 ARKANSAS)
• Ole Miss put together a decent fight despite postponements, travel delays and an eight-day hiatus due to hazardous winter weather, but the Rebels came up just short at No. 18 Arkansas, 84-74, on Feb. 19
• Rebels held significant advantages in rebounds (39-25), second chance points (24-3), points in the paint (46-32) and bench points (23-14), but had few answers for Chelsea Dungee's 38 points
• Dungee's 38 the most by a Rebel opponent since 2014 (43, Nina Davis, vs. Baylor, Dec. 7, 2014)
• Combined for 57 points alongside Amber Ramirez' 19 points
• Dungee: 14-of-17 from the free throw line
• Rebels shot 44 percent overall, but just 18 percent from beyond the arc and 64 percent from the free throw line; Arkansas countered with a slash of .563/.455/.758
• Arkansas: scored 26 points off 19 Ole Miss turnovers
• Shakira Austin and Madison Scott recorded a double-double together for the fourth time this season
• Austin: 17 points, 11 rebounds; seventh double-double this season, 21st in career
• Austin is first Rebel to record four straight double-doubles since Tia Faleru in 2014-15
• Scott: career-high 17 points, 10 rebounds; fourth career double-double
• Scott: 9 points, 5 rebounds in 4th quarter
• Mimi Reid: season-high 16 points off the bench
• Newcomers: 50 of 74 points
• Quotable: "Just really disappointed with our effort tonight. We didn't come out with the intensity from the start. We had opportunities to get in, but we had constant struggles for some reason." - Coach Yo

TEAM NOTES

OLE MISS VS. AP TOP-10
The Rebels have been able to snag 29 wins all-time vs. opposing teams ranked within the top-10 of the AP poll, the last coming on Jan. 21, 2016 vs. No. 9 Kentucky in The Pavilion (73-65). No. 5 Texas A&M will be the highest ranked team Ole Miss has played in 2020-21, and the highest ranked team to come to The Pavilion on the women's side since No. 1 South Carolina on Jan. 30, 2020 (L, 87-32).

BRUTAL FINAL STRETCH
Per ESPN's Charlie Creme, the 9-8 Rebel women currently sit on the bubble as one of the Next Four Out of the NCAA Tournament (as of Feb. 16). However, in order for Ole Miss to clear that hurdle and make its first NCAA Tournament since 2007 or even its first postseason since 2017, the Rebels will have to contend with a blistering final stretch of opponents. Since Jan. 28, Ole Miss opponents own an average current NET rating of 29.8 and combined record of 66-33 (.667). In that stretch, the Rebels are 2-3 with wins over No. 14 Kentucky (72-60) and at Alabama (67-62). However, the road will not get much safer for the Rebels with No. 5 Texas A&M (19-1), No. 2 South Carolina (17-3) and No. 17 Kentucky (15-5) remaining on the schedule, with the possibility of a rescheduled game vs. Mississippi State (8-6) still a possibility. Those four currently own an average NET rating of 18.0 as of Feb. 20, and are contributing to a No. 8 ranking in future strength of schedule for Ole Miss.

Last Four In:
UCF
Wake Forest
North Carolina
BYU

First Four Out:
Notre Dame
Clemson
USC
LSU

Next Four Out:
Houston
Ole Miss
Oregon State
Villanova

DOWN GOES KENTUCKY!
Ole Miss snapped a six-game slide with an emotional 72-60 upset over No. 14/15 Kentucky on Feb. 4, the second time in the Coach Yo era that the Rebels have taken down a nationally ranked Wildcat squad.

The Rebels didn't just upset the Wildcats, they dominated the game. Ole Miss outrebounded Kentucky, 49-34, held a huge edge in points in the paint (42-20), and led for 34:23 of the contest. Shakira Austin was crucial for the Rebels, scoring 21 points and 12 rebounds. Ole Miss allowed 26 points to Kentucky star Rhyne Howard, but the Rebels as a team chipped in on defense to stymie UK to just 6-of-26 from beyond the arc.

