OXFORD – Ole Miss women’s basketball earned a spot on the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll for a second consecutive season, claiming the No. 21 spot, USA Today announced on Thursday.
Ole Miss went 24-9 overall last season under seventh-year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. The Rebels had a program record 12 wins against SEC opponents. It’s only the third time in Ole Miss history to reach double-digit conference wins and the second that McPhee-McCuin led.
The Rebels appeared in the NCAA Tournament for a third-straight season last year, where they reached the second round. Ole Miss was receiving votes in the final coaches poll from last season.
Eight letterwinners from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad returned to Oxford, including two-time All-SEC member Madison Scott. The senior out of Indian Head, Md., will don the blue and red for a fifth and final season, after coming off another impactful season in 2023-24. Scott was recently named a member of the Preseason First Team All-SEC by the conference’s coaches.
Second-year Rebels Kennedy Todd-Williams and KK Deans are projected to accompany Scott in the starting lineup. Todd-Williams averaged the third-most points for the Rebels last season with 10.6. Deans started in six games last year, and is healthy once again to start the 2024-25 campaign.
McPhee-McCuin dipped into the transfer portal and acquired three players with over 200 combined games played in Starr Jacobs, Tameiya Sadler and Christeen Iwuala. Ole Miss went international for the 2024 freshmen class, signing four with international competition experience.
The Rebels were ranked No. 20 by the Associated Press last week and were selected to finish fifth by the media and sixth in the SEC by the conference’s coaches.
Ole Miss is one of seven teams from the SEC featured in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll, joined by No. 1 South Carolina, No. 4 Texas, No. 7 LSU, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 22 Kentucky and No. 25 Alabama.
The Rebels host Christian Brothers in their lone exhibition matchup this Sunday, Oct. 29 at the SJB Pavilion at 6:30 p.m. CT. Admission is free for all fans against the Lady Buccaneers. Ole Miss opens the regular season in style, as its set to face No. 3 USC in Paris for the Aflac Oui-Play on Monday, Nov. 4. That game is set for an 11 a.m. CT tipoff and will be broadcast on ESPN. The Rebels return from Paris for their first game at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 10.
2024-25 USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll
1. South Carolina
2. UConn
3. USC
4. Texas
5. Notre Dame
6. UCLA
7. LSU
8. NC State
9. Iowa State
10. Oklahoma
11. Duke
12. Baylor
13. Kansas State
14. Ohio State
15. West Virginia
16. North Carolina
17. Louisville
18. Maryland
19. Florida State
20. Creighton
21. Ole Miss
22. Kentucky
23. Nebraska
24. Indiana
25. Alabama
