The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
#2 Notre Dame
Women's Basketball to Face off against No. 2 Notre Dame in NCAA Tournament Round of 32
3/24/2024 | Women's Basketball
TEAM FACTS
No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels (24-8, 12-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 6th Season at Ole Miss (103-83) • 11th Season in Career (197-146)
No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (27-6, 13-5 ACC)
Head Coach: Niele Ivey • 4th Season at Notre Dame (87-31) • 4th Season in Career (87-31)
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
REBELS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Appearing in its 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, Ole Miss reaches the big dance for the third straight season for the first time since 1993 through 1996.
The Rebels have made it past the first weekend of the tournament in over half of their appearances, making 11 Sweet Sixteens before moving on to five Elite Eights.
The trek to South Bend is Ole Miss' second NCAA Tournament visit to Notre Dame, playing against Tennessee in the 1983 Sweet 16.
AS A NO. 7 SEED
The Rebels are seeded at No. 7 for the fourth time in school history and the second time in the past three seasons. As a seven, Ole Miss is 3-3 overall and had one of its most remarkable runs at the seed in reaching the 2007 Elite 8.
NCAA TOURNAMENT PLAYER STATS
MARQUESHA DAVIS
|
Date |
Opp. |
Pts. |
Rbs. |
Ast. |
|
03/23/24 |
Marquette |
4 |
2 |
2 |
|
3/24/23 |
Louisville |
19 |
8 |
3 |
|
3/19/23 |
Stanford |
12 |
4 |
0 |
|
3/17/23 |
Gonzaga |
8 |
6 |
1 |
|
Average |
|
10.8 |
5.0 |
1.5 |
MADISON SCOTT
|
Date |
Opp. |
Pts. |
Rbs. |
Ast. |
|
03/23/24 |
Marquette |
20 |
6 |
4 |
|
3/24/23 |
Louisville |
4 |
5 |
0 |
|
3/19/23 |
Stanford |
11 |
5 |
2 |
|
3/17/23 |
Gonzaga |
11 |
10 |
1 |
|
3/18/22 |
South Dak. |
3 |
6 |
1 |
|
Average |
|
9.8 |
6.4 |
1.6 |
AYANNA THOMPSON
|
Date |
Opp. |
Pts. |
Rbs. |
Ast. |
|
03/23/24 |
Marquette |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
3/24/23 |
Louisville |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
3/19/23 |
Stanford |
9 |
2 |
0 |
|
3/17/23 |
Gonzaga |
8 |
2 |
1 |
|
Average |
|
4.8 |
1.3 |
0.8 |
TYIA SINGLETON
|
Date |
Opp. |
Pts. |
Rbs. |
Ast. |
|
03/23/23 |
Marquette |
12 |
7 |
0 |
|
3/24/23 |
Louisville |
3 |
4 |
0 |
|
3/19/23 |
Stanford |
4 |
5 |
1 |
|
3/17/23 |
Gonzaga |
3 |
4 |
0 |
|
Average |
|
5.5 |
5.0 |
0.3 |
RITA IGBOKWE
|
Date |
Opp. |
Pts. |
Rbs. |
Ast. |
|
03/23/24 |
Marquette |
4 |
9 |
0 |
|
3/24/23 |
Louisville |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
3/19/23 |
Stanford |
0 |
8 |
0 |
|
3/17/23 |
Gonzaga |
4 |
5 |
1 |
|
Average |
|
2.0 |
6.3 |
0.3 |
SERIES NOTES
OLE MISS VS. NOTRE DAME
Monday's meeting is the first between Ole Miss and Notre Dame in the history of both programs.
REBELS AGAINST THE ACC
Against schools from the ACC, Ole Miss is 13-17 all-time and has not defeated a team from the conference in its last seven tries.
The Rebels last picked up a win against the ACC in 2007, defeating Miami on its home court, 65-52.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
Riding a nine game winning streak, the ACC Tournament Champions in Notre Dame are led by All-American First Teamer in Hannah Hidalgo.
