The start of the 2016 Women Basketball season has been a good one for Coach Matt Insell and the Rebels. They hope continued success leads them to postseason play.
When Ole Miss began its new chapter in women’s basketball on November 8, 2013, the end result was the first win of Coach Matt Insell’s career as a Rebel. On that night at the old Tad Smith Coliseum, Coach Insell and then freshman Bretta Hart and Shequila Joseph started on a trek that has led them here.
Coach Insell celebrated his 50 win as the Rebels defeated VCU 77-57. Just like the first game both Hart and Joseph both played during this win. However, the Rebels are looking to have a better season this year than they did during their first year together. They only finished 12-20.
Congrats to coach @minsell on his 50th win! Rebels outlast VCU to move to 9-2. #ItsTime #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/D0KXBwlwoy
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) December 17, 2016
Ole Miss is 10-2 after defeating Austin Peay 66-38. However it is not just their record that is impressive, it’s who they’ve beaten and the margin of victory. Plus it looks like the future of the Rebels’ basketball team is on the up swing.
Margin of Victory
What has been impressive about the Rebels during this season is the ease in which they’ve accumulated wins. The are putting in work on the court. Their average margin of victory for the year is an amazing +23.6 points.
This team has put together some great complete games. They seem to have a personal vendetta against the state of Louisiana as they defeated both SE Louisiana and UL Monroe by over 50 points. As a matter of fact, they nearly scored 100 points on UL Monroe.
Their victories have been so decisive because they have been effective offensively and defensively. They are shooting 43% while holding their opponents to 34%. That includes being 37.1% from three-point range while their opponents are only shooting 23.1%.
Defensively they have a +7.3 turnover margin. However, that comes from their feistiness will defending on the ball. The Rebels are averaging 11 steals per game. It’s that tenacity that is making the Rebels a potentially dangerous team in the SEC this year.
Big Wins
The key to getting into the NCAA tournament isn’t just wins. It is who you defeat. Beating teams with high RPI rankings will help the Rebels during tournament selection time. Coach Insell and the Rebels have defeated some teams that are not powerhouses. However, they did defeat one of the best teams in the PAC12.
Ole Miss boast a 16 point win over then number 25 ranked Oregon Ducks. Sophomore star Madinah Muhammad scored 18 points and graduate transfer Taylor Manuel had 22. That play from the inside and outside made for a great win.
The SEC will provide other high RPI games. But it is key for the Rebels to take care of business in non-conference games. SEC season fast approaches with a New Year’s Day game. They host Arkansas with a televised game on the SEC Network.
The Future
The Rebels have great leadership on this 2016-17 team. Along with Hart, Joseph, graduate transfer Manuel; they also have Oxford native Erika Sisk leading the team. Although these players have been huge for the team, a lot of their fire power comes from some of the younger stars.
Sophomore Muhammad is the Rebels leading scorer with 14.6 points per game. That offense is combined with her 2.3 steals for each game. Junior Shandricka Sessom adds 13.2 points and 4.8 rebounds a night.
However, now with the Rebels able to add one time PAC12 Freshman of the Year transfer Chrishae Rowe to the active roster, they have another proven scorer. She set the freshman scoring record while at Oregon. She scored 20 points with seven rebounds in just her third game back against Austin Peay.
The future looks bright with freshman Shelby Gibson contributing so much to the team at an early stage of their career. Gibson is a 6’3 true freshman from Murfreesboro, TN. She is already averaging 8.1 points off the bench. Her consistency is earning her playing time.
The Rebels women’s basketball team appears to be trending in the right direction. At this rate, Coach Insell will reach his next 50 wins quicker than he reached his first 50.