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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
#22 Louisville
Women's Basketball Welcomes Louisville in Inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge Wednesday
11/28/2023 | Women's Basketball
TEAM FACTS
No. 19/20 Ole Miss Rebels (6-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 6th Season at Ole Miss (85-76) • 11th Season in Career (179-139)
No. 22/19 Louisville Cardinals (6-1, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Jeff Walz • 17th Season at Little Rock (446-126) • 17th Season in Career (446-126)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPNU
Play by Play: Kevin Fitzgerald
Analyst: Kelly Gramlich
Radio: 105.1 FM
Play by Play: Graham Doty
SERIES NOTES
OLE MISS VS. LOUISVILLE
The Rebels meet the Cardinals for the second time in program history, after first facing off in last season's 2023 Sweet 16 in Seattle.
Due to hot shooting from Louisville, the Cardinal emerged victorious, 72-62.
The two programs are set to battle once again in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.
REBELS VS. THE ACC
All-time against schools from the ACC, Ole Miss is 13-16 with its last win against a school from the conference coming in the 2015 WNIT against Georgia Tech.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
In its first game coming off of the Battle4Atlantis Championship, Ole Miss fended off a pesky Little Rock team, 58-45 on Saturday from the SJB Pavilion.
Both Snudda Collins and Marquesha Davis led the Rebels in scoring with 11 points each, while Tyia Singleton had a season-best day with seven points and a game-high nine rebounds.
The Rebel defense continued its sharp play, holding its third straight opponent to under 50 points.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Matching up against ranked opponents, Ole Miss holds 89 program wins against ranked teams. Under McPhee-McCuin, the Rebels have picked up 10 wins against opponents ranked in the AP Poll with three of those coming last season.
OLE MISS WHEN RANKED
When the Rebels themselves are ranked, Ole Miss boasts a record of 319-105 for a winning percentage of 75.2%.
SJB PAVILION RANKED MATCH UPS
Between both the men's and women's squads, this is the third match up between two ranked teams in the history of the SJB Pavilion.
In 2019, the then No. 20 men faced off against No. 24 Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in an 87-73 loss. In 2022, the No. 24 Rebel women welcomed the No. 15 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
POINTS ARE HARD TO STEAL FROM US
For the third consecutive game in a row, once again Ole Miss held its opponent to under 50 points in scoring. Out of seven games this season, Ole Miss has kept four of its opponents under the threshold.
This is the third time in program history the Rebels have held three straight opponents under 50 points and the second under McPhee-McCuin. The 2021-22 Rebels and the 1990-91 teams are the only others that have held its opponents to the mark.
BATTLE. WON.
In her home country of the Bahamas, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin had herself quite the homecoming with Ole Miss defeating Howard, Arizona and Michigan to claim the 2023 Bad Boy Mowers Battle4Atlantis Championship.
In the championship game against Michigan, Ole Miss shut down the Wolverine offense and came together as a team to win, 60-49.
Off the bench, Marija Avlijas led the Rebels in scoring with a career-high 11 points. Madison Scott joined her in double-figures with 10 points. 10 Rebels made their way into the scoring column, with 12 hitting the court for Ole Miss.
The title is the second tournament win under McPhee-McCuin after winning the 2021 Raising the B.A.R. Invitational Powered by Cal in Berkeley.
WE LOVE NO. 1
Despite leaving the islands with a trophy, Ole Miss lost starting point guard KK Deans for the season.
After suffering a non-contact knee injury in the opening minutes against Michigan, Deans will undergo season ending surgery.
The graduate transfer had been averaging 9.3 points and led the Rebels with 3.8 assists per game. Deans reached double-figure scoring in three games, including a season-high 16 points against Temple.
According to ESPN, Deans was rated as one of ESPN's Top-15 available transfers. Through 114 career appearances, the Greensboro, N.C., native had been averaging 11.6 points per game and accumulated 365 assists.
MVP! MVP! MVP!
Showing up and showing out in the Bahamas, Madison Scott was dominant throughout all three games at the Battle4Atlantis, averaging 13.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
Her stellar performance earned the senior the tournament's most valuable player and all tournament team honors. In the opener against Howard, Scott dropped a career-high tying 21 points and was electric off the glass with a season-high 14 rebounds against the Bison.
The SEC recognized Scott's efforts as well, with her earning SEC Co-Athlete of the Week Honors. The accolade was the first SEC Athlete of the Week honors for Ole Miss since Angel Baker earned the award in December of 2021 and the first of Scott's career.
