No. 19/23 Ole Miss to host North Alabama in first meeting

No. 19/23 Ole Miss is scheduled to host North Alabama on Thursday at the SJB Pavilion in the teams’ first women’s basketball meeting. Tipoff is listed for 6 p.m. Central, with the game set to air on SEC Network+.

The Rebels opened their season with an 80-38 victory over Alcorn State. Jaida Civil led Ole Miss with 17 points and five assists. North Alabama opened with a 68-27 road loss to Mississippi State.

Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is in her ninth season with the Rebels, while Anna Nimz is beginning her first season at North Alabama. The coaches had been scheduled to meet in 2020, when Nimz was at Northwestern State, but that game was canceled because of COVID-19.

North Alabama went 17-14 last season and lost in the second round of the ASUN tournament. The Lions return three players, including sophomore guard Greta Ramon, who appeared in all 31 games and averaged 2.1 points per game. Nimz has added 12 newcomers: nine transfers and three freshmen.

The Lions are competing in the newly formed United Athletic Conference after seven seasons in the ASUN. Ole Miss has an 18-3 record against current UAC members, according to the team’s preview, and last played a UAC opponent on Nov. 25, 2023, beating Little Rock 58-45.

Ole Miss was picked seventh in the SEC preseason polls conducted among coaches and media. Talaysia Cooper earned first-team recognition from coaches and second-team honors in the media poll. Madison Richard was named to the coaches’ second team. Cooper was also named to the watch lists for the 2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the 2026-27 Naismith Trophy.

Source: Original Article