Chris Beard's Ole Miss men's squad might be out of the March Madness quotient, but women's head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is carrying on Beard's SEC tourney mantra to their NCAA Tournament appearance.
Every time Beard's Rebels pulled an upset win in the conference tournament, he doubled down on their "survive and advance" philosophy. Beard emphasized not getting too caught up in the bigger picture and just taking it one game at a time.
Coach Yo takes a page from Chris Beard's playbook
Safe to say that Coach Yo is falling back on the tried-and-tested philosophy from the men's squad, one that got them way beyond expectations.
"We're going to focus on what's in front of us. You know, I told my team. I said four games we're in Phoenix. Four wins, alright?" Coach Yo said on Selection Sunday.
"And six, you win the whole thing. But we gotta take it one game at a time, because one loss, and you go home. So we're going to keep what's in front of us as the focal point and go on from there."
If the Rebels do make it to Phoenix, Coach Yo would be writing program history. The women's basketball team has never made it to the Final Four.
Especially after their Sweet 16 appearance last season, another run that deep is the baseline. When asked about her confidence in her team, she had a no-nonsense answer.
"When you think about it, I think any team that makes the NCAA tournament is equipped, right? I just think we've just been through so much. Four games in eight days and then three games in a row in the SEC tournament against the best of the best after you get out of that first round."
"It's hard not to feel like you're prepared when you don't have to do anything in a row anymore. You can kind of just go, you have a game, you get a day, and then you play again. So, um, you know, as far as I'm concerned, uh, I think my team is really focused."
For a fanbase hungry for a deep run, that mission statement sets the perfect tone for Friday's first-round clash against Gonzaga.