The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, December 7
St. Joseph, Mo.
2 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Kansas State
Women’s Basketball Set for Matchup Against Kansas State in Bill Snyder Classic
12/6/2025 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – The undefeated Ole Miss women's basketball team is set to head to St. Joseph, Missouri for the Bill Snyder Classic, taking on Kansas State in a showdown of 2025 Sweet 16 programs on Sunday, December 7. Tipoff at the Civic Arena will be at 2 p.m. CT, streaming on ESPN+.
TEAM FACTS
No. 13/13 Ole Miss Rebels (8-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (133-95) • 13th Season in Career (227-158)
Kansas State Wildcats (5-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Head Coach: Jeff Mittie • 12th Season at Kansas State (223-148) • 34th Season in Career (677-383)
ON THE AIR
Television: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Kyle Schmidt
Color: Rob Edmisson
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
The Rebels and Wildcats are competing in women's basketball for just the second time. It's been 48 years since the teams last faced off, resulting in a 62-57 win for Ole Miss at the MUW Christmas Tournament in Columbus, Missouri. In the game, Rebel legend Peggie Gillom-Granderson scored 22 points on 11 made field goals, while also hauling in seven rebounds. Cathy Casteel also contributed on the boards, leading all players with 10 rebounds. The win marked Ole Miss' first ever against a current Big 12 opponent.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Head coach Jeff Mittie is in his 12th season at the helm of Kansas State's women's basketball program. He's built the Wildcat program into a respectable one in his time as head coach, guiding them to a 223-148 record and six appearances at the NCAA Tournament. He's accrued five 20-win seasons at Kansas State, including last year when they went 28-8. Mittie is 1-4 in his overall career against Ole Miss.
This season, Kansas State has jumped to a 5-5 record and sits 15th in the Big 12. Kansas State has losses to South Dakota, Texas A&M, Green Bay, North Carolina and South Dakota State.
Taryn Sides has established herself as the top Wildcat scorer this season, averaging 15 points in 10 contests. She averages just under 30 minutes per game, and also adds 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 rebounds. She has racked three games of at least 20 points, including a 30-piece against Columbia in November. She opened the season with a double-double (15 points and 12 assists) against Omaha.
Kansas State has its youngest roster since 2018-19, with nine of its 12 players being either true freshmen or sophomores. However, a trio of freshmen have begun to excel at the collegiate level. Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod and Jordan Speiser each have unique skills that positively contribute to the Wildcats. All three scored 12 points in Kansas State's loss to Texas A&M, marking the first time three Wildcat freshmen scored 12 or more points in the same game since Feb. 5, 2022 against Texas Tech. Garcia leads the team in assists, Harrod is the team's rebound leader and Speiser is an efficient shooter from long distance.
GAMES AGAINST THE BIG 12
Ole Miss has a 26-11 overall record against all members of the current Big 12. Ole Miss has faced all members of the Big 12 in its 51-year history with the exceptions of BYU and Iowa State. The Rebels have beaten all Big 12 opponents they've faced at least one time, most frequently against UCF, who Ole Miss are 4-0 against. Ole Miss last faced a Big 12 opponent last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament when it got paired against Baylor. Despite Waco being the host site, the Rebels escaped with a 69-63 victory to advance to the Sweet 16.
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is 4-2 against current members of the Big 12 as leader of the Rebels, and has won the past four in a row.
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.
8-0
By defeating Notre Dame, Ole Miss is undefeated through eight games for the first time since 2000-01, and the first time in head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin's tenure at the helm. It's the 10th time Ole Miss has started 8-0 in its 51-year history and for the first time since the 2000-01 season under former head coach Ron Aldy. Aldy, Van Chancellor, Pam Davidson and now McPhee-McCuin are the only coaches to lead the Rebels to that historic start.
