March Madness is back with only one Mississippi team competing in the Big Dance – the Ole Miss women.
The Lady Rebels, led by eighth-year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, will try to make another deep postseason run after advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2025. That path starts Friday with a mid-afternoon matchup against Gonzaga.
Below, you can find the tip-off time, TV and radio information, and key stats.
Ole Miss-Gonzaga start time
The NCAA Tournament first-round game between Ole Miss and Gonzaga tips off Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT. It will be played at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
Ole Miss-Gonzaga TV and radio info
For those tuning in via TV, ESPN2 is carrying the first-round game between Ole Miss and Gonzaga. For those tuning in via radio, the game will air on SuperTalk Mississippi Media’s Q105.
Key stats
— Ole Miss (23-11, 8-8 SEC) is the No. 5 seed in the Sacramento regional and Gonzaga (24-9, 14-4 WCC) is the No. 12 seed.
— Ole Miss is ranked No. 19 in the nation while Gonzaga is unranked, per the latest AP poll.
— Ole Miss is led by All-American Cotie McMahon, an Ohio State transfer averaging 19.9 points and 3.0 assists per game. Fellow forward Christeen Iwuala leads the team with 8.4 rebounds per game and is second to McMahon with 12.7 points per game. Tianna Thompson works on a 41.9% clip from beyond the arc with 1.1 made 3-pointers per game, while averaging 6.1 points.
— Gonzaga is led by forward Lauren Whittaker, a freshman averaging 19.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Allie Turner leads the team with 3.4 assists per game and is second to Whittaker with 14.4 points per game.
— Ole Miss is coached by McPhee-McCuin, who has turned the program into a national threat. The Rebels have posted 20-win seasons five years in a row, making the NCAA Tournament in each of those years. The tournament run is the second-longest in program history, behind an 11-year run from 1982-92. Last year, the Rebels advanced to the Sweet 16, where they lost to Final Four team UCLA.
— Gonzaga is coached by Lisa Fortier, a former assistant with 11 20-win seasons in her first 12 as head coach. This is her ninth team to make the NCAA Tournament with her 2024 group advancing to the Sweet 16, where it lost to Texas.
— Ole Miss and Gonzaga have played three times, the last game being a 71-48 Rebel victory in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Ole Miss won in the 2010 regular season and Gonzaga won in the 1993 regular season, giving the Rebels a 2-1 all-time advantage.
— Ole Miss is a 13.5-point favorite, per BetMGM. The over/under is 135.5.