The win for Ole Miss was a historic one in several ways:

• First win over a ranked team since winning at No. 16 Kentucky on Jan. 13, 2019 (55-49)

• First home win over a ranked team since beating No. 25 Oregon on Dec. 14, 2016 (83-67)

• Largest SEC win since beating Texas A&M on Feb. 26, 2017 (62-49)

• Largest win over Kentucky since Feb. 22, 2001 (75-54, in Lexington)

• Largest win over Kentucky in Oxford since Jan. 2, 1997 (83-52)

COACH YO VS. THE TOP-25
Being in the SEC means facing some of the toughest schools in the nation, and Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has had a tough road through her first few seasons in Oxford. Coach Yo's Rebels have gone up against 17 nationally ranked squads, 16 of which have come in SEC play. Ole Miss now has two wins against in that stretch: a 55-49 upset over No. 16 Kentucky in Lexington on Jan. 13, 2019 (the first ranked road win by a Rebel team since 2011 and first at UK since 2007), and a 72-60 win over No. 14 Kentucky on Feb. 4, 2021.

vs. Ranked Schools (First Year)
#2 UConn - Nov. 22, 2018 (L, 90-50)
#16 Kentucky - Jan. 13, 2019 (W, 55-49)
#6 MSU - Jan. 27, 2019 (L, 80-49)
#20 Texas A&M - Feb. 3, 2019 (L, 72-60)
#12 S. Carolina - Feb. 7, 2019 (L, 76-42)
#6 MSU - Feb. 21, 2019 (L, 88-60)

vs. Ranked Schools (Second Year)
#10 Texas A&M - Jan. 6, 2020 (L, 79-35)
#23 Tennessee - Jan. 9, 2020 (L, 84-28)
#9 MSU - Jan. 26, 2020 (L, 80-39)
#1 S. Carolina - Jan. 30, 2020 (L, 87-32)
#23 Arkansas - Feb. 16, 2020 (L, 108-64)
#14 Kentucky - Feb. 20, 2020 (L, 94-52)
#9 MSU - March 1, 2020 (L, 84-59)

vs. Ranked Schools (Third Year)
#14 MSU - Jan. 10, 2021 (L, 60-56)
#20 Tennessee - Jan. 28, 2021 (L, 68-67)
#14 Kentucky - Feb. 4, 2021 (W, 72-60)
#18 Arkansas - Feb. 19, 2021 (L, 84-74)

SWEET, SWEET VICTORY
When Ole Miss has won, it has won big. On the season, the Rebels hold an average scoring margin of 35.4 points in wins, helped by a large 12.4 point swing in wins vs. losses. Ole Miss is also shooting 6.7 percent better from beyond the arc in victories, and is winning the rebounding battle by a margin of 7.5 boards better in wins.

CLOSE GAMES
Ole Miss has been in the fight, but unable to close out several close, heartbreaking losses this SEC season. The Rebels currently own an average margin of defeat of just 8.4 points in their eight losses -- all coming during SEC season. In those games combined, Ole Miss is still shooting 42.3 percent overall and nearly drawing even on the boards, but are yielding 48.4 percent shooting overall.

NCAA NET RATINGS RELEASED
The NCAA released its first batch of NET ratings for the 2020-21 season on Jan. 4, with the Rebels appearing in the initial rankings at No. 20. Ole Miss currently sits at No. 46. SEC schools hold an average NET rating of 37.2.

HOME SWEET HOME
Ole Miss has enjoyed playing in The Pavilion in 2020-21, owning a 7-3 record and several impressive stat lines vs. its road contests. At home, the Rebels are scoring 15.2 more points per game, outscoring opponents by an average of 18.8 more points per game, shooting 8.3 percent better from beyond the arc and averaging 11.4 more assists, 2.0 more steals, 1.3 more blocks and 3.8 more turnovers forced on defense.

SHARING IS CARING
The Ole Miss offense has been highly efficient, and that is due in large part to its ability to share the ball. The Rebels currently rank fourth in the SEC with an average of 15.4 assists per game, helped greatly by five games of 20 or more assists and seven of at least 19. Since 1995, Ole Miss has had a max of six games with 20 assists or more, doing so twice in consecutive seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10. The Rebels own two of the five best assist outings in the SEC this year, with a 26-assist game vs. Alcorn State and a 25-assist contest vs. McNeese State. The 26 dimes by the Rebel offense vs. Alcorn ranks as the most since 2009. Ole Miss tallied 20 in three consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 13-20, 2009. Leading that charge is starting point guard Mimi Reid, who ranks fourth in the conference at 4.3 assists per game.

On the season, the Rebels are tallying an assist on 56.7 percent of their made field goals.