"YO"VEMBER
Starting off the year a perfect 7-0, Ole Miss went undefeated through the full month of November for the first time since the 2008-09 season, averaging an impressive scoring margin of +30.6. The Rebels defeated teams from the SWAC, MEAC, Big 10, and Atlantic 10 conferences, as well as going 2-0 in the Daytona Beach Coast 2 Coast Classic.
THE IWUALA IMPACT
Christeen Iwuala has established herself as one of the top frontcourt players in the SEC throughout the nonconference season. She has recorded a double-double in four of her past six outings, after previously never earning the feat in any of her three seasons of collegiate basketball prior. She's the first Rebel since Madison Scott in 2022-23 to have that many double-doubles in the first eight games of the season.
Additionally, Iwuala has led the Rebels in scoring four times and grabbed the most rebounds six times this year, leading Ole Miss in both categories. She is following the pattern that Rebel transfers under Coach Yo tend to blossom in their second year in Oxford, joining the likes of Marquesha Davis, Angel Baker and Shakira Austin.
This past weekend, she became one of the first Rebels to earn at least 10 points through the first eight games of the season for the first time since the 2020-21 season, and is a part of the first Rebel duo, alongside Cotie McMahon, to record double-digits points through seven games in the 21st century and the first since at least the 1998-99 season.
DON'T COUNT OUT THE REBS
Defeating Notre Dame 69-62, Ole Miss survived a 19-point deficit in the second quarter of the ACC/SEC Challenge, tying its largest comeback in program history. Last time the Rebels came back from 19 points to win was on Jan. 29, 2023, against Arkansas.
Coming out of the lockeroom with the score at 37-29 after chipping away at the 19-point deficit, Cotie McMahon sparked the comeback in the third quarter with her second three of the night, before Denim DeShields and Debreasha Powe hit back-to-back triples to give Ole Miss its first lead. A Sira Thienou block set up a McMahon fastbreak finish, sending the Rebels into the fourth ahead 50-49 after a dominant 21-12 quarter. Ole Miss carried that momentum through the final frame, with Christeen Iwuala and McMahon combining for 13 points, Thienou adding two key steals, and Powe knocking down clutch free throws. Despite Notre Dame's late makes, the Rebels' advantage held firm, sealing the comeback victory.
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. 13/13 Ole Miss Rebels (8-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (133-95) • 13th Season in Career (227-158)
Kansas State Wildcats (5-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Head Coach: Jeff Mittie • 12th Season at Kansas State (223-148) • 34th Season in Career (677-383)
ON THE AIR
Television: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Kyle Schmidt
Color: Rob Edmisson
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
The Rebels and Wildcats are competing in women's basketball for just the second time. It's been 48 years since the teams last faced off, resulting in a 62-57 win for Ole Miss at the MUW Christmas Tournament in Columbus, Missouri. In the game, Rebel legend Peggie Gillom-Granderson scored 22 points on 11 made field goals, while also hauling in seven rebounds. Cathy Casteel also contributed on the boards, leading all players with 10 rebounds. The win marked Ole Miss' first ever against a current Big 12 opponent.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Head coach Jeff Mittie is in his 12th season at the helm of Kansas State's women's basketball program. He's built the Wildcat program into a respectable one in his time as head coach, guiding them to a 223-148 record and six appearances at the NCAA Tournament. He's accrued five 20-win seasons at Kansas State, including last year when they went 28-8. Mittie is 1-4 in his overall career against Ole Miss.
This season, Kansas State has jumped to a 5-5 record and sits 15th in the Big 12. Kansas State has losses to South Dakota, Texas A&M, Green Bay, North Carolina and South Dakota State.
Taryn Sides has established herself as the top Wildcat scorer this season, averaging 15 points in 10 contests. She averages just under 30 minutes per game, and also adds 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 rebounds. She has racked three games of at least 20 points, including a 30-piece against Columbia in November. She opened the season with a double-double (15 points and 12 assists) against Omaha.
