Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball has been no stranger to preseason buzz this year.

The Rebels are ranked inside the AP Poll’s preseason top 25 for the second consecutive year, and they return seven players from last year’s NCAA Tournament appearance. A slew of transfers in the offseason recruiting cycle has Coach Yo fired up for the Rebels’ 2024-25 campaign.

“We have seven returners, seven new players, and just a lot of energy and excitement,” coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said in a press conference during the SEC’s media day on Wednesday. “[We have] a great, healthy balance of old and young. I think that you need that to be competitive in the Southeastern Conference.”

Being competitive in the SEC is no easy task, but McPhee-McCuin has certainly had the Rebels in the mix. Since 2021, Coach Yo has an SEC record of 33-15. With LSU and South Carolina establishing themselves as juggernauts at both the conference and national level, McPhee-McCuin is committed to catching up to the Tigers and Gamecocks.

“How do you do it? You got to go play those teams,” McPhee-McCuin said. “That is something that we have decided as a program. We were prepared and in a situation to do so with this year’s roster.

“As far as continuing to build a program, we just have to win. We have to sell our university, sell the vision for every student-athlete that we go after, every prospect. Then we have to get the right people on board. We have to continue to have depth in our roster. ”

Coach Yo has done an admirable job building the Rebels back up. Three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a Sweet 16 trip in 2023, has raised the level of national attention the Rebels receive. With games against some of the biggest programs in the sport, Coach Yo has certainly put the Rebels in the spotlight with an opportunity to show out on a national stage.

Ole Miss starts the season on Nov. 4 in the Aflac Oui-Play Challenge in Paris, France, against the USC Trojans.