Basketball

How to Watch Ole Miss vs. Minnesota: NCAA Tournament Round of 32

Published

3 months ago

March 22, 2026

Ole Miss' Sira Thiennou dribbles the ball in a first round NCAA tournament game against Gonzaga. | Ole Miss Athletics

Sunday’s Round of 32 matchup sets up as a defensive showdown, with Ole Miss and Minnesota both relying a disruptive defense to bend opponents to their will.

The Rebels are coming off a strong win over Gonzaga and now face one of the more disciplined groups left in the field.

Minnesota doesn’t overwhelm you in one area, but it does just about everything well, from balanced scoring to taking care of the ball and defending without mistakes.

That makes this a tricky draw for Ole Miss, especially in what’ll likely be a hostile environment since Williams Arena is the Gophers’ home court.

If the Rebels can create some chaos and live up to their dictate and disrupt mantra, they’ll give themselves a real shot. If not, Minnesota’s steady approach can wear teams down over 40 minutes.

The Opponent: Minnesota

Minnesota rolls into Sunday at 23-8, marking a third straight season with 20 wins or more, and this group looks as balanced as any the Gophers have had in that stretch. Everything starts with sophomore guard Tori McKinney, last year’s WBIT Most Outstanding Player, who leads the team with 13 points per game while also handling a good chunk of the playmaking. She’s steady, efficient, and rarely forces anything, which fits the way this roster is built.

The scoring depth is real. Four other players average at least 10 points, and each brings something different. Amaya Battle is the engine, running the point and leading the team in assists while also pulling down 7.4 rebounds a night despite being only 5-foot-11. Sophie Hart gives Minnesota size at 6-foot-5 and adds another 6.6 rebounds per game. Even with that frontcourt presence, the Gophers don’t block many shots, sitting near the bottom of the Big Ten at 2.6 per game.

Grace Grocholski is the one Ole Miss will have to track on the perimeter. She’s Minnesota’s second-leading scorer and shoots better than 40 percent from three, which gives their offense a different gear when she gets clean looks.

Where Minnesota really separates itself is on the defensive end. The Gophers allow just 57.9 points per game, the second-best mark in the Big Ten, and they rarely beat themselves. Their assist-to-turnover ratio is one of the best in the country, and they give the ball away only 10 times per game. Battle sets the tone there too, ranking among the league’s best in individual assist-to-turnover ratio.

For Ole Miss, the path is pretty clear. Minnesota does not hand out extra possessions, so forcing turnovers becomes a priority. If the Rebels can disrupt the Gophers’ rhythm and keep them off the offensive glass, they’ll have a chance to dictate the pace instead of playing Minnesota’s slow, controlled style.