The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, November 18
Memphis, Tenn.
7 PM
Ole Miss
at
Memphis
Women’s Basketball Set for Matchup at Memphis Tuesday Night
11/17/2025 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – Once a longstanding rivalry, Ole Miss women's basketball will travel to Memphis for the first time since 2009 on Tuesday, November 18. Tipoff at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse will be at 7 p.m. CT, streaming on ESPN+.
TEAM FACTS
No. 13/16 Ole Miss Rebels (2-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (128-95) • 13th Season in Career (222-158)
Memphis Tigers (2-2, 0-0 AAC)
Head Coach: Alex Simmons • 3rd Season at Memphis (22-42) • 8th Season in Career (112-101)
ON THE AIR
Television: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Greg Gaston
Color: Doc Holliday
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss and Memphis are reigniting a rivalry that dates to the Rebel's inaugural season in 1974. However, the two teams have not faced in a regular season match since 2009. Ole Miss leads the overall series 32-11 and have won eight of the last 10 matchups, while entering the game on a four-game winning streak over Memphis.
Ole Miss and Memphis haven't regularly faced off since the 1990s, an era in which the Rebels went 9-3. It was in the 1980s that Ole Miss saw its longest winning streak against Memphis, winning nine straight from 1982 through 1986. After the Tigers ended that streak in 1987, the Rebels responded in the next match with their biggest win over the close-range foes, winning 94-59 for a 35-point victory.
In 1979, Ole Miss dropped 104 points on No. 20 Memphis, which is still the most points a Rebel team has scored against a ranked opponent in program history. However, in the same year, Memphis put up 111 points against Ole Miss, which is still the second-most points allowed by the Rebels in a single game.
In Ole Miss' most recent game against Memphis, a 73-72 victory on the road, five players recorded double-digit points. Ole Miss' leading scorer that game was Kayla Melson, who dropped 17 points to complement six rebounds and three assists.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Alex Simmons is in her third season at the helm of Memphis' women's basketball program. Through two complete seasons with the Tigers, Simmons has recruited and developed all-conference talent and prepared them for the next level of competition. In 2024 and 2025, Memphis has had three All-Conference selections, two All-Newcomer/Freshman recipients and an All-Defense honoree. Simmons holds a 22-42 record for the Tigers entering Tuesday's competition.
The Tigers are coming off a rough 2024-25 season which saw them go 7-23 overall with a 5-13 conference ledger. Memphis ended the season on a five-game losing skid, which were all relatively close matchups. Because of that, as well as the Tigers retaining only two players from last season's squad, Memphis was selected to finish ninth in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Tigers are split through four games to start 2025-26 with losses to Ball State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but wins over Little Rock and South Alabama.
Despite losing the majority of players from last season's roster, Memphis was busy in the transfer portal and brought in 10 new faces. Chaé Harris has shown to be one of the most impactful transfers for the Tigers in the young season, averaging 18 points per game. Harris is coming off back-to-back 20-plus point performances against South Alabama and Ball State.
Sophomore Tamya Smith is a key returner for Memphis, as she was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team last season. She played in 28 games for the Tigers, averaging 4.6 points per game on an efficient .425 shooting clip, along with 2.5 rebounds per game. So far in 2025-26, Smith has shown improvement by scoring 8.2 points and bringing in 5.2 rebounds per game through four contests. Kennedi Alexander, another transfer to the Tigers, also landed on last season's AAC All-Freshman Team, and is tied with Smith for the team's leading rebounder.
GAMES AGAINST THE AAC
Ole Miss found plenty of success against the AAC in its 51-year history. The Rebels are 58-22 against AAC opponents and have won five of the last six matches against AAC opponents. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is 5-1 overall against AAC opponents as the leader of Ole Miss' women's basketball program. The Rebels have a winning or even record against all members of the AAC with the exception of Tulane, who leads the series 3-2. Ole Miss has played Memphis the most among all AAC opponents, with Tuesday's game set to be the 44th in the series. The Tigers also have the most wins against the Rebels among their conference foes with 11.
