Cameron Larkin
Ole Miss is on its way to Knoxville to face off against a well-coached, hardworking Tennessee Volunteer team. The Lady Rebels, coming off their huge win Sunday against Arkansas, have a chance to overtake Tennessee for third place in the SEC, and that is precisely what coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her players are aiming to do.
Tennessee is coming off back-to-back losses against No. 3 LSU and No. 5 UConn. The Lady Vols have played four other ranked opponents, Ohio State, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford, along with Gonzaga, which was not ranked at the time but currently sits at No. 17. Tennessee is winless in all these matchups.
Ole Miss has losses to Utah and Oklahoma, who ranked No. 7 and No. 20, respectively, in the latest AP poll. However, the Rebels also have bad losses to unranked Alabama and Auburn.
Both teams are constantly searching for a season-defining win.
Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper has her team running one of the most efficient, fast and well-rounded offenses in the SEC. Her team averages 76.58 points per game, which places them third in the conference.
The Vols are led in scoring by the Mississippi State transfer Rickea Jackson, who notches 17.7 points per game.
It is no secret that if Tennessee gets hot, it can be hard to cool them down. Lucky for Ole Miss, it defends the three-point shot better than almost anyone else in the country. The Rebels hold their opponents to a mere 24.6% from behind the arc, ranking sixth in all of women’s college basketball.
The defense will be a huge key to success for the Rebels, especially since they are 16-0 when holding opponents under 60 points. Still, the offensive side of the ball is where Ole Miss can create separation against this very good Tennessee squad.
The Rebels are a perfect 16-0 when they shoot above 40% from the field, so players like Angel Baker, Snudda Collins, Madison Scott and Destiny Salary must have good shooting nights.
McPhee-McCuin has her squad rolling again after key wins against in-state rival Mississippi State and on the road against Arkansas. The Lady Rebels are playing their best basketball of the season, and they will need to bring that level of play with them to pull out a win.
This thriller of a game takes place today at 5:30 p.m. CST and can be viewed on SEC Network +.
With a 4-1 SEC road game record, Ole Miss is looking to play spoiler to yet another home team, but Tennessee is a different beast, so the Rebels need to stay poised and focused in a hostile environment such as Thompson-Boling Arena.
