On3 Things to Know: Ole Miss has its first major opportunity of the season with Tennessee

The Ole Miss women’s basketball team found itself in yet another overtime game for a second straight weekend this past Sunday, yet this time came home with the victory. The Rebels knocked off Arkansas in dramatic fashion to start up another winning streak.

Ole Miss (18-4, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) did more than just get a win inside Bud Walton Arena, it secured itself a little more cushion as the 4th place team in the current SEC standings. As the calendar turns to February those three teams the Rebels are looking up at in the standings await.

First up is Tennessee (18-4, 8-1) on Thursday, situated just above Ole Miss. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin wanted her team to be playing its best basketball come the final month of the regular season and it is.

But now the task is proving it belongs as one of the top four teams in the SEC with a potential double-bye into next month’s SEC Women’s Tournament in Greenville, S.C. looming.

“We still have work to do. We still need to take advantage of opportunities that are thrown at us,” McCuin said on Wednesday. “We have huge opportunities in these next two pods with the No. 1, 2 and 3 team and we have some other teams that are going to compete, fight and we have to take care of business.”

Related: Ole Miss women’s basketball could not finish in overtime last week. They did so at Arkansas.

Lets take a closer look at the upcoming matchup, with game notes provided by Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TENNESSEE

The Lady Vols have held court in the series against the Rebels, leading 51-8 dating back to the first meeting in 1977.

Ole Miss last knocked off the all-time winningest program in women’s college basketball in 2017, in a 67-62 win in Oxford. The Rebels have only left Knoxville with a win twice in program history, the last time being in 1987.

Rebel legend Peggie Gillom-Granderson still remains in the Tennessee record books, holding the record for most points scored against a Lady Vol squad. In 1978, Gillom-Granderson recorded a record-breaking performance with 45 points against UT in Knoxville off of 21 made field goals. The record still stands in Ole Miss history as well as the most points scored in a single outing.

SCOUTING THE LADY VOLS

Tennessee started off SEC play with a red hot 8-0 start, before faltering against undefeated No. 3 LSU, 76-68 in Baton Rouge on Monday.

Despite losing Preseason First-Team All-SEC member Tamari Key, the Lady Vols have remained one of the most efficient offenses in the conference averaging 76.58 points per outing to rank third overall. 

Mississippi State transfer Rickea Jackson currently paces the Lady Vols averaging 17.7 points per game, while Jordan Horston leads the team off the boards with 6.8 per game.

COMEBACK KIDS

Trailing by 19 at with 20 minutes remaining, the Rebels came together to do the unthinkable and clawed their way back against Arkanas to force overtime and defeat the Razorbacks.

The feat tied the 9th largest margin overcome in NCAA history and was the largest in program history. It also set the third largest margin overcome in an SEC game.

300 AND MORE TO COME

Thursday’s matchup at Tennessee will be the 300th career game coached by Yolett McPhee-McCuin in her 10th season at the helm of a program.

Prior to her stint in Oxford, McPhee-McCuin spent five seasons in Jacksonville leading the Dolphins to 94 wins with the program.

GO FOR DEEP — OR DON’T

It’s a proven stat that Ole Miss defends the three ball well, ranking sixth in the nation while holding its opponents to 24.6% from beyond the arc. 

The Rebels have limited Auburn and Texas A&M to its season lowest from three and Mississippi State and Alabama to its SEC game lowest.

SNUDDA SQUAD

No doubt Snudda Collins was feeling herself on Thursday against Mississippi State, with the junior draining a career-high tying five three’s off the bench. 

With 45 made triples this season and 148 attempts, Collins is climbing her way up the Ole Miss history charts. Collins is 21 made three’s away from ranking in the top-five in a single-season.

SHARING IS CARING

Dropping a 20 dimes against Mississippi State, the Rebels showed that sharing the ball proved to be an extreme benefit. The 20 assists were the most in an SEC game by the Rebels this season.

Three Rebels combined for 18 of those 20 dimes, with Angel Baker, Madison Scott and Myah Taylor dishing out six apiece.

The last time Ole Miss had three Rebels with five or more dimes, was last season against Texas A&M from the SJB Pavilion.

THE ROAD TO 20 WINS

22 games into the season, Ole Miss’ 18 wins have it two away from hitting yet another historic milestone.

Ole Miss has not had back-to-back 20 win seasons since the 1993-94 & 1994-95 seasons.

Those teams respectively tallied 24 & 21 wins en route to two straight NCAA tournament appearances.