Ole Miss Women’s Basketball is in the midst of a vital stretch of conference games. After losing to No. 18 Kentucky on Sunday, the Lady Rebels rebounded against No. 21 Tennessee on Tuesday. Now, they will take on No. 7 LSU at home on Thursday, Feb. 19, then No. 3 South Carolina on the road on Sunday, Feb. 21.
The No. 17 Lady Rebels are currently 21-6 overall; at 8-4 in conference play, they are tied for fourth in the SEC with LSU and Tennessee. The Lady Rebels will jump the Tigers if they win the matchup on Thursday. They will then have to visit the Gamecocks, who sit atop the SEC with a conference record of 11-1 and an overall record of 25-2.
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her squad have already had two games in three days. These quick turnarounds make Top 10 games even more difficult to win, but, according to McPhee-McCuin in a postgame press conference on Feb. 17, the Lady Rebels will not shrink from the challenge.
“I don’t want that to be missed. No other team in the country has the schedule we have right now,” McPhee-McCuin said. “We’re playing in the toughest little stretch out of anybody. And not because of who we’re playing — we’re playing all these games in these amount of days. One day rest? We can’t even practice tomorrow (Wednesday), we didn’t practice today or before. But this team didn’t make any excuses; they came out there and played their hearts out.”
McPhee-McCuin chooses to view the competitive back-to-back schedule as an opportunity for the players to prepare themselves for the postseason, when there will also be quick turnarounds — though, admittedly, not this quick.
“This stretch that we’re in, there’s not a team that has this stretch,” McPhee-McCuin said. “What I want to say is that this will be harder than the NCAA Tournament.”
McPhee-McCuin also charged Ole Miss fans to do their part in supporting the team, specifically in the upcoming home game against LSU.
“I’m eight years in; we need you (the fans). We’re gonna need you on Thursday, when we go up against No. 7 LSU,” McPhee-McCuin said. “The only thing that’s going to help us get through that game is crowd support, because it matters.”
Sports television personality Stephen A. Smith will be in attendance for the game after McPhee-McCuin invited him to visit on his show on Jan. 21. The Ole Miss Football team will also be in attendance.
Tip-off between the Tigers and Rebels is set for 8 p.m. ESPN will televise the game.
