The Ole Miss Women’s Basketball team earned the No. 4 overall seed in the 2022 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, just two years after going 0-16 in conference play.
With the No. 4 seed, the Rebels have earned two consecutive byes and will play their first game on March 4 at approx. 2:30 p.m. CST. The quarterfinal matchup will feature the Rebels and the winner of Game 4; either the University of Florida, Texas A&M or Vanderbilt.
“We’re gonna take full advantage of this double-bye. I don’t even know how to feel, I’ve never had a double-bye,” Head Coach Yolett-McPhee McCuin said.
If the Rebels win their quarterfinal matchup, they will face off against the winner of No. 1 South Carolina and Arkansas/Missouri. All familiar foes, the Rebels are 2-2 against these opponents, beating Arkansas and Missouri in dominating fashion, but falling twice to South Carolina throughout the season. However, Ole Miss has shown vast improvement against the Gamecocks, closing the scoring gap by 15 points.
“I thought South Carolina did a great job just continuing to play at a level that will give them the victory, and that’s why they’re the number one team in the nation. There were a lot of good things that I saw. Everything that we wanted to get, I felt like we got,” Coach Yo said.
The Rebels concluded their regular season on Sunday, falling to No. 1 South Carolina 71-57. The Rebels persisted throughout the game, putting heavy pressure on the No. 1 team in the nation and making them earn every point.
Two years ago, Coach Yo and the Rebels went 0-16 in conference play and have now climbed their way to one of the top teams in the SEC and a lock for the NCAA tournament. The Rebels finished 22-7 overall and 10-6 in conference play, defeating two ranked teams along the way.
“To come from not winning a conference game to now being one of the top four teams in the SEC, I’m proud,” Coach Yo said.
The tournament will be played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, from March 2-6 and will be aired on SEC Network.
