The NCAA dropped its first look at the projected Top 16 seeds for next month’s women’s tournament and Ole Miss made the cut.
The Rebels, ranked No. 14 and sitting at 20‑5 overall, landed at No. 15 in the early reveal.
If that holds, Ole Miss would host first‑ and second‑round NCAA Tournament games for the first time in program history, a milestone that’s been building for a while under Yolett McPhee‑McCuin.
“This is a team that really wants to try to host. So, these next seven games are going to be really important to us,” Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said on Wednesday. “They know how important it is more now, probably than before. It was one of the goals they had in the beginning of the season, but now they kind of see how real it is because I’m sure of watching ‘Bracketology’ and seeing what we’ve done.”
Now comes the stretch that will decide whether the Rebels stay in that hosting range or slide out of it. Sunday kicks off a four‑game run that’s about as tough as it gets: at No. 18 Kentucky, then back home for No. 22 Tennessee on Tuesday and No. 6 LSU on Thursday, before closing the week on the road at South Carolina on Feb. 22.
It’s a stretch that should give a pretty honest read on where this team stands heading into March.
Here’s everything to know about the start of that stretch run Sunday against Kentucky.
How to Watch: No. 14 Ole Miss at No. 18 Kentucky
- Who: No. 14 Ole Miss Rebels (20-5, 7-3 SEC) at No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats (19-7, 6-6 SEC)
- When: 1 p.m., Sunday
- Where: Historic Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Ky.
- TV: SEC Network
- Radio: Live Radio
- Stats: Live Stats
- Series History: Ole Miss leads all-time 29-19
- Last Meeting: Ole Miss 66, Kentucky 57 (2025)
- Last time out, Rebels: def. Arkansas, 80-57
- Last time out, Wildcats: def. Texas A&M, 75-55
Ole Miss Top Performers
- Points: Cotie McMahon, 19.9 ppg
- Rebounds: Christeen Iwuala, 8.8 rpg
- Assists: Cotie McMahon, 70 (2.8 avg.)
- Steals: Sira Thienou, 44 (1.8 avg.)
- Blocks: Latasha Lattimore, 53 (2.1 avg.)
Kentucky Top Performers
- Points: Clara Strack, 16.1 ppg
- Rebounds: Clara Strack, 10.6 rpg
- Assists: Tonie Morgan, 219 (8.4 avg.)
- Steals: Clara Strack, 35 (1.3 avg.)
- Blocks: Clara Strack, 69 (2.7 avg.)
Student-Athlete Availability Report
Ole Miss
Out
- #4 Jayla Murray
Kentucky
- All Available
Odds, Spread, Totals
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Spread
- Ole Miss: +3.5 (-114)
- Kentucky: -3.5 (-114)
Total
- Over: 130.5 (-110)
- Under: 130.5 (-110)
