(DM Photo/Thomas Graning)
Head coach Matt Insell and the Rebels found out Monday night they would be playing postseason basketball in the WNIT. Insell helped the Rebels cap off a remarkable season with a team that hasn’t qualified for postseason play since the 2009-2010 season.
“This team is very deserving of the opportunity to play in the postseason,” Insell said. “They have done all that we have asked of them this season and have worked hard to get to this point. We are looking forward to getting back on the court for our first round game against UT Martin on Wednesday.”
Members of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Skyhawks don’t particularly play against the greatest competition, but they did go 16-0 in conference play, which is always impressive. They come into WNIT play with a 22-10 overall record as well.
“UT Martin is a very good team that went through their conference undefeated. That’s a hard thing to do in any conference,” Insell said. “I have a lot of respect for them and know it will be a tough task for us. This time of year, you have to bring your A game to be successful, and that is what I will expect from our team on Wednesday night. We need a great crowd at the Tad Pad, and I can’t wait for our team to get back on the floor to play in our first postseason since 2010.”
The Skyhawks are led in scoring by sophomore forward Aisha Jones, who averages 23.6 points per game— fourth in the nation. Sophomore guard Jessy Ward comes in averaging 11 points per game, and sophomore forward Tiara Caldwell averages 8.7 points per game and is the leading rebounder at 7.5 per game.
As a team, they score 72.7 points per game and give up 64.5 points per game on the defensive end.
Ole Miss hasn’t played a dynamic individual scorer like this since they played Mississippi State and freshman forward Victoria Vivians; the Rebels shut her down in the first matchup this season on Jan. 22.
Senior forward Tia Faleru will have all she can handle down low when battling Aisha Jones. Those two will be a fun matchup to watch and could determine which team ends up winning this game.
The Rebels are at their best when they don’t settle for outside looks and feed the paint to Faleru or when sophomore guard Erika Sisk and freshman guard A’Queen Hayes get penetration into the paint and score.
In their losses, Faleru disappears, and they aren’t aggressive getting into the lane which ends up with them shooting outside shots. That’s not the team the Rebels are used to being. Junior guard Gracie Frizzel will have to get going from the outside. She is the best from three at 37 percent.
“We’re very excited to still be playing,” Faleru said on playing in the WNIT. “This is as late as any of us have played in our career here at Ole Miss, and we’re ready to get back on the court. We are focused on taking this postseason one game at a time, and first up is UT Martin on Wednesday.”
For Ole Miss to advance, senior forward Danielle McCray has to continue to step up. She gives them another viable big man down low who can score and can take the pressure off of Faleru sometimes.
We will see how the Rebels handle postseason play for the first time in five years with nobody on the active roster who was involved in postseason play. Can Matt Insell and his team continue their successful season? We will find out at 7 p.m. tonight at the Tad Pad.