Percentage of FG with Assists
Game 1 (McNeese): 25-35 (71.4%)
Game 2 (Kansas): 16-25 (64.0%)
Game 3 (Alcorn): 26-40 (65.0%)
Game 4 (MVSU): 21-33 (63.6%)
Game 5 (Jackson St.): 20-27 (74.1%)
Game 6 (George Mason): 10-of-26 (38.5%)
Game 7 (LSU): 17-of-24 (70.8%)
Game 8 (Auburn): 19-of-22 (86.5%)
Game 9 (at #14 MSU): 5-of-22 (22.7%)
Game 10 (vs. Mizzou): 23-of-29 (79.3%)
Game 11 (at UGA): 9-of-23 (39.1%)
Game 12 (vs. Florida): 19-of-28 (67.9%)
Game 13 (at #20 Tenn.): 9-of-27 (33.3%)
Game 14 (at LSU): 9-of-24 (37.5%)
Game 15 (vs. #14 Kentucky): 15-of-27 (55.6%)
Game 16 (at Alabama): 11-of-26 (42.3%)
Game 17 (at #18 Arkansas): 8-of-27 (29.6%)
Total: 262-of-462 (56.7%)

AIN'T WASTING TIME NO MORE
The new crop of Rebels on the floor for Ole Miss this season has wasted no time in establishing their presence, scoring a combined 75.4 percent of all scoring through 17 games this season (940 of 1247).

vs. McNeese State: 88 of 99 (88.9 percent)
vs. Kansas: 56 of 70 (80.0 percent)
vs. Alcorn State: 77 of 104 (74.0 percent)
vs. MVSU: 66 of 86 (76.7 percent)
vs. Jackson St.: 65 of 89 (73.0 percent)
at George Mason: 53 of 64 (82.8 percent)
vs. LSU: 51 of 69 (73.9 percent)
vs. Auburn: 43 of 62 (69.4 percent)
at #14 MSU: 38 of 56 (67.9 percent)
vs. Mizzou: 74 of 77 (96.1 percent)
at Georgia: 36 of 57 (63.2 percent)
vs. Florida: 39 of 68 (57.4 percent)
at #20 Tenn.: 53 of 67 (79.1 percent)
at LSU: 49 of 66 (74.2 percent)
vs. #14 Kentucky: 49 of 72 (68.1 percent)
at Alabama: 53 of 67 (79.1 percent)
at #18 Arkansas: 50 of 74 (67.6 percent)

Furthermore, the quartet of Shakira Austin (298 points), Donnetta Johnson (214 points), Madison Scott (154 points) and Snudda Collins (132 points) are together accounting for 64.0 percent of all season scoring this year.

ANALYZE THIS
Ole Miss holds several impressive team and individual rankings among the CBB Analytics rankings. As a team, the Rebels rest in the 94th percentile in opponent block percentage (4.8%), 92nd in opponent block-to-foul ratio (0.12). Individually, several Rebels rank in the 99th percentile or higher, such as Shakira Austin's 10.5 points in the paint per game, Snudda Collins' 6.4 percent turnover rate or both Mimi Reid (100th, 41.9 percent) and Valerie Nesbitt's (99th, 37.2 percent) standings in assist ratio and assist percentage, respectively.

For more analytics, refer to the table on Page 11 of the game notes. All stats are as of last update on Feb. 18.

LEAVIN' EM IN THE DUST
Ole Miss has gotten the upper hand from the jump on the offensive end, including six wire-to-wire wins. On the year, the Rebels have led for 65.6 percent of all game time this season in 690 total minutes played. Additionally, Ole Miss has led for 48.3 percent of all game time in SEC season.

2020-21 Lead/Trail
Total Minutes: 690:00
Ole Miss Lead Time: 452:53
Ole Miss Trail Time: 203:07
Time Tied: 33:18
Percentage Led: 65.6%

2020-21 Lead/Trail (SEC Season)
Total Minutes: 450:00
Ole Miss Lead Time: 217:18
Ole Miss Trail Time: 202:15
Time Tied: 29:27
Percentage Led: 48.3%

BABY REBELS
With a slew of new faces on the Ole Miss roster, the Rebels own the 10th- youngest roster in the nation with an average age of 19.67 as of Nov. 25. Furthermore, Ole Miss is one of just three programs nationwide with its entire roster to have two or fewer years of Division I experience at the start of the year (alongside Indiana State and Murray State).

OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 49 of 78 opponents being held to five or fewer.

1st Season (2018-19)
17-of-31 (54.8%)

2nd Season (2019-20)
21-of-30 (70.0%)

3rd Season (2020-21)
11-of-17 (64.7%)

HISTORIC START
The 2020-21 Rebel squad got off to a spectacular start on both ends of the court, notching the fewest points allowed through six games in school history (290). Ole Miss scored at least 80 points in four of its first five for the first time since 2006-07 (after scoring 80 or more just twice in the entirety of the 2019-20 season) and has scored 90 or more twice after not doing so in an entire season since 2017-18.

