Consider this a fresh start for the Ole Miss women’s basketball team, as it will enter the Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament in Duluth, Ga., with a clean slate. The No. 14 seed Rebels (11-19, 2-14 SEC) finished last in the conference, but did win their last game of the season in overtime against the Auburn Tigers. Ole Miss will look to keep that momentum going against No. 11 seed Arkansas in the first round today.
“I felt like the last four or five games, we’ve played about as good as we’ve played all year,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell said. “And we’ve got to take that momentum into Duluth and let’s see if we can win a couple.”
The Razorbacks (19-10, 6-10 SEC) are coming off two big wins over LSU and Missouri. These teams first met back on Jan. 19 in Fayetteville, where the Rebels stormed back to take a five-point lead in the second half, but their comeback attempt fell short, as Arkansas held on to win 68-65.
Tipoff tonight is set for 7:30, and the game will be televised on Fox Sports South.
Impact Players
Ole Miss: Who else other than Ole Miss senior point guard Valencia McFarland would be the impact player for the first round of the SEC tournament? McFarland is coming off a sensational 27-point outing in the victory over Auburn. This will be McFarland’s final chance to earn one more SEC victory as a Rebel, and her final chance to continue her career before she graduates.
Arkansas: Razorback freshman power forward Jessica Jackson has been the leading catalyst for this much improved Arkansas team. In the first meeting between these two teams, she led the Hogs with 31 points to secure the victory. On the season, Jackson averages 16 points and six rebounds per game. She will have to be contained down low if the Rebels hope to advance.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss women’s basketball, follow @browningstubbs and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
