After five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Ole Miss Women’s Basketball will enter the 2026-27 season with the challenge of rebuilding a tournament-caliber team from the ground up. With just two returning starters from last season’s squad, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has brought in 10 transfers, led by former Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper, as the Lady Rebels look to maintain their place among the SEC’s top programs.
Ole Miss got off to a good start on Nov. 2 with an 80-38 home win over Alcorn State. The Lady Rebels’ first true test of the season is on the road against Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Cooper comes to Oxford off an impressive year in Knoxville, Tenn., averaging 16 points per game while tacking on five rebounds, four assists and three steals per game. Recognized as one of the 50 players on the Naismith Trophy preseason watchlist and on the coaches’ All-SEC preseason first team, Cooper is projected to be one of the nation’s top players and presents as the Lady Rebels’ No. 1 offensive option.
Cooper began her Ole Miss career with nine points, three rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes against Alcorn State.
Paired in the backcourt with Cooper is Jada Richard, an LSU transfer point guard more than capable of facilitating a leading offense in the SEC. Named to the All-SEC preseason second team, Richard is a formidable asset for the Lady Rebels and will pair well alongside Cooper’s productive scoring.
Averaging approximately 10 points and 3.2 assists per game and shooting 40% from beyond the arc for the Tigers last season, Richard was a huge get for the depleted Ole Miss roster ahead of the new campaign.
Richard scored 14 points and collected three rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes against Alcorn State.
The loss of frontcourt duo Cotie McMahon to the WNBA draft and Christeen Iwuala due to eligibility left a gaping hole in the Lady Rebels’ forward depth, making the addition of Boise State’s Emily Howard addition crucial ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Standing at 6 feet 5 inches, Howard could add some much-needed size to the Lady Rebels’ ranks and impose herself as a dominant paint player in the SEC, though it may be awhile before she hits the floor. Currently sidelined with a knee injury, Howard will add a new angle for Ole Miss once healthy.
Since her first season in Oxford in 2019, McPhee-McCuin has revolutionized the women’s basketball program. With her teams reaching five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and winning at least 20 games each season, McPhee-McCuin has turned Ole Miss into an SEC force and a national contender.
In no way are the Lady Rebels rebuilding in the typical manner of the phrase, but the team lost most of last season’s roster, having McPhee-McCuin at the helm makes this new roster much more likely to gel and succeed.
With an SEC team playing in each of the last five National Championships, Ole Miss has its work cut out for it this year with a grueling conference schedule. While the Lady Rebels rank No. 19 in the preseason AP Top 25, the SEC coaches poll has them ranked seventh in the 16-team conference.
Ole Miss has some interesting tests ahead in the nonconference schedule, with an important game against the Buckeyes just around the corner and home matchups with Memphis and NC State marking intense competition ahead of SEC showdowns.
In conference play, the Lady Rebels’ biggest games include their Jan. 3 contest against Tennessee, which will be Cooper’s homecoming in Knoxville against the Lady Vols; a Feb. 1 trip to Baton Rouge, La., to face off against LSU and a Feb. 14 home showdown with South Carolina, which has reached three consecutive national title games with one victory.
The women’s basketball team is off to begin yet another push for national glory.
