Tag: Ole Miss basketball

USC close shave vs Ole Miss confirmed what this team expected this season

USC did not struggle against Ole Miss because of overconfidence. The Trojans struggled because Ole Miss plays great defense. This team is aware of what it must fix.

USC women’s basketball had a rough ride against Ole Miss. The Trojans escaped with a two-point win in Paris, 68-66, after trailing by four inside the final three minutes of regulation. USC led by 15 but was then outscored by 19 points — 36-17 — in a long stretch of the second half. JuJu Watkins and the rest of her teammates were plainly rattled by Ole Miss’s elite defense. Ole Miss coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin, also known as “Coach Yo,” prides herself in teaching relentless, ferocious defense. That is her calling card. USC just didn’t handle the heat very well. Fortunately, Ole Miss’s offense isn’t very good, and the Rebels’ mistakes enabled USC to rescue itself down the stretch.

USC didn’t play a good game against Ole Miss, but this team is aware of the challenges it faces this season. There’s no ignorance of reality, and that’s a good reason to believe the Trojans will make the adjustments they need to make.

Need more evidence of this? Sue Favor of Women’s Hoops World wrote a piece just before the Ole Miss game in which she gathered insights from USC players and coaches. Here’s one key quote from coach Lindsay Gottlieb:

“The stage has been elevated, and expectations are elevated for all of us,” Gottlieb said of her team, which is ranked No. 3 in the AP preseason poll. “There’s definitely a target on our backs, and we’re ready for it.”

JuJu Watkins added this insight:

“I love the work, and I definitely have a lot to work on,” Watkins said. “I always believe I can go a step further every time, and I love the game so much and expect the best of myself and my team. I know its gong to take a lot of work to get a championship, but everyone has bought in here.”

USC did not struggle against Ole Miss because of complacency or overconfidence. This team is acutely aware that it is not a finished product and that everyone has to evolve and grow. The Trojans simply got punched in the mouth by a great defensive team and didn’t react well in their first game of the season. Expect the Trojans to react well and play cleaner basketball the next time they face a tough opponent.

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Why USC and Ole Miss women’s basketball teams are playing in Paris

USC and Ole Miss open their season in Paris. Here’s the awesome reason why.

Women’s college basketball is back, and USC and Ole Miss kick off the 2024-2025 season in Paris, France.

Why are the Trojans and Rebels in Paris? There’s actually an excellent reason.

In 2023, when South Carolina and Notre Dame opened the season with massive success in Aflac’s first Oui Play event, Aflac decided to continue investing in women’s basketball and continue the game for a second season — but with a twist. This year, the Trojans and Rebels will play at Adidas Arena in Paris as part of a doubleheader. USC and Ole Miss will compete at 12:00 p.m. ET on November 4 before UCLA and Louisville take the court at 2:30 p.m. ET.

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That’s it — pretty cool stuff. Enjoy the season!

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Ole Miss’ Yolett McPhee-McCuin came away from March Madness win with a perfect family photo

Ole Miss’ coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her husband think a lot alike.

During the Ole Miss women’s basketball team’s NCAA tournament first-round victory over No. 10 Marquette on Saturday afternoon, the virtues of a good marriage were on full display.

No. 7 Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin shared a photo of her and her husband Kelly making the same gesture on the sideline and in the stands, respectively, during a moment of the team’s 67-55 win.

It’s a very sweet snapshot of how in tune these two are while “Coach Yo” is at work, and how supportive her husband is while he’s cheering on his wife and her team in March Madness tournament play.

You can tell that this couple thinks exactly alike when it comes to what’s happening on the court, which Coach Yo affectionally notes in her social media post: “This is what 16 years of marriage looks like!”

For Ole Miss fans, this is surely a sight they’ll hope to see plenty of as McPhee-McCuin continues to lead her team to 20-plus win seasons.

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South Carolina and Ole Miss players classily helped a player with an on-court wig accident

The South Carolina and Ole Miss women’s basketball teams deserve credit for understanding the moment.

Basketball is such a fast-paced, physical sport that often things happen in the blink of an eye, including unexpected mishaps. That happened during Sunday’s game between South Carolina and Ole Miss when a player’s wig accidentally came off mid-game. Amazingly, neither team missed a beat. They sprang into action to help their fellow peer.

It can be embarrassing and gutwrenching to watch injuries or accidents change the course of a game. (Remember when ESPN brutally showed Chelsea Gray’s injury during the 2023 WNBA Finals?)

During those moments, it’s not as common to see a player get time to gather themselves or get unanimous support from other athletes. But, when an Ole Miss women’s basketball player collided with a player from South Carolina — resulting in a wig coming off — players from both teams jumped in to help.