The freshman is touted as one of the best guards in the country, averaging 5.7 assists per game for 18th best nationally.
Under head coach Niele Ivey, the Irish boast one the nation's top scoring offenses with an average of 79.2 points per game and outscore their opponents by an average 18.3 points per game.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
Locking it down on defense in the fourth quarter, Ole Miss pushed past No. 10 Marquette in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, 67-55.
With a personal tournament best of 20 points, Madison Scott paced the Rebels and dished out a team-high four assists. Re-entering the starting lineup, Tyia Singleton added a season-best 12 points.
Limiting the Golden Eagles to 55 points ranked No. 4 at Ole Miss in fewest points allowed in an NCAA Tournament game.
THE ROAD TO 25 WINS
A win over Notre Dame on Monday would give Ole Miss its 25th win and back-to-back 25 victory seasons for the first time since 1981-83.
Ole Miss has seven 25 win seasons in program history, with five of those seasons coming under Van Chancellor.
HOW SWEET IT COULD BE
Not only would a win over the Fighting Irish push Ole Miss to 25 on the season, it would also propel the Rebels to their 12th Sweet 16 and a back-to-back appearance.
From 1983 to 1990, the Rebels made eight consecutive Sweet 16 appearances.
THIRTY-QUE
Dropping a career-high 33 points against Florida in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, Marquesha Davis became No. 2 at Ole Miss in an SEC Tournament game in scoring.
Davis is the first Rebel since Deja Cage in 2019 to score 30 points in a game for Ole Miss.
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
When it comes to facing off against ranked opponents, Ole Miss owns 90 wins against ranked teams. The Rebels picked up three of those victories last season, including two in the NCAA Tournament. Under McPhee-McCuin, the Rebels have knocked off 10 ranked opponents.
This season, Ole Miss is 0-4 against ranked opponents, falling against No. 22 Louisville in the ACC/SEC Challenge at, No. 1 South Carolina and twice against a Top-10 LSU team.
Ole Miss has toppled 30 teams ranked the top-10, with 13 of those victories occuring while the Rebels are unranked.
HISTORY RE-WRITTEN
A win in the regular season finale over Arkansas hit yet another historic marker for the Rebels, reaching a program best 12 wins in SEC play.
The Rebels passed the previous record of 11 set in 1991-92 and 2022-23.
GOING SEC STREAKING
Wrapping up the regular season on a six game winning streak, the Rebels tied the third-best mark in consecutive conference victories.
The 1991-92 Rebels own the longest streak, winning 11 games in-a-row to finish 11-0 in SEC play.
FINISHING TOWARD THE TOP
By locking up a third-place finish in the SEC, it is now the Rebels best finish in conference action since Ole Miss finished 1st in 1991-92.
12 wins for Ole Miss in conference play also set a new program best.
The past three seasons, Ole Miss has finished higher than its projection in the both the SEC Preseason Media and Coaches polls.
THE ROAD TO 100
Reaching 100 wins at the helm of the Rebels, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin hit another milestone this season in the victory over Kentucky.
McPhee-McCuin became the second coach in Ole Miss women's basketball history to reach the milestone, joining the legendary Van Chancellor who tallied 439 wins during his historic tenure in Oxford.
HARD WORK PAYING OFF
For the first time in both of their careers, Marquesha Davis and Madison Scott earned First Team All-SEC accolades to become the 16th and 17th Rebels to earn a spot on the first team and became the lone duo to do so since 1989.
Not only did Scott earn the First Team nod, she was also named to the All-Defensive team for the second season in a row.
DEFENSE GETS DUBS
Locking down Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri and holding each to under 50 points, Ole Miss held even more opponents to under 50 points for the fourth time this season.
Ole Miss has now held 32 SEC opponents to under 50 points in a game throughout program history, with 10 of those games coming under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.