The Rebels have posted two historic win margins as well, with a 56-point win vs. Alcorn State (104-48) and a 55-point win vs. McNeese State (99-44) ranking sixth and seventh in program history -- the largest wins at Ole Miss since 2015. The 104-point outing vs. Alcorn State is the 35th 100-point game in program history and the first by a Rebel squad since 2015.

Furthermore, Ole Miss' 6-0 start marked just the 12th time in 46 years of the program that a Rebel team has started off 6-0 or better -- the best start since the 2008-09 season.

Best Starts in Ole Miss History
Final /Current Record in Parenthesis
1986-87: 16-0 (25-5; Sweet 16)
1987-88: 15-0 (24-7; Sweet 16)
1988-89: 13-0 (23-8; Elite Eight)
2000-01: 11-0 (15-13; WNIT)
1994-95: 11-0 (21-8; NCAA Tournament)
1982-83: 11-0 (26-6; Sweet 16)
1975-76: 11-0 (19-8)
1981-82: 10-0 (27-5; NCAA Tournament)
1983-84: 8-0 (24-6; Sweet 16)
2008-09: 7-0 (18-15; WNIT)
2002-03: 7-0 (12-16)
1978-79: 7-0 (31-9)
2020-21: 6-0 (7-4)

LIGHTS. OUT.
The Rebels simply couldn't miss against Alcorn State on Dec. 8, nearly breaking the school record for single-game shooting percentage. Ole Miss wound up with the second-best mark in school history at 61.5 percent, helped greatly by a 64.7 percent first-half percentage that ranked as the best since 2014 (Jan. 16, vs. Vanderbilt, 68.0), and best in non-conference since 2009 (Dec. 20, vs. Winston-Salem State, 65.6).

Single-Game FG Shooting, All-Time
1. vs. New Orleans (2004-05) - 63.1
2. vs. Alcorn State (2020-21) - 61.5
3. vs. Winston-Salem St. (2009-10) - 60.3
4. vs. Vanderbilt (1985-86) - 60.0

REBS SNAP STREAK VS. AUBURN
Ole Miss finished its first perfect non-conference season in program history at 6-0 and followed that up by snapping a 22-game SEC regular season losing streak with a 62-58 victory over Auburn on Jan. 7. The win was the first since Feb. 14, 2019 vs. Vanderbilt (65-60), as well as the first wire-to-wire SEC win since Jan. 20, 2019 vs. Florida (76-66).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

AUSTIN NAMED TO LISA LESLIE TOP-10 LIST
Rebel junior and reigning SEC Player of the Week Shakira Austin has earned national attention after making the first cutoff list for the Lisa Leslie Award on their Top-10 list, released on Feb. 5. Austin joins South Carolina's Aliyah Boston -- the 2020 winner -- as the lone SEC representatives on the Top-10 list.

2021 Lisa Leslie Award Top-10 Candidates
Queen Egbo, Baylor
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn
Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Elissa Cunane, NC State
Janelle Bailey, North Carolina
Shakira Austin, Ole Miss
Nancy Mulkey, Rice
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Kamilla Cardoso, Syracuse
Charli Collier, Texas

1,000-POINT WATCH
Shakira Austin is getting close to becoming the 31st Rebel to ever surpass the 1,000-point mark for her career in an Ole Miss jersey, currently sitting at 966 points. Austin tallied up 668 points in two seasons at Maryland, and is currently averaging 17.5 points per game as a Rebel. At that average, Austin should near the 1,000-point threshold around the Feb. 25 contest at South Carolina.

CREAM OF THE CROP
Ole Miss junior Shakira Austin may be in her first season in the SEC, but she already rests in rarified company as one of just six active SEC players with 950 career points and 650 career rebounds, joining Auburn's Unique Thompson (1,472/1,109), Tennessee's Rennia Davis (1,666/885), Texas A&M's Ciera Johnson (1,143/730), Alabama's Jasmine Walker (1,297/747) and LSU's Faustine Aifuwa (963/724). When Austin's 966 career points and 687 rebounds are combined with her 156 career blocks, only Austin and Aifuwa sit in the 950/650/150 club. Austin ranks third in blocks among current SEC players behind Aifuwa's 182 and Georgia's Jenna Staiti with 165.