The best part of the sequence is seeing the players from each team gather to shield the impacted player so that they could put their wig back on properly and not feel overwhelmed.

Women’s hoops fans noticed their incredibly kind gesture and loved it.

Auburn’s Johni Broome immediately regretted slapping Morgan Freeman’s hand after realizing who was grabbing him

Probably not how you envision meeting Morgan Freeman.

It’s not everyday you get to meet one of your favorite celebrities, and most people don’t envision it going the way it went for Auburn’s Johni Broome Saturday.

Late in the second half of Auburn’s game at Ole Miss, the junior big man was standing on the sideline when a fan started tugging at the bottom of his jersey. Without looking back, Broome swiped the fan’s hand off of him, only to turn around and realize it was none other than Morgan Freeman. Broome apologized almost immediately before giving a proper introduction.

After the game, Broome said he thought it was just an Ole Miss fan trying to hold on to him. He’s not exactly wrong. Freeman is a Mississippi native who frequents Ole Miss games. The Academy Award winner just wasn’t the fan Broome envisioned when he brushed him off.

Broome said he’s a big movie guy and probably watched one of Freeman’s films on the flight to the game. “But I realized it was him, I’m like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a big fan. Sorry.’ And he just said keep playing,” Broome explained.

That’s something he’ll remember forever.

Ole Miss basketball adds 2 new front-court recruits to 2023 class

Ole Miss also got a commitment from Duncanville (Texas) three-star power forward Cameron Barnes.

Ole Miss is usually known for football, but their mens basketball squad got a couple of quality front-court recruits yesterday.

First, Blytheville (Ark.) four-star center Rashaud Marshall announced his commitment to Ole Miss – for the third time. Marshall (6-foot-9, 215 pounds) is billed as an old-school powerful low-post big.

Marshall also had offers from Arkansas State, Saint Louis, TCU, Texas A&M, Tulsa and Florida State. He is ranked No. 14 among centers in his class and No. 1 overall in the state.

Ole Miss also got a commitment from Duncanville (Texas) three-star power forward Cameron Barnes.

Barnes (6-foot-10, 210 pounds) also had offers from Baylor, Memphis, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M and Wichita State. According to the composite rankings, he’s No. 36 among power forwards in his class and No. 18 overall in Texas.

The Rebels’ class ranks No. 42 in the national rankings for the 2023 recruiting cycle.

More basketball stories

Texas has now lost two 5-star commitments in 2023

Watch: 5-star SF Carter Bryant commits to Arizona

Quotes from former Texas HC Chris Beard during Ole Miss press conference

Chris Beard has a doozy of a first press conference.

Former Texas head coach Chris Beard is now the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. That’s great news for both parties as far as their on-court prospects, but not the strongest public relations move.

On a personal note, many hope Beard can rehabilitate and better himself after an alleged domestic altercation got him arrested. The only question is, was he given enough time to reflect and learn from the situation? Ole Miss doesn’t appear concerned about reflection time.

We’ve wrote that the incident in question is alleged, but Beard didn’t give much reason to doubt those claims in his press conference. When asked point blank about specific details, the now Ole Miss head coach offered no denial.

Here’s a look a some of what Beard had to say to his new school and fanbase.

College basketball: Ole Miss hires former Texas HC Chris Beard

Chris Beard is heading to Ole Miss.

Ole Miss officially announced Chris Beard as its new head basketball coach on Monday.

Beard was fired by Texas following a domestic violence charge against a family member in December. Rodney Terry took over for Beard as acting head coach and guided the Longhorns to a top 5 finish in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Legal charges against Beard were dropped in February, opening up the possibility for him to return to college basketball. Ole Miss jumped at the opportunity to hire Beard to lead its program.

Beard has a career record of 171-73 as a head coach with a strong track record in the NCAA Tournament. He led Texas Tech to a national championship appearance in 2019.

With Texas heading to the SEC ahead of the 2024 season, the Horns will share a conference with its former head coach.

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Report: Former Texas HC Chris Beard in talks with Ole Miss

Chris Beard is already hearing his name discussed in major coaching searches. 

Former Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard is already hearing his name discussed in major coaching searches. Continue reading “Report: Former Texas HC Chris Beard in talks with Ole Miss”

Former Texas HC Chris Beard reportedly drawing interest from Ole Miss

Ole Miss is reportedly considering Chris Beard for its head coaching position.

A couple months ago Chris Beard ceased to coach the Texas Longhorns. It looks like he could find a new team soon. Continue reading “Former Texas HC Chris Beard reportedly drawing interest from Ole Miss”