If the Ole Miss women’s basketball program is going to take the next step in what has already been a steady rise, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin knows it’s going to require, among other things, her squad to play the nation’s best teams in nonconference play. The Rebels’ 2024-25 schedule is proof.
The Rebels (24-9, 12-4 SEC) are coming off their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the first such occurrence for the program since making three in a row from 1993-94 through 1995-96. The No. 7-seeded Rebels defeated 10th-seeded Marquette in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 2 seed Notre Dame. Ole Miss is ranked No. 20 in the preseason AP top 25 and was picked to finish fifth in the SEC’s preseason predicted order of finish.
The Rebels host Christian Brothers in an exhibition on Oct. 28 and begin the regular season against No. 3 USC in Paris on Nov. 4. Ole Miss will also play Final Four team NC State in December and could potentially face No. 2 UConn in the Continental Baha Mar Championship in November.
Speaking at SEC Media Days in Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday, McPhee-McCuin said one of her goals is to be a host in the NCAA Tournament’s first two rounds. To do that, a tough nonconference schedule is a must. Such a gauntlet also prepares the team for whatever awaits come NCAA Tournament time.
“For us, we want to try to get a home-court advantage. In order for us to get one of the top four seeds and host at home, we can’t duck any smoke,” McPhee-McCuin, now in her seventh season with the Rebels, said. “We have to play the best. We have to show that we are a program that’s worth being considered to be in that top four. How do you do it? You got to go play those teams. That is something that we have decided as a program.”
While Ole Miss loses leading scorer and first-team All-SEC guard Marquesha Davis from last year — Davis was selected in the first round by the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA Draft — the Rebels return first-team All-SEC forward Madison Scott, who opted to return for her final year of eligibility. Senior guard Kennedy Todd-Williams, a former North Carolina transfer, also opted to return for an additional season after averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in her first season with the program. The Rebels will also get a boost from the return of senior point guard KK Deans, who missed most of last season with a knee injury. Deans transferred from Florida prior to the 2023-24 season and averaged 9.3 points in six games played. Other returners include forward Kharyssa Richardson (5.9 points per game) and guard Ayanna Thompson (1.2 points per game).
“I learned a lot about myself outside of basketball. What I needed to change, what I needed to do on a day-to-day basis,” Deans said. “But I knew my teammates needed me whether I was on the court or off the court. I was really intentionally there every step of the way, encouraging them whenever I could. It was great, it was good and bad at the same time. Just as much encouragement as I gave them, they gave me through that process of recovery.”
As has been the case the last few years under McPhee-McCuin, the Rebels took another large transfer portal haul this offseason. Among the key pieces added was former Arkansas-Pine Bluff forward Starr Jacobs. Jacobs was the WAC Player of the Year at UT-Arlington in 2022-23 after averaging 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game but did not play in any games at Arkansas-Pine Bluff following her transfer. The Rebels also added former UCLA forward Christeen Iwuala — a former top-50 recruit nationally — and former Colorado guard Tameiya Sadler, who averaged 5.5 points per game for the Buffaloes last season. Ole Miss also added four true freshmen to its roster: guards Sira Thienou and Fatumata Djaló and forwards Jite Gbemuotor and Heloisa Carrera.
“When Coach Yo calls, you have to answer. Like, it was just a no brainer for me,” Sadler said. “I knew what she was building, and I knew that she was someone special and someone that I would love to be coached by. I feel like in a lot of my career, throughout the entirety of my career, I’ve never been coached by a coach that looks like me and actually is going to pour a lot into me. As soon as I came on campus, I honestly fell in love with her and her philosophy of her program and what she had to offer.”
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