SHAKIRA ON A TEAR
Ole Miss junior Shakira Austin has been simply unstoppable in 2020-21, but she has been sublime in SEC play. In conference action, Austin ranks second in shooting percentage (.558) and is averaging 17.4 points. She is currently on a four-game rip of consecutive double-doubles, the first Rebel to do so since Tia Faleru during the 2014-15 season. In that stretch, she has games of 12-12 at LSU, 21-12 vs. No. 14 Kentucky, 25-13 at Alabama and 17-11 at No. 18 Arkansas, and during she hasn't missed often, shooting 64.6 percent to help increase her season average to 54.4 -- currently No. 3 in the SEC and No. 30 in the NCAA.

This isn't the first dominant stretch for the junior, who was especially effective in a six-game stretch from Dec. 15 to Jan. 14. In that span, Austin scored 20 points or more in five of the six games, averaging 20.5 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 50 percent overall, 33 percent from beyond the arc and 78 percent from the free throw line.

In that stretch were four straight 20-point games vs. Jackson State (22; Dec. 15), George Mason (24; Dec. 19), LSU (20; Jan. 4) and Auburn (25; Jan. 7), making her the first Rebel to do so in four straight since Bianca Thomas did twice during the 2009-10 season. After being stymied at No. 14 Mississippi State, Austin came back with a vengeance vs. Missouri, dropping a career-high 26 points.

BALL DON'T LIE
Ole Miss garnered national attention when it added ESPN's No. 1 rated transfer in April, Shakira Austin of Maryland, and as a Rebel she has not disappointed. Austin leads all Rebels and ranks eighth in the SEC with 17.5 points per game and third with a 54.4 percent clip from the field, while also chipping in 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.2 assists per game. The Preseason All-SEC honoree and Lisa Leslie Award Watch List member has especially been a dominant force down low for the Rebels, recording multiple blocks in eight games -- pushing her career total to games with multiple blocks to 34. Austin has also been in double-digits in 16 of her of her first 17 games as a Rebel, making her new career total 51. She recently recorded her 22nd career double-double and seventh as a Rebel at No. 18 Arkansas.

Austin was a significant contributor on two Big Ten championship teams at Maryland in 2019 and 2020, averaging 10.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, while shooting 47.2 percent overall in 66 games and 47 starts. Austin shattered the Maryland single-season blocks record her freshman season with 89, earning her a spot on both the Big Ten Defensive Team and All-Freshman team, and followed that up with a slot on the 2020 All-Big Ten Second Team after ranking No. 1 nationally in 2019-20 in advanced analytic On-Court Forced Turnover Rate (via Pivot Analysis). Coming out of Riverdale Baptist, Austin was ESPN's No. 3 overall prospect and a McDonald's All-American.

REBELS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Ole Miss has not shied away from the national spotlight in 2020-21, with several players posting several impressive stat lines both on national TV and vs. ranked teams. Sophomore Donnetta Johnson has been especially effective in both scenarios, averaging 15.0 points and shooting 39.1 percent on national TV while also averaging 15.5 points and shooting 43.1 against ranked opponents. Shakira Austin has been a force vs. ranked teams, averaging a double-double at 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds and a 62.5 percent clip from the field. Freshman Madison Scott has been equally as efficient vs. ranked squads at 9.7 points and 7.3 boards and a 66.7 percent field goal percentage, while senior Valerie Nesbitt has been excellend on national TV with 13.0 points, a 51.2 percent shooting percentage and 4.3 assists per game.

RARIFIED COMPANY
Ole Miss freshman Madison Scott's fifth SEC Freshman of the Week honor put her into a special group of 12 players in SEC history to have won the honor at least five times. Of those 12, only three did not win SEC Freshman of the Year by season's end: Jasmine James (2010, Georgia), Danielle Ballard (2013, LSU) and Jordan Lewis (2017, Alabama).

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky (2019) – 8 *
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri (2016) – 6 *
Candace Parker, Tennessee (2006) – 5 *
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee (2008) – 5 *
C'eira Ricketts, Arkansas (2009) – 5 *
Jasmine James, Georgia (2010) – 5
Danielle Ballard, LSU (2013) – 5
Alaina Coates, South Carolina (2014) – 5 *
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina (2015) – 5 *
Jordan Lewis, Alabama (2017) – 5
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (2020) – 5 *
Madison Scott, Ole Miss (2021) – 5

* = Won SEC Freshman of the Year

YOUNG GUNS
Ole Miss had a lot of hype entering 2020-21 due to its SEC top-ranked recruiting class, but the young Rebels have backed that up with superb play. Ole Miss has received a program-record seven SEC Freshman of the Week honors this season -- two from Snudda Collins and five from Madison Scott -- and combined with Shakira Austin's Player of the Week honor on Feb. 9 broke the Ole Miss program record for total weekly honors in a season, topping the old mrk of six set by the 2006-07 Elite Eight team (four Players of the Week, two Freshmen).

