The Expert Prediction: Ole Miss Women's Basketball vs. Baylor Bears in NCAA Tourney

The Rebels will look to take down Baylor on Sunday afternoon in Waco, spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
Mar 23, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Ole Miss Rebels forward Madison Scott (24) drives to the basket as Marquette Golden Eagles forward Liza Karlen (32) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Ole Miss Rebels forward Madison Scott (24) drives to the basket as Marquette Golden Eagles forward Liza Karlen (32) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

No. 5 seeded Ole Miss will return to the hardwood on Sunday afternoon for a Round of 32 matchup against the Baylor Bears in the Lone Star State.

Madison Scott and Co. will look to pull off the upset in Waco (Tex.) with the Rebels heading into the clash as the undedogs with a shot at the Sweet 16 on the line.

The Rebels have been battle tested heading into the matchup following a gauntlet of a schedule in the Southeastern Conference with Ole Miss prepared for the challenge.

"Hey, we play in the Southeastern Conference, all right. We play against Madison Bookers and Flau’jae Johnson," Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said on Friday. "We play against pros, Mikayla Blakes, every single night. This will be no different. We’ll be ready."

A look into the Scouting Reeport for Baylor and ESPN's Prediction:

The Scouting Report: Baylor Bears

- Baylor is a member of the Big 12 Conference and is 28-7 overall entering this matchup.

- Head coach Nicki Collen leads Baylor in her fourth season in Waco. Prior to arriving at Baylor, Collen was the head coach of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream, where she earned the association's Coach of the Year honors in 2018. She's led Baylor to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four years with the program and has posted a 102-35 record in that span.

- Collen guided the Bears to this season's Big 12 Tournament Championship game, where the Bears fell short, 64-59, to TCU.

- Baylor has a potent offense which boasts five players averaging double figures. Due to that, the Bears have a top 25 scoring offense and a top 15 scoring margin.

- Aaronette Vonleh heads the scoring charge for the Bears, averaging 14.9 points per game, primarily in the paint. She also is a capable rebounder at 6-foot-3, hauling in 5.8 per game.

- Baylor's true rebounding threat is Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who brings in a monstrous 10.2 boards per game. She's second in scoring for the Bears and has a team-leading 11 double-doubles entering the Sunday's contest.

- The Bears are one of the top teams in the nation regarding spreading the wealth. Baylor's 18.4 assists per game is the ninth-best in the country, spearheaded by the backcourt duo of Sarah Andrews and Jada Walker.

- The pair each have at least 175 assists this season while holding at least a 2.30 assist/turnover ratio. The guards are both scoring threats as well, with Walker scoring 11.1 and Andrews scoring 10.6 points per game, respectively.

- Andrews is also Baylor's primary deep shooting threat, having made 79 3-pointers this season. She's shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc and makes at least two per game on average.

The Predictions: ESPN's BPI Chimes In

ESPN BPI Win Probability (Baylor): 63.9%
ESPN BPI Win Probability (Ole Miss): 36.1%

The Baylor Bears enter the clash as 2.5-point favorites with Vegas favoring the No. 4 seeded program heading into this one.

ESPN predicts the Bears win by at least two points on Sunday afternoon in Waco (Tex.) with the home-state Baylor squad getting it done.

Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Ole Miss Rebels On SI, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Rebel Football, Baseball, Basketball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving Ole Miss athletics. Nagy has covered the Southeastern Conference for over half a decade after being born and raised in New Orleans (La.).

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