Ole Miss women’s basketball has raced to a 3-0 start

Nov 15, 2022 - 2:42 PM

Mississippi" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nQcMwQVBuWfTGT_eDU66ucIL18A=/0x0:3485x1960/1920x1080/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71630534/usa_today_17837327.0.jpg" />

Last season, Ole Miss women’s basketball posted an NCAA Tournament appearance but lost one of its best players in a decade to the WNBA.

But so far it seems Coach Yo and the Lady Rebs are picking up right where it left off. Ole Miss (3-0) has won its first three non-conference games by double digit margins including its most recent win on the road at Arkansas-Little Rock, 58-40.

Though it’s early and non-conference games like this are usually tune-ups for SEC play, an average margin of victory above 18 points is strong, especially when replacing All-SEC Shakira Austin.

The trio of Angel Baker, Snudda Collins, and Madison Scott has provided the offensive consistency during the win streak. All three are averaging double digit points per game while Scott is also chipping in on the boards with nine rebounds per game.

Starting 3-0 is the best fans can hope for and the road from here gets significantly tougher for the Lady Rebs. Southern Miss, who finished last season 18-12, visits Oxford for a midweek tilt before Ole Miss travels to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship. While Coach Yo should certainly be pumped about traveling back to her native Bahamas, Dayton and Utah will be waiting for a two game in three day stretch right before Thanksgiving.

A Dec. 4 match at Oklahoma and a Dec. 21 trip to Temple should also give the coaching staff a good projection of what to expect for SEC play. Last season, the Lady Rebels started red hot, going 13-0 before its first loss including a top 25 win and a couple Power 5 victories along the way, so this year’s schedule isn’t drastically different in terms of difficulty.

The biggest gap seems to be yet again outside shooting as the team is only 12 of 50 from behind the arc for a 24 percent success clip. In the ‘21-’22 campaign, the Lady Rebs shot about 28 percent from three point range and was a glaring issue in its most competitive games and the NCAA Tournament.

If the coaching staff can figure out the outside shooting, things could get a little more exciting for the Lady Rebs, but if not, they’ll have to really lean hard on its core group of offensive playmakers to carry the load.