MADI CRASHING THE BOARDS
Four-time SEC Freshman of the Week Madison Scott put on a rebounding clinic at LSU on Jan. 31, hauling in a career-high 16 boards to go along with 12 points for her second career double-double (she now has four). Her 16 rebounds stand as the most by a Rebel since Bretta Hart recorded 18 vs. Western Kentcuky on Dec. 12, 2015. Furthermore, it was the most rebounds by a Rebel in an SEC game since Feb. 13, 2014 (Tia Faleru, at Kentucky, 16) and the most by a Rebel freshman since Feb. 6, 2011 (Pa'Sonna Hope, vs. LSU, 16). Scott leads all SEC freshmen and is tied for 10th nationally among freshmen in rebounding this season at her average of 7.6 per game.

NICE SHOOTIN' KID
Two-time SEC Freshman of the Week Snudda Collins has been a serious three-point threat for the Rebels in the early going of her career, leading all SEC freshmen and ranking ninth overall at 1.9 threes per game. Additionally, Collins' three-point percentage of 42.9 ranks 24th overall in the NCAA, and she sits fourth among all freshmen nationally. Collins has hit three trifectas or more in a game seven times this season, highlighted by a five three-pointer outing in her Ole Miss debut vs. McNeese State on Nov. 30. Collins lit the net on fire, leading all scorers with 23 points off the bench with a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc to boot. Her 23 points stand as the most ever by a Rebel freshman in a season opener (in available records). Collins was the leader of a bevy of newcomers on the floor vs. the Cowgirls, who combined for 88 of the 99 total points Ole Miss scored -- the most in the Coach Yo era and the most by a Rebel squad in a season opener since 2005. Furthermore, her 23 points were the most by any Rebel in an opener since 2017. At Brookhaven High School, Collins helped lead her team to the 5A state title game her senior season to cap off an extraordinary career that saw her average 12.0 points and end as the No. 4 ranked prospect in Mississippi.

VALERIE!
Ole Miss senior Valerie Nesbitt has been heating up at the right time for the Rebels, starting seven of the last eight games and averaging 9.1 points in that stretch against 5.1 points per game prior.

Nesbitt enjoyed time in the national spotlight during the Rebels' near-upset of No. 14 Mississippi State, helping lead a late fourth quarter charge to cut the lead to two points multiple times. Nesbitt scored 10 of her season-high 18 points in the final frame, falling just two points shy of her career best 20 vs. Alcorn State last season. Nesbitt again scored 18 vs. Florida on Jan. 24, while also dishing out a career-high seven assists.

As a junior, Nesbitt led all Rebels in steals (despite playing just 15 games) and became the only Rebel in recorded history to record eight or more steals and assists in a single game after a 12-point, 8-assist, 8-steal and 6-rebound game vs. Louisiana Tech on Nov. 23, 2019.

THE WAIT IS OVER
Redshirt sophomore Donnetta Johnson waited a long time to play basketball again after sitting out 2018-19 due to NCAA transfer rules. She has quickly asserted herself as a dynamic scoring option for the Rebels, ranking second on the team with an average of 12.6 points. Johnson has put on a show on national TV twice this season, dropping a career-high 25 points at No. 14 Mississippi State and 21 vs. Kansas, showcasing her ambidextrous style of shooting in both contests. Johnson followed up her career day vs. MSU with a 20-point performance vs. Missouri, her first consecutive 20-point games in her career. In SEC play, Johnson is averaging 12.5 points per contest and is shooting 39.7 percent from the field.

Johnson played in 27 games and started eight her freshman season at Georgia in 2018-19 before transferring to Ole Miss and sitting out last season. At Georgia, Johnson sparked the Bulldogs in a historic upset over No. 13 Tennessee, which earned her SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Johnson was the No. 28 guard nationally coming out of Baldwin High School in Queens, New York.

Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin

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Players Mentioned

Shakira Austin

Snudda Collins

Donnetta Johnson

Valerie Nesbitt

Mimi Reid

Madison Scott

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