THE EXPECTATION, NOT THE EXCEPTION
Entering year eight of the Yolett McPhee-McCuin era in Oxford, the standard has been set. Two Sweet 16s in three years, four NCAA Tournaments in a row, four straight 10-win SEC seasons, multiple All-SEC selections and three WNBA Draft picks, the Rebels have re-asserted themselves as a top program in women's college basketball.
TELL A FRIEND TO TELL A FRIEND, WE'RE BACK!
Entering the 2025-26 season, three key players from last year's squad are poised to provide leadership for the nine newcomers. Returning starters in Christeen Iwuala and Sira Thienou are primed to showcase their development from the off-season, while J'Adore Young is ready to return to the court after medically redshirting last season.
PORTAL POWERHOUSE
Branding herself as the portal queen, when players decide to transfer, Coach Yo loves to prove that a home for them is available in Oxford. Preaching the importance of development, players who decide to come to Ole Miss can see their game taken to a new level. Bringing in eight players from the transfer portal this offseason, the Rebels have been recognized as having the second-best transfer class, according to ESPN.
FRESH FACES
Along with bringing in eight transfers, Coach Yo and her staff secured one of the best young talents in Lauren Jacobs to make up this season's newcomer class.
GIVE ME THE NUMBERS
The 2025-26 Ole Miss basketball roster boasts some serious career statistics. Combined this season's Rebel roster has 475 career DI starts, 15 all-conference selections and eight combined Sweet 16 appearances. Collectively, the team possesses 7,140 career points, 2,800 rebounds, 1,151 assists, 713 steals and 355 blocks.
Individually, Denim DeShields, Cotie McMahon and Kaitlin Peterson have each accrued over 1,000 points thus far in their career. Ole Miss is the only NCAA DI women's basketball program in the country to bring in a trio of players via the transfer portal who've reached the century mark in points.
RANKED REBELS
Garnering national recognition in the polls, the Rebels recently came in at No. 13 in the AP, marking the highest ranking following one week of play since Dec. 8, 1992 when the Rebels were at No. 9. Additionally, the Rebels came in at No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, marking the best week one ranking since Dec 8, 1992 where Ole Miss was picked at No. 8.
IT JUST MEANS MORE
In both the SEC media and coaches' poll, Ole Miss has been selected to finish sixth overall out of the 16 teams in the SEC. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Ole Miss has received top-six preseason recognition after earning a No. 4 selection in 2023, and No. 5 selections in 2024 and 2022. The Rebels have surpassed expectations four times in the last five years, ending the season higher in the standings than voted on in the SEC Preseason Media Poll. Additionally, both polls placed Cotie McMahon on the Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
GIVE
Every season, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin selects a word for her team to live by, one that embodies their purpose and guides their mindset. This year, that word is "Give." Coach Yo believes true leadership begins with service, and in today's college athletics landscape, where student-athletes receive so much, she emphasizes the importance of giving back. Her goal is to prepare her players not only for success on the court, but also for life beyond basketball, where fulfillment often comes through what you give, not just what you get. Ultimately, Coach Yo challenges her team to give their all not just in competition, but also in the classroom and to one another.
BUILDING BEYOND SCOTT
Madison Scott had an outstanding five-year career at Ole Miss, consistently elevating her game and becoming one of the most exciting players in the SEC. Nationally recognized for her talent, Scott earned a spot on the 2025 All-SEC Second Team, marking her seventh career conference honor, and was recognized as a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American. Additionally, she was awarded the 2025 Gillom Trophy as the best women's basketball player in Mississippi.
Her eye-popping play led her to earn an invite to the WNBA Draft in New York City, where she was ultimately selected with the 14th pick in the second round by the Dallas Wings, but she now currently plays with the Washington Mystics. Coach Yo and the Rebels will have to navigate the season without the steady leadership and veteran presence of Scott, whose impact on and off the court set the tone for Ole Miss the past half-decade.
HISTORY REWRITTEN
Last year, Ole Miss reached the 20-win plateau for a fourth consecutive season and the 22nd time in program history. It marked the first time in the 21st century that Ole Miss has reached at least 20 wins in four straight seasons and first since Van Chancellor led 11 consecutive teams to that mark from 1981-92. Additionally, the Rebels have tallied at least 10 SEC wins in the last four seasons. Coach Yo is the only coach in program history to have at least 20 overall wins and 10 SEC wins in four seasons at the helm.
