Ole Miss Men's and Women's Hoops Programs Ranked In 2024-25 Preseason Coaches Poll

Both Coach Yo and Coach Beard expect a lot out of their programs in the upcoming season.

Feb 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard is held back by guard Matthew Murrell (11) and guard Jaylen Murray (5) after a technical foul during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ole Miss Rebels hoops is just around the corner as the men's and women's programs look to make some noise in the SEC this season. Both teams have gained preseason rankings in the AP Top 25, and on Thursday, both programs found themselves in the coaches poll to start the year.

The women's basketball team earned the No. 21 spot in the poll, and the men came in at No. 25, their first preseason ranking in the poll in school history.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin is in her sixth year with the Ole Miss women and is looking to build off a strong 2023 season where the Rebels made it to the NCAA Tournament. The 2023 team also set a program record with 12 SEC wins, and it was the second time Coach Yo has won double digit SEC games.

Madison Scott is the player to watch. She was named to the Preseason All-SEC first team, and this will be Scott's fifth year in Oxford. The Rebels also went into the transfer portal to add Starr Jacobs, Tameiya Sadler, and Christeen Iwuala three players with over 200 combined career games played.

Seven other SEC squads are also in the coaches poll, including the defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks. The team starts the season across the pond in Paris with three games, starting with third-ranked USC.

Chris Beard enters his second season at Ole Miss with men's basketball, and the hype around the program feels different this year. The Rebels return multiple starters from a season ago, including guard Matthew Murrell. Like the women's team, Beard also hit the portal hard and added some fresh talent to the roster.

The Rebels start the season at home on Nov. 4 with Long Island but will get the competition flowing with preseason a contest against Illinois in a charity exhibition.