How to Watch: Ole Miss Women's Basketball vs. Minnesota Gophers in NCAA Tournament

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Fifth-seeded Ole Miss women's basketball is set to take on fourth-seeded Minnesota on Sunday, March 22 in Williams Arena.

The Rebels will look to secure its third Sweet 16 berth in four years, taking on the Gophers at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN.

TEAM FACTS
No. 19/20 Ole Miss Rebels (24-11, 8-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (149-105) • 13th Season in Career (243-168)

No. 18/19 Minnesota Gophers (23-8, 13-5 Big 10)
Head Coach: Dawn Plitzuweit • 3rd Season at Minn. (68-35) • 19th Season in Career (433-176)

ON THE AIR
Television: ESPN
Play-by-Play: Krista Blunk
Color: Andrea Lloyd

OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty

REBELS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Appearing in its 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, Ole Miss reaches the big dance for the fifth straight season. The Rebels are one of only four teams that have been in the SEC the last five years to accomplish that feat.

The Rebels have made it past the first weekend of the tournament in over half of their appearances, making 12 Sweet Sixteens before moving on to five Elite Eights.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Women's Basketball.

AS A NO. 5 SEED
The Rebels are seeded at No. 5 for the fourth time in school history and second year in a row. Prior to last season, it marked the first time since 1994 that Ole Miss was selected at No. 5. As a five, Ole Miss is 6-3 overall and advanced to the Sweet 16 during the 1989-90 and 2024-25 seasons.

SERIES HISTORY
The Rebels and Golden Gophers are set to face off for the first time ever. It marks the fifth time this season Ole Miss has faced an opponent for the first time in its 51-year history.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
In just her third season guiding Minnesota, Dawn Plitzuweit has reestablished the Golden Gopher program as a powerhouse. In her first two seasons, she led Minnesota to a pair of deep runs in the WNIT/WBIT, including a championship run last season.

The Gophers have reached the national tournament this season for the first time since 2017-18, where it reached the second round before falling to Oregon in Eugene.

The Gophers are entering Sunday's competition with an impressive 23-8 record, its third consecutive season north of 20 wins. Sophomore guard Tori McKinney has been a strong contributing factor for the Gophers after earning last season's Most Outstanding Player in the WBIT Tournament.

This season, she's leading Minnesota with 13.0 points, 2.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. The Gophers are well-rounded in their lineup, behind McKinney is four other players averaging at least 10 points a game.

Two of these players are Amaya Battle and Sophie Hart, who are the team's leading rebounders. Battle, just 5-foot-11, paces the team with 7.4 per game. She's also runs the point for the Gophers by averaging a team-leading 3.5 assists per game. Hart, standing at 6-foot-5, is just behind Battle with 6.6 rebounds per game.

However, despite the height and the overall strong defense, Minnesota averages only 2.6 blocks per game, which ranks near the bottom of the conference. Minnesota's second-leading scorer, Grace Grocholski, is the team's most dangerous 3-point shooter. She shoots over 40 percent from long distance en route to a 12-point per game average.

Minnesota does excel at preventing scoring from opposing offenses, holding a 57.9 scoring defense. That mark ranks second in the Big Ten. The team also has one of the best assist/turnover ratios in the nation, dropping over 1.5 assists for every turnover it commits.

Battle is the strength for Minnesota in this category, holding the conference's 13th best individual mark with 1.67. Ole Miss will need to focus on forcing turnovers to succeed against Minnesota, as the Gophers are one of the most protective teams in the country, giving up only 10 turnovers per game on average.

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