NO THREE'S HERE
The motto of 'dictate and disrupt' from the Rebels causes havoc on other opponents offenses, and Ole Miss once again proved its power over Missouri, holding the Tigers scoreless from beyond the arc.
Since the 2011-12 season, Ole Miss is the only team to hold Missouri scoreless from three. Not only did the Rebels accomplish the feat this season, but did the exact same thing against the Tigers in 2022, holding Missouri 0-for-7 from deep.
THREE TIMES AS NICE
Reaching 20 wins with its victory over Missouri, Ole Miss has hit the mark for the third straight season and for the 21st time in program history.
Not only did the Rebels reach 20 wins, they also hit 10 wins in SEC play for the third year in a row for the first time in program history.
REJECTIONS JUST MEAN MORE
Already touted as one of the best defensive teams in the SEC, Ole Miss has had a remarkable stretch around the rim the past few seasons as well as this year with a total of 190 blocks and counting.
The 190 rejections to break the single-season program record, make Ole Miss one of four programs in the SEC to have 150 blocks or more the past two seasons.
GOING MADi
When a shot from Madison Scott goes up in the air, there is a high probability that it's going in. The senior currently leads for the Rebels in field goal percentage with 150 or more attempts at 49.5%.
If the trend continues for Scott, she could become the second Rebel in Ole Miss women's basketball history to lead the team in field goal percentage for four seasons in a row.
HELP A FRIEND OUT
We all know that sharing is caring, and against Kentucky the Rebels dished out an SEC high 21 assists, with Madison Scott with a game-high six dimes.
The Rebels have dished out 10 or more assists in 11 SEC games to date this season.
STAYING ON BRAND
Holding Georgia to a mere three points in the second quarter in Oxford and 15 points in the half, the Rebels stuck to their roots as a defensive brand of basketball.
The 15 points in half tied the fewest allowed against an SEC team since 2015-16.
CARDIAC REBS
Forcing overtime for the second game in-a-row against Mississippi State, Ole Miss found itself playing in extra time in back-to-back games for the first time in program history.
Not only did the Rebels force extra time, but the two wins are Ole Miss first back-to-back overtime wins in school history.
Ole Miss is now 25-26 in overtime games and 15-7 against opponents when at home.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
A win against Georgia provided Ole Miss with its 10th victory of the season at home. The Rebels had not won 10 or more games at home for three seasons in a row since the 2006-09 campaigns.
Ole Miss now has 26 seasons with 10 or more wins at home.
WHEN IN DOUBT, MADI'S GOT IT COVERED
Down by eight with five minutes to play against Mississippi State, Madison Scott scored nine points in the fourth quarter and hit a last second layup for Ole Miss to send the game to overtime against the Bulldogs.
Scott's efforts against Mississippi State and Florida earned her SEC Co-Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and the second time in her career after averaging 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on the week.
With the honor, Scott is the first Rebel to earn multiple SEC Player of the Week honors since Armintie Price during the 2006-07 campaign.
THREE-HEADED MONSTER
The trio of Marquesha Davis, Madison Scott and Kennedy Todd-Williams, popped off against Florida and Mississippi State with the three combining for 60.0 points per game against the Gators and Bulldogs.
Through Ole Miss' seven game winning streak, the three are averaged 49.1 points per game for the Rebels, with Davis leading the way at 17.4 points per game.
DIRTY GLASS? WE'LL CLEAN IT
The Rebels could not be stopped off the boards against Arkansas, out-rebounding the Razorbacks, 58 to 28 for a total margin of +30.
The margin is the fifth time Ole Miss has out-rebounded an SEC opponent by 20 or more rebounds since 2000 and the highest mark in the 21st century.
WE LOVE FREE BASKETBALL
Forcing overtime on the road at Florida and going on a tear in the final five minutes to win by 10, Ole Miss picked up its largest overtime victory since taking down Central Michigan in Oxford in 2007. It was also Ole Miss' largest road overtime win since defeating Arkansas in Fayetteville in 2007.
