What to watch for in No. 3 South Carolina WBB’s SEC matchup with No. 17 Ole Miss
No. 3 South Carolina women’s basketball is set to host No. 17 Ole Miss on Sunday.
Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks (26-2, 12-1 SEC) are looking to win their eighth game in a row and fourth straight over a ranked opponent. A victory would give South Carolina its fifth consecutive regular-season SEC championship.
The game is highlighted by an appearance from ESPN’s “College GameDay” pregame show which will televise live from Colonial Life Arena. The show will start at 11 a.m. before the game starts at noon. This is the fourth time College GameDay has come to Colonial Life Arena for a South Carolina women’s basketball home game.
Sunday will mark the Gamecocks’ eighth appearance on the show — the most of any women’s basketball program.
Here are a few things to watch for on Sunday.
Staley’s scouting report on Ole Miss
Mississippi was a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament last year — the highest in over 30 years — and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 2024-25 season.
The Rebels come into the game 21-7 (8-5 SEC) tied for fifth place in the conference and are primed for another March Madness appearance. Ole Miss is projected to be a No. 4 seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology.
Ole Miss is ranked No. 29 in the country with 77.2 points per game. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s squad is extremely talented at getting to the free-throw line. Ole Miss is No. 6 in the country with 23.64 free-throw attempts per game and No. 5 with 17.36 free-throw makes per game.
“Really good team,” Staley said of Mississippi. “Just playing well together. Got them a superstar. Then they got some role players who are superstars in their own right. They’re superstars in the role that they play for their team. Just athletic, long, cover a lot of ground on both sides of the ball, like to get up in transition. … They got a really solid team in all positions.”
That superstar Staley was alluding to is Ole Miss senior forward Cotie McMahon. The 6-foot tall Ohio State transfer is having the best year of her career with the Rebels.
McMahon leads the team with career-high marks in points (20.7) and assists (2.8) per game. She’s also third on the team in rebounding (5.6 per game) and steals (1.2 per game). McMahon has earned SEC Player of the Week honors three times this season.
“I think she’s a focal point,” Staley said. “I think some people like Cotie, thrive in that position, thrive in the driver’s seat. And I do think Coach Yo puts her in the position of being that person, and everybody else is just playing around her, and they don’t mind. It looks like everybody loves the role that they play, for their team. And when you have that kind of situation, your play elevates, and you do some historical things.”
Injury notes
Raven Johnson played through sickness in South Carolina’s win over Alabama on Thursday. Staley said her veteran point guard was still under the weather Friday and was resting.
Adhel Tac is still “day to day” with a lower leg injury.
The official SEC injury report, which will be released Saturday night at 8:10 p.m., will share more details on who may or may not play for South Carolina on Sunday.
Could fatigue play a factor for Ole Miss?
Sunday’s game vs South Carolina will be the fourth game in a week for Ole Miss.
In the last six days the Rebels have lost to then-No. 18 Kentucky (Feb. 15), beat then-No. 21 Tennessee (Feb. 17) in a make-up game that was moved due to weather, and lost a heartbreaker at home to No. 7 LSU (Feb. 19).
Signs of fatigue were evident for the Rebels against LSU. Ole Miss led by 11 with 8 minutes, 33 seconds remaining but went 0 for 17 from the field in the fourth quarter and lost 78-70.
Staley emphasized any potential fatigue Ole Miss is dealing with doesn’t affect her team’s game plan.
“We prep for our opponent’s very best,” Staley said. “... In our league, no lead is safe, right? Anybody can beat anybody at any given time, so we always keep that in mind.”
What a win means for South Carolina
The Gamecocks’ magic number is down to one.
A win Sunday would guarantee South Carolina at least a share of the SEC regular-season title. Even if the Gamecocks don’t win Sunday they’d only need to win one of their final two games to secure a share.
The Gamecocks have won the SEC regular-season championship each of the last four years. In all, South Carolina has nine regular-season titles in program history. Should South Carolina win Sunday it would make USC one of just two programs in the SEC to have at least 10 regular-season championships. (Tennessee leads with nearly 20.)
Series history vs the Rebels
Mississippi hasn’t beat South Carolina in over 15 years.
The Gamecocks lead the all-time series over Ole Miss 32-17 and South Carolina has won each of the last 20 matchups in the series.
Ole Miss’ last win in the series was a one-point victory in 2010. The Rebels last victory in Columbia was also a one-point win, but that game was in 2009.
South Carolina has beaten Ole Miss by an average of 25.6 points in the last three matchups. The Gamecocks, powered by a triple-double from Chloe Kitts, beat the Rebels 75-59 last year in Oxford.
ESPN Analytics gives South Carolina a 93% chance to beat Ole Miss on Sunday.
How to watch South Carolina vs Ole Miss
- Who: No. 3 South Carolina (26-2, 12-1 SEC) vs. No. 17 Ole Miss (21-7, 8-5 SEC)
- When: Sunday, Feb. 22 at 12 p.m.
- Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
- TV: ESPN (Beth Mowins, Debbie Antonelli)
- Stream: ESPN.com or the ESPN app
- Radio: 107.5 FM (Brad Muller)
This story was originally published February 21, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