HERE COMES THE SERBIAN SENSATION
Coming off of the bench following KK Deans going down against Michigan, freshman Marija Avlijas came in and looked like a veteran.
The Belgrade, Serbia, native, dropped a career-best 11 points against the Wolverines off of 5-of-10 shooting.
Avlijas is no stranger to the big stage after spending time on the pro-circuit in Europe and with the Serbian National Team.
DICTATE AND DISRUPT
It should be well known by now the goals of the Ole Miss defense to dictate and disrupt and the Rebels sure made Arizona and Michigan uncomfortable, holding the two programs to under 50 points at 47 and 49.
In yet another defensive clinic in the Battle4Atlantis Championship game against Michigan, Ole Miss held yet another Power Five team under 50 points in the second straight game for the first time in program history.
MILESTONE WATCH
SNUDDA COLLINS
• 150 career made three's - needs 15 more to crack top-five in Ole Miss history.
MADISON SCOTT
• 1005 career-points became the 29th player to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss.
• 24 career double-doubles - currently sits at No. 9 at Ole Miss.
KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS
• 978 career-points - 22 away from 1,000.
FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE QUE
Ever since cracking the starting lineup mid-way through last season, Marquesha Davis has blossomed as one of Ole Miss' rising stars.
Her calm demeanor has proven to be a key factor for the Rebels, averaging 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in her Ole Miss career.
Against Arizona, Davis put on a season-best performance with 17 points. In seven games this year, Davis is averaging 11.7 points per contest.
Her play in the Bahamas earned her Battle4Atlantis All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 12.7 points throughout the tournament.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE, MADI'S CAUSING TROUBLE
Notching her 24th career double-double against Arizona with 10 points and 11 rebounds, Madison Scott now sits ninth at Ole Miss in the category.
Her performance against the Wildcats was her second consecutive double-double after recording 21 points and 14 rebounds against Howard. This is the first time since December of 2022 that Scott recorded a double-double in back-to-back games.
WE DEFEND LIKE NO OTHER
An intense defensive battle against Arizona once again proved how dangerous the Ole Miss defense is, only allowing 47 points against a potent Wildcat offense.
Ole Miss followed up this performance, holding Michigan to 49 points.
For the fourth time this season against Little Rock, Ole Miss held its opponent to under 50-points. The Rebels have now held its last two Pac-12 opponents to under 50-points in scoring, keeping Stanford to 49 last year in the NCAA Tournament.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Ole Miss has now held eight Power Five opponents under 50 points.
SHOTS UP AND ON POINT
While the Rebels were smoothly spreading the ball around against Temple, Ole Miss was draining its shots at a high percentage. 51.8% on the game to be exact.
A big first quarter in which the Rebs shot 10-15 from the field for a clip of 66.7%, aided the team to record its highest field goal percentage against a non-conference opponent since Ole Miss shot 53.7% at Cincinnati in December of 2021.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
Against Oklahoma and Temple, five players scored in double-figures for Ole Miss in a rare occurrence for the program.
The Rebels last had five players in double-digit scoring once during the 2021-22 season, happening against Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
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 22 of its last 24 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, 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 off-season and utilize her sixth season of eligibility, Tyia Singleton is now one of the most tenured players in Division I women's basketball.
Singleton has appeared in 128 games in her collegiate career, making 75 starts. She sits tied for 16th nationally in active games played.
BLOCK PARTY GOIN' NO WHERE
Once again, Ole Miss remains one of the nation's strongest teams around the rim by ranking 23rd nationally with a total of 5.4 blocks per game this season.
In the SEC, Ole Miss ranks 5th overall with an average of 5.4 rejections per game.
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 entered 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.
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 off-season 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 105 of 150 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)
5-7 (71.4%)
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 seventh in active blocks nationally with a total of 216.
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, 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.
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 season to set the single-season program record.
20 WINS AND COUNTING
By hitting the 20-win mark against Kentucky, Ole Miss hit another major milestone as a program with back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1993-94 & 1994-95.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The comfort of the SJB Pavilion has been welcoming to the Rebels this season, with Ole Miss reaching double-digit wins at home two consecutive years in a row for the first time since the 2007-08 & 2008-09 seasons.
In 2021-22 Ole Miss tallied 10 wins at home while the 2022-23 Rebels reached a total of 14.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Ole Miss hits the road for an in-state rivalry match up at Southern Miss on Saturday (Dec. 2). The Rebels tip against the Golden Eagles at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