KEEP THE GLASS CLEAN
Ranking in the top half of the SEC in rebounds per game at No. 5 with an average of 41.8 per game, Ole Miss is 24-1 this season when out-rebounding its opponents.
This year, Ole Miss has collected four games with 50 plus rebounds and 20 with 40 or more. The Rebels snagged a season-high 58 rebounds against Arkansas.
EIGHT IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Finishing at 12-4 in conference play, Ole Miss has reached at least eight wins in SEC play for the third season in a row and hit 10 for the third consecutive season as well.
The 2021-22 Rebels won 10 and the 2022-23 team won 11 games in SEC play. Reaching the 10 win milestone is the first time in program history that Ole Miss has won 10 SEC games three years in a row for the first time in program history.
THRIVING AT THE LINE
As one of the nation's top teams at reaching the free throw line, the Rebels excelled from the charity stripe against Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Ole Miss currently ranks 11th nationally and second in the SEC, averaging 22.6 trips to the line per game.
Against Tennessee, at Vanderbilt and versus Arkansas, the Rebels shot a season-high 83.3% from the stripe. Against the Lady Vols, Ole Miss went 10-of-12, at Vanderbilt shot 20-of-24 and went 15-of-18 against Arkansas.
QUEEN QUE
For the first time in her career, Marquesha Davis tallied three straight 20-point outings with 23 points against Florida, another 23 against Tennessee and a season-high 25 points at Vanderbilt.
She was first Rebel since Shakira Austin in 2021 to tally 20-point performances in three games in a row.
Davis has notched eight 20-point games this season and 11 total in her career, with all 11 coming during her time as a Rebel.
WE SEE YOU RICH
Coming off the bench against Tennessee, Kharyssa Richardson was a key component of Ole Miss' win with 21 points in her 18 minutes of action.
Shooting 9-of-10 from the floor, Richardson's 21 points set a new career-high and tied the best field goal percentage by a Rebel this season with 10 or more attempts.
In her first season as a Rebel, Richardson is averaging 5.9 points per outing along with 3.1 rebounds per game.
HEATING UP
For the first time in over two seasons, Ole Miss' offense hit a high stride in conference play in scoring 80 plus points in two consecutive games.
Dropping 81 points against Florida and then 80 against Tennessee marked the first time Ole Miss achieved the feat since scoring 80 plus points from Jan. 13-20, 2022 against Alabama, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
Scoring 87 points against Arkansas was the most against an SEC opponent since dropping 88 on Florida in 2013.
This season, Ole Miss has reached the 80-point mark in seven games.
SHOOTING IT LIGHTS OUT
For the first time since 2010, the Rebels shot over 50% in back-to-back SEC contests with a high clip against both Georgia and Florida in January.
Against the Bulldogs, Ole Miss shot 51.7% from the field and followed that up with a 50.8% performance against Florida.
HOTTY (KENNEDY) TODDY
Entering SEC play, Kennedy Todd-Williams picked it up in her first season with the Rebels, reaching double-figures in scoring in 11 out of 16 conference games.
Against Florida in Oxford, Todd-Williams notched her second-consecutive game with at least five points, five rebounds and five assists and boasts seven 5/5/5 games in her career.
EXPERIENCE THROUGH AND THROUGH
Seven Rebels boast over 100 games played throughout their collegiate careers, with experience running deep through the roster.
Ole Miss is the only school in the SEC to have seven players appear in 100 plus collegiate games.
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME
Smashing the previous Ole Miss women's basketball attendance record of 8,958 with 9,074 fans attended Ole Miss's match-up at the SJB Pavilion against LSU.
The rise has proven the growth of women's basketball in Oxford, with the crowd beating the previous attendance record against an SEC opponent as well of 6,563 against No. 1 South Carolina last season.
