“I don’t take any of that stuff personally.” That was Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, calm as ever. Moments earlier, Kim Caldwell had walked past her without a handshake after Ole Miss’ historic win over Tennessee. Awkward? Sure. Unfortunate? Maybe. But Coach Yo wasn’t interested in drama. Not today. She had bigger things on her mind.

“It’s hard for me to feel sorry for Tennessee when we have LSU and South Carolina coming up. But still unfortunate for both teams. I felt like our team would come out and play the way that they did because they understand the moment,” Yolett McPhee-McCuin said in the postgame press conference.

She continued, “But what I want to say is this will be harder than even the NCAA tournament. So to get this win tonight was a big deal. To protect home court was a big deal. That took a lot of character, and I don’t want that to be missed. No other team in the country has this schedule that we have right now.”

This game was never supposed to happen on this Tuesday evening. It was supposed to be played in January, but bad weather pushed it back. The change put both Ole Miss and Tennessee in tricky positions. It was even tougher for Ole Miss, who entered the game after losing one against Kentucky.

You could argue Tennessee has it worse right now. Five losses in their last seven. Confidence shaken. Questions rising. And the road ahead? Brutal. LSU. Vanderbilt. Oklahoma. Still, Coach Yo’s point about scheduling holds up.

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The Rebels have a brutal stretch ahead. Top-10 showdowns with No. 7 LSU and No. 3 South Carolina are next. Then come Florida and Texas A&M to close the regular season. Like every other ranked team, Ole Miss, too, would want a higher seed come Selection Sunday. But facing Kentucky, Tennessee, LSU, and South Carolina back to back? That’s about as tough as it gets.

Coach Yo knows the road ahead won’t be easy. This stretch will test her team. But she also knows wins like Tuesday night don’t come around often. Ole Miss’ 94–81 victory over Tennessee marked their second win in the last three matchups. But that’s not all! The Rebels broke their program record against the Lady Vols, topping the previous mark by 11.

And if you ask around, they’ll tell you the same thing: the credit goes to Coach Yo for making it happen.

It’s Time to Give Yolett McPhee-McCuin Her Flowers

No team in the SEC faced roster turnover quite like Ole Miss. The Rebels lost Madison Scott, Kennedy Todd-Williams, and Starr Jacobs, their top three scorers, in one season, and if that wasn’t enough, they also lost their fifth-leading scorer from last year, KK Deans.

You’d think losing that much talent would set a program back. But Coach Yo made sure it didn’t. She used the transfer portal to bring in Cotie McMahon, who has now emerged as one of the most impactful additions in the nation.

Three seasons at Ohio State prepared the Dayton native for this moment. She’s become Ole Miss’ first consistent 20-point scorer since Shakira Austin. McMahon is averaging 19.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, and has been the steady force behind the Rebels’ biggest wins.

Her 39-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist outing against Tennessee this Tuesday evening will surely stand out as the best of the bunch. But her clutch performances don’t stop there. She also dropped 22 and 27 in wins over Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, and is currently averaging 22.8 points per game against ranked opponents.

We’re looking at a guard who’s become a nightmare for opposing defenders because of her size and physicality. Her all-around game is growing rapidly, and she’s quickly establishing herself as the team’s floor general. And she isn’t doing it alone. Coach Yo added more talent through the portal to strengthen the roster.

Six-foot-four Virginia transfer Latasha Lattimore has been a huge pickup, giving Ole Miss 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as its third-leading scorer. Meanwhile, Christeen Iwuala is enjoying a breakout campaign in her final collegiate season, sitting second on the team in scoring with 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

This trio, along with Coach Yo’s guidance, has propelled Ole Miss to No. 17 in the AP Top 25 list. That’s not to say they’ll stay there, especially given the schedule ahead. But credit is due. The Rebels sit tied for fourth in a stacked SEC at 8–4, and that’s a testament to Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s leadership.

Do you see the Rebels going beyond the Sweet 16 they reached last season? Let us know in the comments below!