Kansas State has its youngest roster since 2018-19, with nine of its 12 players being either true freshmen or sophomores. However, a trio of freshmen have begun to excel at the collegiate level. Gina Garcia, Brandie Harrod and Jordan Speiser each have unique skills that positively contribute to the Wildcats. All three scored 12 points in Kansas State's loss to Texas A&M, marking the first time three Wildcat freshmen scored 12 or more points in the same game since Feb. 5, 2022 against Texas Tech. Garcia leads the team in assists, Harrod is the team's rebound leader and Speiser is an efficient shooter from long distance.
GAMES AGAINST THE BIG 12
Ole Miss has a 26-11 overall record against all members of the current Big 12. Ole Miss has faced all members of the Big 12 in its 51-year history with the exceptions of BYU and Iowa State. The Rebels have beaten all Big 12 opponents they've faced at least one time, most frequently against UCF, who Ole Miss are 4-0 against. Ole Miss last faced a Big 12 opponent last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament when it got paired against Baylor. Despite Waco being the host site, the Rebels escaped with a 69-63 victory to advance to the Sweet 16.
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is 4-2 against current members of the Big 12 as leader of the Rebels, and has won the past four in a row.
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.
8-0
By defeating Notre Dame, Ole Miss is undefeated through eight games for the first time since 2000-01, and the first time in head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin's tenure at the helm. It's the 10th time Ole Miss has started 8-0 in its 51-year history and for the first time since the 2000-01 season under former head coach Ron Aldy. Aldy, Van Chancellor, Pam Davidson and now McPhee-McCuin are the only coaches to lead the Rebels to that historic start.
"YO"VEMBER
Starting off the year a perfect 7-0, Ole Miss went undefeated through the full month of November for the first time since the 2008-09 season, averaging an impressive scoring margin of +30.6. The Rebels defeated teams from the SWAC, MEAC, Big 10, and Atlantic 10 conferences, as well as going 2-0 in the Daytona Beach Coast 2 Coast Classic.
THE IWUALA IMPACT
Christeen Iwuala has established herself as one of the top frontcourt players in the SEC throughout the nonconference season. She has recorded a double-double in four of her past six outings, after previously never earning the feat in any of her three seasons of collegiate basketball prior. She's the first Rebel since Madison Scott in 2022-23 to have that many double-doubles in the first eight games of the season.
Additionally, Iwuala has led the Rebels in scoring four times and grabbed the most rebounds six times this year, leading Ole Miss in both categories. She is following the pattern that Rebel transfers under Coach Yo tend to blossom in their second year in Oxford, joining the likes of Marquesha Davis, Angel Baker and Shakira Austin.
This past weekend, she became one of the first Rebels to earn at least 10 points through the first eight games of the season for the first time since the 2020-21 season, and is a part of the first Rebel duo, alongside Cotie McMahon, to record double-digits points through seven games in the 21st century and the first since at least the 1998-99 season.
DON'T COUNT OUT THE REBS
Defeating Notre Dame 69-62, Ole Miss survived a 19-point deficit in the second quarter of the ACC/SEC Challenge, tying its largest comeback in program history. Last time the Rebels came back from 19 points to win was on Jan. 29, 2023, against Arkansas.
Coming out of the lockeroom with the score at 37-29 after chipping away at the 19-point deficit, Cotie McMahon sparked the comeback in the third quarter with her second three of the night, before Denim DeShields and Debreasha Powe hit back-to-back triples to give Ole Miss its first lead. A Sira Thienou block set up a McMahon fastbreak finish, sending the Rebels into the fourth ahead 50-49 after a dominant 21-12 quarter. Ole Miss carried that momentum through the final frame, with Christeen Iwuala and McMahon combining for 13 points, Thienou adding two key steals, and Powe knocking down clutch free throws. Despite Notre Dame's late makes, the Rebels' advantage held firm, sealing the comeback victory.
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: 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
PRESSER | Christeen Iwuala & Cotie McMahon (12-02-25)
Tuesday, December 02