NCAA Women’s 2026: Ole Miss and Minnesota battle for Sweet 16

Mar 7, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Cotie McMahon (32) brings the ball up court against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Cotie McMahon is having a historic season this year for Ole Miss as the senior will look to lead the way when No. 19 Ole Miss faces No.

18 Minnesota. McMahon scored double digits in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament against Gonzaga in a 81-66 win. It was the 33rd game this season scoring double digits to pass the legend Peggie Gillom-Granderson in that stat for most all time in one season.

The Rebels (24-11) have shown it can play and beat just about the most elite teams in the country, and the Gophers (23-8) have home court advantage with a head coach with more than 400 career wins. This game should be an absolute battle for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen on the line. This tournament path mirrors last season when the five seed Rebels beat four seed Baylor to advance to the Sweet Sixteen to then face one seed UCLA.

Again, its the five seed Rebels against the four seed Gophers with the winner going on to face the winner of one seed UCLA or eight seed Oklahoma. So maybe today is the end of the road for Coach Yo and a team that logged three wins against top 5 squads. Then again it could be next week against one of the best teams in the country in UCLA.