Ole Miss Basketball: Lady Rebels given eight seed in NCAA tournament

The women’s Ole Miss basketball squad was awaiting the results of selection Sunday this past weekend to see if, and who, they would be playing in the 2023 NCAA tournament.

The Lady Rebels would get the eighth seed in this year’s tournament, their second NCAA tournament appearance in a row.  This is the first back-to-back NCAA tournament appearance in almost twenty years, the last being the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

Ole Miss will be playing the number nine overall seed, Gonzaga. Gonzaga finished the season ranked 16th in the nation after compiling a 28-4 overall record. They upset number six overall Louisville earlier this year and have proven to be one of the tougher teams in women’s college basketball.

The Bulldogs would end up falling to Portland in the West Coast Conference championship game. That loss and a lower strength of schedule put them at the number nine seed and a first-round face-off with Ole Miss.

The Lady Rebels finished the year with a 23-8 record and fourth overall ranking in a talent-heavy and very competitive SEC.

Women’s Ole Miss basketball head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin wrapped up her fifth regular season at the helm in Oxford and is looking to get her first-ever NCAA tournament victory as the Ole Miss women’s head coach.

After struggling in the first couple of years as the Rebels’ head coach, Coach Yo turned it around in year three. The Lady Rebels would finish the year at 15-12 but would go on to be the runner-up in the WNIT.

Now Coach Yo has gotten the Ole Miss women’s basketball program in back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and after a first-round exit last year, their chances are as good as ever to win at least a game or two in this tournament.

The Ole Miss and Gonzaga matchup winner will likely face off against top-seeded Stanford in round two. The Lady Rebels’ round one game will take place on Friday, March 17 at 9:00 p.m. CST/10:00 p.m. EST.