DIALED IN FROM DEEP
In the first game of the 2025-26 season, the Rebels put on a clinic from long distance, draining 13 threes on a 43.3 percent shooting clip. It surpasses last season's single game best by three and serves as the most since the Rebels clicked on 14 on Dec. 28, 2018, against North Florida. In the first quarter alone, Ole Miss converted five 3-pointers, matching last season's average in threes made per an entire game.
Cotie McMahon paced the team in made threes with four on six attempts (66.7%), followed by Tianna Thompson who made three on four attempts (75.0%). Alongside the leading pair, Debreasha Powe and Sira Thienou each earned two buckets from behind the arc, while Latasha Lattimore and Denim DeShields rounded out the Rebels' 3-point frenzy with one apiece.
TOO HOT TO HANDLE
Ole Miss is off to a historically dominant start on both ends of the court this season, earning a scoring margin of +43.3 over its opponents. This marks the first time in program history that the Rebels have opened a season with more than a +40-point win margin average through its first three games. Additionally, for only the 10th time in program history, and most recently since the 2014-15 season, Ole Miss has opened the season with three consecutive games of at least 80 points.
DICTATE & DISRUPT
Allowing a season-low 44 points against Southern, Ole Miss has yet to allow a team to score more than 50 points thus far in the young season. It's the first time a Rebel team has allowed fewer than 50 points in each of the first three games of the season. In program history, the most games that an Ole Miss team has held its opponents to under 50 points in a single year is 11 total during the 2023-24 season.
With an average of 45.0 points allowed, the Rebels currently rank seventh in the nation and first among SEC teams in scoring defense. Last year, the Rebels capped off the nonconference slate in the No. 1 slot nationally for scoring defense, holding opponents to just 46.7 points per game.
Season and single game tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are on sale now. Click here to secure yours today or visit OleMissTix.com.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
TEAM FACTS
No. 13/16 Ole Miss Rebels (2-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (128-95) • 13th Season in Career (222-158)
Memphis Tigers (2-2, 0-0 AAC)
Head Coach: Alex Simmons • 3rd Season at Memphis (22-42) • 8th Season in Career (112-101)
ON THE AIR
Television: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Greg Gaston
Color: Doc Holliday
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss and Memphis are reigniting a rivalry that dates to the Rebel's inaugural season in 1974. However, the two teams have not faced in a regular season match since 2009. Ole Miss leads the overall series 32-11 and have won eight of the last 10 matchups, while entering the game on a four-game winning streak over Memphis.
Ole Miss and Memphis haven't regularly faced off since the 1990s, an era in which the Rebels went 9-3. It was in the 1980s that Ole Miss saw its longest winning streak against Memphis, winning nine straight from 1982 through 1986. After the Tigers ended that streak in 1987, the Rebels responded in the next match with their biggest win over the close-range foes, winning 94-59 for a 35-point victory.
In 1979, Ole Miss dropped 104 points on No. 20 Memphis, which is still the most points a Rebel team has scored against a ranked opponent in program history. However, in the same year, Memphis put up 111 points against Ole Miss, which is still the second-most points allowed by the Rebels in a single game.
In Ole Miss' most recent game against Memphis, a 73-72 victory on the road, five players recorded double-digit points. Ole Miss' leading scorer that game was Kayla Melson, who dropped 17 points to complement six rebounds and three assists.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Alex Simmons is in her third season at the helm of Memphis' women's basketball program. Through two complete seasons with the Tigers, Simmons has recruited and developed all-conference talent and prepared them for the next level of competition. In 2024 and 2025, Memphis has had three All-Conference selections, two All-Newcomer/Freshman recipients and an All-Defense honoree. Simmons holds a 22-42 record for the Tigers entering Tuesday's competition.
The Tigers are coming off a rough 2024-25 season which saw them go 7-23 overall with a 5-13 conference ledger. Memphis ended the season on a five-game losing skid, which were all relatively close matchups. Because of that, as well as the Tigers retaining only two players from last season's squad, Memphis was selected to finish ninth in the AAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Tigers are split through four games to start 2025-26 with losses to Ball State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but wins over Little Rock and South Alabama.