IT'S ALWAYS A PARTY
Dictating and disrupting opposing teams never stops for Ole Miss as the Rebels threw a block party at Coleman Coliseum against Alabama with 12 blocks as a team.
Six Rebels combined for 12 rejections, with Rita Igbokwe leading the way with five. The 12 blocks set an Ole Miss record for the most against a team on the road.
DEFENSE TRAVELS
Once again, Ole Miss made sure to pack its defense for its trip to Mobile and held the Jaguars to a season-low 41 points and shortly followed up holding Alcorn State to 37 points. This is the sixth time under McPhee-McCuin that her team has kept its opponent under the 40-point threshold.
This season Ole Miss has held 28 out of its 32 opponents to under its scoring average when they have faced off against the Rebels.
BOXING OUT
So far this season, Ole Miss has outrebounded four opponents with a margin of 20 or more. In the McPhee-McCuin era, the Rebels have held a margin of 20+ against 14 opponents.
The six years prior to McPhee-McCuin arriving in Oxford, the Rebels only had a 20+ margin three times.
BLOCK TO THE TOP
Swatting 14 shots against MVSU, Ole Miss set a new single-game program record against the Devilletes.
The 14 blocks also marked a new SJB Pavilion record, shattering the previous of nine.
Ole Miss' massive performance with 14 rejections are the third most in women's basketball this year.
The Rebels have had six games in the McPhee-McCuin era with double-figure blocks.
Nationally, Ole Miss ranks third overall with an average of 5.9 rejections per game and second in the SEC.
SHE'S A FRESHMAN!
Against Louisville, freshman Zakiya Stephenson sure made her presence known with a career-high six assists and three steals against the Cardinals.
Stephenson is the first Rebel since 2019-20 to dish out five or more assists in multiple games.
POINTS ARE HARD TO STEAL FROM US
Out of 31 games this season, Ole Miss has kept 11 of its opponents under the 50-point threshold for the single-season record.
Twice this season the Rebels have held three straight opponents under 50 points and done so for the third time 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.
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 then 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.
MILESTONE WATCH
SNUDDA COLLINS
• 175 career made three's - No. 5 all-time in Ole Miss history.
• 574 attempted three's - fourth all-time at Ole Miss.
• 938 - 62 points away from reaching 1,000 career.
MARQUESHA DAVIS
• 1018 career points - 36th Rebel to at Ole Miss to score 1,000 points
RITA IGBOKWE
• 260 career blocks.
• 103 blocks at Ole Miss - 13 from top-five in program history
• 54 blocks this season - six from top-four in a single-season at Ole Miss.
MADISON SCOTT
• 1322 career-points became the 29th player to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss, ranks No. 18 in points scored at Ole Miss.
• 76 career games in double-digit scoring - No. 8 at Ole Miss.
• 27 career double-doubles - currently sits tied for No. 7 at Ole Miss.
• 334 career free-throws made - 10 away from top-five at Ole Miss.
• 106 assists this season - first 100 assist season in career.
• 103 career blocks - 11 away from top-five at Ole Miss.
KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS
• 1261 career-points - 35th 1,000 career-point scorer at Ole Miss.
• 75 assists this season - personal single-season career best.
FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE QUE
Ever since cracking the starting lineup midway through last season, Marquesha Davis has blossomed as one of Ole Miss' stars.
Her calm demeanor has proven to be a key factor for the Rebels, averaging 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in her Ole Miss career.
Against No. 7 LSU , Davis put on a then season-best performance with 24 points before surpassing it at Vanderbilt with 25 points and becoming the first Rebel since 2019 to score 33 points in a game. In 31 games this year, Davis is averaging 14.3 points per contest.
Her play in the Bahamas earned her Battle4Atlantis All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 12.7 points throughout the tournament.
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.
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.
OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 125 of 181 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)
22-32 (68.7%)
