The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, March 6
Greenville, S.C.
5 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Vanderbilt
No. 23 Women’s Basketball Meets No. 5 Vanderbilt in Quarterfinals of SEC Tournament
3/6/2026 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – Seventh-seeded Ole Miss women's basketball is set to face second-seeded Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the 2026 SEC Tournament on Friday, March 6. Tipoff at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena will be at 5 p.m. CT, streaming on SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
No. 24/23 Ole Miss Rebels (22-10, 8-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (147-105) • 13th Season in Career (241-168)
No. 5/5 Vanderbilt Commodores (27-3, 13-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Shea Ralph • 5th Season at Vandy (100-62) • 5th Season in Career (100-62)
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tiffany Greene
Color: Carolyn Peck
Reporter: Holly Rowe
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
This game is the 59th matchup between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. The Commodores lead the series, which dates to 1978, 35-23. The Rebels are on a six-game winning streak in the series, which is the longest run of victories for Ole Miss in the series history.
The two teams faced off twice last season, with Ole Miss emerging victorious in both outings. The first of which saw Ole Miss claiming an 87-59 victory in Oxford. It's the Rebel's most impressive win in series history, with 87 points being the highest they've scored against the Commodores and the 28-point gap being the widest margin of victory.
A Rebel has scored 20-or-more points in each of the past five wins against the Commodores, the last of which saw Cotie McMahon score 27 points with four boards and three assists. Behind her, Christeen Iwuala had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. The win marked two wins for Ole Miss this season over Associated Press Top Five ranked teams.
Last season, Kennedy Todd-Williams drop a career-high 25 points against the Commodores. Todd-Williams was responsible for 40 of Ole Miss' points that day as all five Rebel starters scored in double figures. In the second game, Ole Miss relied on its frontcourt duo of Starr Jacobs and Madison Scott, who scored 24 and 16 points, respectively, in the Rebels' 76-61 victory. Jacobs added 10 rebounds for her third of the season with the Rebels. She also shot a staggering 12-for-13 from the field.
The Rebels have had some memorable moments against the Commodores in their 51-year history. Most memorably, in 1992, Ole Miss defeated Vanderbilt, 59-57, to win the program's first SEC Championship. Individually, in 1978, Peggie Gillom recorded the second-most rebounds by a Rebel in program history against the Commodores, bringing in 23.
SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
Shea Ralph has transformed Vanderbilt into a national powerhouse in just five seasons in Nashville. She's guided the Commodores to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths, marking the first time Vanderbilt has done so since earning 15-straight bids from 1999-2014. She's 100-62 as head coach of the program.
Much of hers and Vanderbilt's success has come off the back of this season's SEC Player of the Year, Mikayla Blakes. Last season's SEC Freshman of the Year, Blakes has continued to develop and shine under Ralph's tutelage. Blakes is scoring at an unbelievable rate, averaging a nation-leading 27.1 points per contest, as well as 4.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. She ranks first in the SEC in made field goals and free throws, leading to her pacing the conference in overall points.
Vanderbilt isn't a one-woman show, as the Commodores are 27-3 entering Friday's competition. Behind Blakes, Vanderbilt is top 10 nationally in scoring offense and 11th in scoring margin for the season.The Rebels are facing one of the top 3-point shooting team in the SEC, as Vanderbilt is averaging nearly 10 made shots from long distance this season (9.7, to be exact). That mark is fifth in the nation. The Commodores make those shots at an efficient rate as well, draining 36.8 percent from that distance, which is 14th nationally.
The Commodores are highly effective at protecting and distributing the ball, sitting fifth in the country in assist/turnover ratio at 1.49. In large part, this is due to freshman guard Aubrey Galvan's 2.31 individual mark, which is fourth in the SEC and top 20 in the country. Galvan is Ralph's most recent example of recruiting dominant freshmen, as Galvan also ranks fifth in assists per game and fourth in steals per game among conference competitors. She's also second on the team in points per game (12.9), and was recently named SEC Freshman of the Year.
LAST TIME OUT
A strong first half propelled No. 24/23 Ole Miss to a victory over Auburn in the second round of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, Thursday evening.
Christeen Iwuala was a dominant force for the Rebels, scoring 18 points and a field-leading nine rebounds. She made all eight of her shot attempts, making her the first Rebel since Madison Scott to shoot and make eight shots in a single game. Scott accomplished her feat on Dec. 5, 2021, against Cincinnati.
Behind Iwuala, Cotie McMahon and Latasha Lattimore held down the offense with 13 and 12 points, respectively. McMahon has reached double-digit scoring marks 30 times this season, making her the most recent Rebel to have that many such games was Bianca Thomas in 2009-10.
Lattimore made history in her own right, securing three blocks to reach 71 for the year. In doing so, she became only the second Rebel in program history to reach at least 70 blocks in a single season, the other being Promise Taylor in 2017-18. Taylor also holds the record for single season blocks by a Rebel with 82 that season.
With the win over the Tigers, the Rebels have advanced to six consecutive quarterfinal matchups in the SEC Tournament, dating to 2021. The Rebels have now won against the Tigers in the SEC Tournament for the first time since 1993, when Ole Miss defeated Auburn, 69-55, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Cotie McMahon has been named the 2026 SEC Newcomer of the Year and recognized as a First Team All-SEC honoree.
This marks the third consecutive year McMahon has been named to a conference postseason first team, as she earned All-Big Ten First Team recognition the past two seasons. It is also the second individual conference honor the senior has won, as she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023.