Despite losing the majority of players from last season's roster, Memphis was busy in the transfer portal and brought in 10 new faces. Chaé Harris has shown to be one of the most impactful transfers for the Tigers in the young season, averaging 18 points per game. Harris is coming off back-to-back 20-plus point performances against South Alabama and Ball State.
Sophomore Tamya Smith is a key returner for Memphis, as she was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team last season. She played in 28 games for the Tigers, averaging 4.6 points per game on an efficient .425 shooting clip, along with 2.5 rebounds per game. So far in 2025-26, Smith has shown improvement by scoring 8.2 points and bringing in 5.2 rebounds per game through four contests. Kennedi Alexander, another transfer to the Tigers, also landed on last season's AAC All-Freshman Team, and is tied with Smith for the team's leading rebounder.
GAMES AGAINST THE AAC
Ole Miss found plenty of success against the AAC in its 51-year history. The Rebels are 58-22 against AAC opponents and have won five of the last six matches against AAC opponents. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is 5-1 overall against AAC opponents as the leader of Ole Miss' women's basketball program. The Rebels have a winning or even record against all members of the AAC with the exception of Tulane, who leads the series 3-2. Ole Miss has played Memphis the most among all AAC opponents, with Tuesday's game set to be the 44th in the series. The Tigers also have the most wins against the Rebels among their conference foes with 11.
THE EXPECTATION, NOT THE EXCEPTION
Entering year eight of the Yolett McPhee-McCuin era in Oxford, the standard has been set. Two Sweet 16s in three years, four NCAA Tournaments in a row, four straight 10-win SEC seasons, multiple All-SEC selections and three WNBA Draft picks, the Rebels have re-asserted themselves as a top program in women's college basketball.
TELL A FRIEND TO TELL A FRIEND, WE'RE BACK!
Entering the 2025-26 season, three key players from last year's squad are poised to provide leadership for the nine newcomers. Returning starters in Christeen Iwuala and Sira Thienou are primed to showcase their development from the off-season, while J'Adore Young is ready to return to the court after medically redshirting last season.
PORTAL POWERHOUSE
Branding herself as the portal queen, when players decide to transfer, Coach Yo loves to prove that a home for them is available in Oxford. Preaching the importance of development, players who decide to come to Ole Miss can see their game taken to a new level. Bringing in eight players from the transfer portal this offseason, the Rebels have been recognized as having the second-best transfer class, according to ESPN.
FRESH FACES
Along with bringing in eight transfers, Coach Yo and her staff secured one of the best young talents in Lauren Jacobs to make up this season's newcomer class.
GIVE ME THE NUMBERS
The 2025-26 Ole Miss basketball roster boasts some serious career statistics. Combined this season's Rebel roster has 475 career DI starts, 15 all-conference selections and eight combined Sweet 16 appearances. Collectively, the team possesses 7,140 career points, 2,800 rebounds, 1,151 assists, 713 steals and 355 blocks.
Individually, Denim DeShields, Cotie McMahon and Kaitlin Peterson have each accrued over 1,000 points thus far in their career. Ole Miss is the only NCAA DI women's basketball program in the country to bring in a trio of players via the transfer portal who've reached the century mark in points.
RANKED REBELS
Garnering national recognition in the polls, the Rebels recently came in at No. 13 in the AP, marking the highest ranking following one week of play since Dec. 8, 1992 when the Rebels were at No. 9. Additionally, the Rebels came in at No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, marking the best week one ranking since Dec 8, 1992 where Ole Miss was picked at No. 8.
