Ole Miss women's basketball earned its LSU rematch. Can this time be different?
Ole Miss women's basketball has developed a healthy habit of showing up to the SEC tournament and winning.
After the Rebels dispatched Florida 84-74 on Friday night, they made it four straight seasons where they've opened the postseason with a victory.
With the latest win, they have earned a chance to break a not-so-healthy habit. They have not won two games in any SEC tournament since 1993. On 18 occasions since, Ole Miss has won its first SEC tournament game. And on 17 of those occasions, it lost its second, with this season's result pending.
The Rebels have run into a juggernaut South Carolina team in the SEC semis in each of the past two seasons. On paper, a matchup with second-seeded LSU on Saturday (6 p.m. CT, ESPNU) doesn't look much easier.
"We're gonna have to come to play, because they have a bunch of WNBA players on their roster, so really looking forward to the challenge," Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said Friday.
The Rebels (23-7) dropped their first game this season against the defending national champions 84-73 in Oxford. Ole Miss trailed that game by five points going into the fourth quarter before the Tigers (27-4) pulled away.
FLORIDA RECAP: Marquesha Davis helps Ole Miss women's basketball survive Florida scare, set up LSU rematch
McPhee-McCuin was bothered by how her team defended to start that game, allowing 50 first-half points. The Rebels are often most comfortable in low-scoring affairs, especially against opposition with as much talent as LSU brings.
"I just expect us to just stay true to who we are, defend at a high level, not get too high or too low," McPhee-McCuin said. " . . . We had opportunities when we played them at our place. And I don't know that we were ready for the moment. I do think my team is ready for the moment."
It's difficult to imagine the Rebels going into this game with more momentum. They've won seven in a row, six of them by double figures.
And despite their identity as a defense-first group, they've developed nicely on offense. In Madison Scott, Kennedy-Todd Williams and Marquesha Davis — who popped for a career-high 33 points against Florida — the Rebels have three players capable of explosive scoring.
"My mentors always told me that you have to have your team singing 'Kumbaya' in March," McPhee-McCuin said. "Doesn't matter what happens in January. Doesn't matter what happens in February. It's up to the head coach to make sure everyone's hugging each other and singing 'Kumbaya' in March. We love each other. Our team is in a great place mentally."
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What to expect from Ole Miss women's basketball's rematch with LSU
