Ole Miss didn't deserve their spurting hope of Yolett McPhee-McCuin's team getting an automatic NCAA tournament bid getting crushed after a loss to Texas in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Ole Miss women's basketball had a roller coaster of a season, absolutely dominating most of it and the wheels coming off right towards the end with a four-game skid. Their two massive wins against Auburn and No. 2 Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament had the whole of Oxford on a new high, but the 85-68 dogfight against Texas didn't end up being in their favor.
The numbers don't do justice to the fight the Rebels put up in Greenville in the semifinals. Most importantly, they don't do justice to incredible teamwork they displayed.
Coach Yo proud of the fight Ole Miss put vs. Texas
Yolett McPhee-McCuin wasn't letting that go unnoticed, as she reflected on how proud she was about her team coming this far in the SEC Tournament.
"This is the best league in the country. I feel an incredible amount of gratitude. We came into this tournament on a four-game losing skid, and we still took down the No. 2 team in the country (Vanderbilt), and despite the final score, played a very competitive game with Texas. Our girls showed a lot of fight this week, and it makes me proud," McPhee-McCuin said in her post-game presser.
Seeing her team become a top 4 SEC contender from off-the-radar underdogs makes Coach Yo’s pride ten times more potent.
"I remember one time I turned the TV on and saw us with the other teams," she said. "There were all kinds of polls being mentioned, and we weren't mentioned in any of them. As far as they're concerned, we weren't even supposed to be here. If you look at tonight, we were one of four teams left while playing in arguably one of the best leagues in the country, with one of our starters out. There's something to be said about that."
This isn't a new feeling in Oxford; Rebel fans have been quietly harboring this pride since the season's inception. While the national media was looking elsewhere, the Ole Miss faithful were already sold on Coach Yo’s vision.
Now, it's time for the team to get some rest and wait for March 15, the day when the NCAA rankings finally drop to know their path forward.