Bracket Watch: Ole Miss women back as a host seed in latest NCAA Tournament projections

The Ole Miss women’s basketball team has ended a lot of droughts and done plenty of firsts under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, but there are still plenty of boxes left unchecked.

One is hosting first and second round games of the NCAA Tournament in Oxford. Last season the Rebels came close only to earn a 5 seed by the selection committee. This season they have the same chance to bring three other teams to them and play at the SJB Pavilion in mid-March.

Last Friday’s win over then-No. 5 Vanderbilt and Monday’s 26-point rout of Auburn — both games in Birmingham due to Winter Sterm Fern — No. 13 Ole Miss (19-4, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) moved up in the latest ‘Bracketology’ projections on Tuesday.

Both ESPN and CBS Sports have the Rebels as a 4 Seed, which gives them a host seed if this were the final Field of 68 reveal.

Charlie Creme of ESPN moved them up a seed in his latest projections, having the Rebels take on 13 Seed Arkansas State in the first round with 5 Seed Baylor playing 12 Seed Green Bay in the other first round game of the Region 3 – Fort Worth bracket.

There is irony here as Ole Miss was sent to Waco as the 5 Seed last year when the Bears earned the 4 Seed.

In the CBS Sports update the Rebels are also projected to play Arkansas State as the 13 Seed but they are in the Region 2 – Sacramento bracket. Texas Tech is the projected 5 Seed to come to Oxford and play 12 Seed Montana State.

Halfway into SEC play the Rebels are off to their best start through 23 games in the McCuin era. The latest NET Rankings has Ole Miss at No. 15 with a combined record of 7-4 in Quad 1 and 2 games.

The gauntlet is upcoming for Ole Miss, though, as it is going to be tested in its next six games. Five of them are against ranked opponents, currently, starting at No. 21 Alabama on Thursday at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network).

“I think we just try to take things one day a time. One game at a time,” McCuin said on Monday. “It just shows the character of the team that I have and we’re just going to try to get through it one game at a time and try to go 1-0. And also, we’re looking at this as an opportunity for use to see what it’s going to be like after we get, hopefully we host. After that it’s neutral sites. No telling where we go.”

After well-earned week off the Rebels return home for a game against Arkansas next Thursday. From there it is five straight ranked opponents at No. 16 Kentucky (February 15), home against No. 19 Tennessee (February 17) and No. 5 LSU (February 19) and at No. 3 South Carolina (February 19).