Caleb Harris
The quarterfinals match up is set for No. 4 Ole Miss and No. 13 Texas A&M on Friday, March 3. Ole Miss trampled the Aggies 57-38 on Jan. 8 and will hope to have the same success but it may not be as easy during this time around.
Ole Miss has just completed another historic regular season by going 22-7 overall and 11-5 in the SEC. It was also the first time in 30 years that the program captured 10 SEC wins in back-to -back seasons. The Lady Rebels were able to get a top-four seed for the second-straight season as well.
Despite the impressive accolades throughout the season, forward Madison Scott believes the confidence is high within the team and they are ready for more than just being “here.”
“We’re not satisfied,” Scott said. “You know, it’s been a great regular season, but there’s still more work to be done. So we’re extremely excited (to) just keep getting better and keep doing what God brought us here to do together.”
On paper the Rebels should cruise past the Aggies, however, by playing in a neutral site, anything is possible and records hold little to no weight in the tournament.
During last season, the No. 8 Kentucky Lady Wildcats upset No. 1 South Carolina in the SEC Championship game, a team that no one expected to get far.
For Ole Miss, they must stick to their bread and butter which is defense. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin understands the challenge and the unpredictability of the tournament, but does not doubt her team’s readiness.
“I think we’re incredibly prepared,” McPhee-McCuin said. “(We’re) gonna talk about what our focus needs to be going into the SEC tournament and what the expectation and the goal is.”
McPhee-McCuin went on to say, “And one thing I’ve enjoyed about this team is being able to say, ‘Hey, here’s our situation. Here’s our plan of attack, and we have followed it and sometimes we’ve even superseded it.’… And so, you know, I feel great about where we’re at from a physical standpoint, but also a mental standpoint.”
Texas A&M defeated Vanderbilt in the first round and had a convincing upset win against No. 5Mississippi State 79-72 in Thursday afternoon’s contest.
The Aggies are riding high, but Ole Miss is well-rested and excited to go back on the court.
Ole Miss needs everyone to step up and play big. McPhee-McCuin has stated before that although she has a superteam, there is no superstar. In order for the Rebels to advance to the semi-finals, everyone has to contribute and no one can take their opponent lightly.
It seems Ole Miss understands that and are confident that they will perform at a high level on Friday.