McMahon is the first Rebel to be selected to the First Team All-SEC since Madison Scott and Marquesha Davis in 2024. She is the first Ole Miss player in program history to win Newcomer of the Year, as this is only the second season the SEC has recognized the award.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
TEAM FACTS
No. 24/23 Ole Miss Rebels (22-10, 8-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (147-105) • 13th Season in Career (241-168)
No. 5/5 Vanderbilt Commodores (27-3, 13-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Shea Ralph • 5th Season at Vandy (100-62) • 5th Season in Career (100-62)
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tiffany Greene
Color: Carolyn Peck
Reporter: Holly Rowe
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
This game is the 59th matchup between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. The Commodores lead the series, which dates to 1978, 35-23. The Rebels are on a six-game winning streak in the series, which is the longest run of victories for Ole Miss in the series history.
The two teams faced off twice last season, with Ole Miss emerging victorious in both outings. The first of which saw Ole Miss claiming an 87-59 victory in Oxford. It's the Rebel's most impressive win in series history, with 87 points being the highest they've scored against the Commodores and the 28-point gap being the widest margin of victory.
A Rebel has scored 20-or-more points in each of the past five wins against the Commodores, the last of which saw Cotie McMahon score 27 points with four boards and three assists. Behind her, Christeen Iwuala had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. The win marked two wins for Ole Miss this season over Associated Press Top Five ranked teams.
Last season, Kennedy Todd-Williams drop a career-high 25 points against the Commodores. Todd-Williams was responsible for 40 of Ole Miss' points that day as all five Rebel starters scored in double figures. In the second game, Ole Miss relied on its frontcourt duo of Starr Jacobs and Madison Scott, who scored 24 and 16 points, respectively, in the Rebels' 76-61 victory. Jacobs added 10 rebounds for her third of the season with the Rebels. She also shot a staggering 12-for-13 from the field.
The Rebels have had some memorable moments against the Commodores in their 51-year history. Most memorably, in 1992, Ole Miss defeated Vanderbilt, 59-57, to win the program's first SEC Championship. Individually, in 1978, Peggie Gillom recorded the second-most rebounds by a Rebel in program history against the Commodores, bringing in 23.
SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
Shea Ralph has transformed Vanderbilt into a national powerhouse in just five seasons in Nashville. She's guided the Commodores to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths, marking the first time Vanderbilt has done so since earning 15-straight bids from 1999-2014. She's 100-62 as head coach of the program.
Much of hers and Vanderbilt's success has come off the back of this season's SEC Player of the Year, Mikayla Blakes. Last season's SEC Freshman of the Year, Blakes has continued to develop and shine under Ralph's tutelage. Blakes is scoring at an unbelievable rate, averaging a nation-leading 27.1 points per contest, as well as 4.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. She ranks first in the SEC in made field goals and free throws, leading to her pacing the conference in overall points.
Vanderbilt isn't a one-woman show, as the Commodores are 27-3 entering Friday's competition. Behind Blakes, Vanderbilt is top 10 nationally in scoring offense and 11th in scoring margin for the season.The Rebels are facing one of the top 3-point shooting team in the SEC, as Vanderbilt is averaging nearly 10 made shots from long distance this season (9.7, to be exact). That mark is fifth in the nation. The Commodores make those shots at an efficient rate as well, draining 36.8 percent from that distance, which is 14th nationally.
The Commodores are highly effective at protecting and distributing the ball, sitting fifth in the country in assist/turnover ratio at 1.49. In large part, this is due to freshman guard Aubrey Galvan's 2.31 individual mark, which is fourth in the SEC and top 20 in the country. Galvan is Ralph's most recent example of recruiting dominant freshmen, as Galvan also ranks fifth in assists per game and fourth in steals per game among conference competitors. She's also second on the team in points per game (12.9), and was recently named SEC Freshman of the Year.
LAST TIME OUT
A strong first half propelled No. 24/23 Ole Miss to a victory over Auburn in the second round of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, Thursday evening.
Christeen Iwuala was a dominant force for the Rebels, scoring 18 points and a field-leading nine rebounds. She made all eight of her shot attempts, making her the first Rebel since Madison Scott to shoot and make eight shots in a single game. Scott accomplished her feat on Dec. 5, 2021, against Cincinnati.
Behind Iwuala, Cotie McMahon and Latasha Lattimore held down the offense with 13 and 12 points, respectively. McMahon has reached double-digit scoring marks 30 times this season, making her the most recent Rebel to have that many such games was Bianca Thomas in 2009-10.
Lattimore made history in her own right, securing three blocks to reach 71 for the year. In doing so, she became only the second Rebel in program history to reach at least 70 blocks in a single season, the other being Promise Taylor in 2017-18. Taylor also holds the record for single season blocks by a Rebel with 82 that season.
With the win over the Tigers, the Rebels have advanced to six consecutive quarterfinal matchups in the SEC Tournament, dating to 2021. The Rebels have now won against the Tigers in the SEC Tournament for the first time since 1993, when Ole Miss defeated Auburn, 69-55, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Cotie McMahon has been named the 2026 SEC Newcomer of the Year and recognized as a First Team All-SEC honoree.
This marks the third consecutive year McMahon has been named to a conference postseason first team, as she earned All-Big Ten First Team recognition the past two seasons. It is also the second individual conference honor the senior has won, as she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023.
McMahon is the first Rebel to be selected to the First Team All-SEC since Madison Scott and Marquesha Davis in 2024. She is the first Ole Miss player in program history to win Newcomer of the Year, as this is only the second season the SEC has recognized the award.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
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