Matt Insell acknowledges the Ole Miss women’s basketball team still has some “hiccups” with its new offense.
But for a team with five freshmen and a sophomore who is in her first year with the program, Insell doesn’t mind those mistakes because he knows the Rebels are still a work in progress in his second year as head coach.
Despite their youth and inexperience, Ole Miss nearly pulled one of the biggest upsets in the Southeastern Conference on Sunday before losing to then-No. 11 Kentucky 64-58 in Lexington, Kentucky. Insell said the key for Ole Miss (11-4, 1-1 SEC) will be to bounce back and take care of business starting at 6 tonight when it takes on Florida (9-6, 1-1) in Gainesville, Florida.
“We have to dig deep and get two big wins this week,” said Insell, whose team will play host to Alabama on Sunday. “It is going to be tough because Florida has a good team and Amanda Butler does a great job with that program.”
Ole Miss had its five-game winning streak snapped in the loss at Kentucky. During the winning streak, Ole Miss took to a ball screen and motion offense Insell installed to give his players better spacing and to give them the freedom to make plays. Insell said Ole Miss was “exposed” in losses to Baylor and to Western Kentucky, so he opted to change things and give players he knows how to play a new look. Since the installation, Insell said the Rebels have added some new twists to the offense, including some that worked Sunday in a hostile environment at Kentucky.
“Our players were making plays, and that was real satisfying for me,” said Insell, who was an assistant coach to Matthew Mitchell at Kentucky before becoming head coach at Ole Miss. “We wanted to put them in positions for them to be successful. We still have to improve on some things, and we will.”
Tia Faleru was one of those players who impressed Insell. The senior forward had 21 points and 13 rebounds against Kentucky for her sixth double-double of the season, and her fourth in a row. The streak is the longest in her career. Faleru is second in the SEC in scoring at 16.3 points per game. She also is averaging 10.7 rebounds per game.
Erika Sisk (9.2 ppg.) and Danielle McCray (7.2) are second and third, respectively, on the team in scoring.
Insell said the change in offense fits his team because it takes away the number of sets it has to rely on and allows the players to have fun. A year ago, Ole Miss relied heavily on senior point guard Valencia McFarland to handle the basketball and to create for her teammates. This season, with guards like A’Queen Hayes, Shandricka Sessom, and Sisk, Ole Miss can use multiple looks and has the versatility to exploit matchups. He said the new offense enables them to spread the floor and use their speed and quickness, especially against bigger teams, to get to the basket. That style of play suits Faleru, who is one of the most athletic players in the country.
“Defensively, we have something we can recruit to,” Insell said. “Now offensively we have something we can recruit to.
“The kids are real confident in it. We got in the huddle late against Kentucky and I asked them what they wanted to do. The players said, ‘Just run the motion and we will get something at the basket.’ … They are comfortable with it, and we know what we can do. I am excited they are doing this well. It is exciting to get good feedback from a young team. That has been a big part of our growth.”
Insell also likes what he has been seeing from his team on defense. Coming from a Kentucky program that prided itself on its fast pace and its ability to create havoc on defense, Insell said Ole Miss played well defensively against Arkansas in its SEC opener. He felt the Rebels made things difficult for the Lady Razorbacks on offense and used their quickness and athleticism to earn a key victory.
“Our athletes are starting to see it. They’re seeing things like help-side defense and taking charges,” Insell said. “They are doing a great job guarding the ball.”
Insell hopes Ole Miss will be able to put both parts of its game together tonight against Florida, which is the only team in the SEC that doesn’t have a player averaging in double figures. Cassie Peoples (9.9 ppg.), Ronni Williams (9.7), and Kayla Lewis (9.3) lead the team in scoring.
A win tonight would help Ole Miss equal its total in each of the past two seasons. Two wins would put it closer to securing its first winning season since 2009-10, when the program advanced to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
“We have to find a way to bounce back and get a win at Florida,” Insell said. “This week is huge week for our program. … If we get two this week we will be 3-1 in the SEC, and that puts us in good position.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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