IT JUST MEANS MORE
In both the SEC media and coaches' poll, Ole Miss has been selected to finish sixth overall out of the 16 teams in the SEC. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Ole Miss has received top-six preseason recognition after earning a No. 4 selection in 2023, and No. 5 selections in 2024 and 2022. The Rebels have surpassed expectations four times in the last five years, ending the season higher in the standings than voted on in the SEC Preseason Media Poll. Additionally, both polls placed Cotie McMahon on the Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
GIVE
Every season, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin selects a word for her team to live by, one that embodies their purpose and guides their mindset. This year, that word is "Give." Coach Yo believes true leadership begins with service, and in today's college athletics landscape, where student-athletes receive so much, she emphasizes the importance of giving back. Her goal is to prepare her players not only for success on the court, but also for life beyond basketball, where fulfillment often comes through what you give, not just what you get. Ultimately, Coach Yo challenges her team to give their all not just in competition, but also in the classroom and to one another.
BUILDING BEYOND SCOTT
Madison Scott had an outstanding five-year career at Ole Miss, consistently elevating her game and becoming one of the most exciting players in the SEC. Nationally recognized for her talent, Scott earned a spot on the 2025 All-SEC Second Team, marking her seventh career conference honor, and was recognized as a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American. Additionally, she was awarded the 2025 Gillom Trophy as the best women's basketball player in Mississippi.
Her eye-popping play led her to earn an invite to the WNBA Draft in New York City, where she was ultimately selected with the 14th pick in the second round by the Dallas Wings, but she now currently plays with the Washington Mystics. Coach Yo and the Rebels will have to navigate the season without the steady leadership and veteran presence of Scott, whose impact on and off the court set the tone for Ole Miss the past half-decade.
HISTORY REWRITTEN
Last year, Ole Miss reached the 20-win plateau for a fourth consecutive season and the 22nd time in program history. It marked the first time in the 21st century that Ole Miss has reached at least 20 wins in four straight seasons and first since Van Chancellor led 11 consecutive teams to that mark from 1981-92. Additionally, the Rebels have tallied at least 10 SEC wins in the last four seasons. Coach Yo is the only coach in program history to have at least 20 overall wins and 10 SEC wins in four seasons at the helm.
DIALED IN FROM DEEP
In the first game of the 2025-26 season, the Rebels put on a clinic from long distance, draining 13 threes on a 43.3 percent shooting clip. It surpasses last season's single game best by three and serves as the most since the Rebels clicked on 14 on Dec. 28, 2018, against North Florida. In the first quarter alone, Ole Miss converted five 3-pointers, matching last season's average in threes made per an entire game.
Cotie McMahon paced the team in made threes with four on six attempts (66.7%), followed by Tianna Thompson who made three on four attempts (75.0%). Alongside the leading pair, Debreasha Powe and Sira Thienou each earned two buckets from behind the arc, while Latasha Lattimore and Denim DeShields rounded out the Rebels' 3-point frenzy with one apiece.
TOO HOT TO HANDLE
Ole Miss is off to a historically dominant start on both ends of the court this season, earning a scoring margin of +43.3 over its opponents. This marks the first time in program history that the Rebels have opened a season with more than a +40-point win margin average through its first three games. Additionally, for only the 10th time in program history, and most recently since the 2014-15 season, Ole Miss has opened the season with three consecutive games of at least 80 points.
DICTATE & DISRUPT
Allowing a season-low 44 points against Southern, Ole Miss has yet to allow a team to score more than 50 points thus far in the young season. It's the first time a Rebel team has allowed fewer than 50 points in each of the first three games of the season. In program history, the most games that an Ole Miss team has held its opponents to under 50 points in a single year is 11 total during the 2023-24 season.
With an average of 45.0 points allowed, the Rebels currently rank seventh in the nation and first among SEC teams in scoring defense. Last year, the Rebels capped off the nonconference slate in the No. 1 slot nationally for scoring defense, holding opponents to just 46.7 points per game.
Season and single game tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are on sale now. Click here to secure yours today or visit OleMissTix.com.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
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/ Women's BasketballPRESSER | Ole Miss Women's Basketball - Postgame at Kansas State (12-07-25)
Sunday, December 07
PRESSER: Cotie McMahon & Christeen Iwuala (Notre Dame Postgame)
Thursday, December 04
PRESSER: Yolett McPhee-McCuin (Notre Dame Postgame)
Thursday, December 04
HIGHLIGHTS: Women's Basketball vs. Notre Dame (12/4/25)
Thursday, December 04