Stephen A. Smith Responds to Ole Miss Attendance Dare Ahead of LSU Showdown on ESPN

Stephen A. Smith in 2021. Tori Lynn Schneider / USA TODAY NETWORK

Stephen A. Smith Responds to Ole Miss Attendance Dare Ahead of LSU Showdown on ESPN

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Lindsay Burke | Last updated Feb 18, 2026 1:23 PM ET

Ole Miss continues to make big noise in an overwhelmingly talented SEC conference. Currently the No. 17 Rebels (21-6) sit in a tie for the fourth spot after their most recent 94-81 win over the struggling Tennessee Lady Vols on Tuesday night.

The Rebels success isn't a fluke especially given the fact that they have one of the toughest schedules in the country. According to WarrenNolan.com, their strength of schedule is ranked 30th nationally. Just in the last week, Ole Miss will have faced three ranked opponents, not including their upcoming match-ups against No. 7 LSU and No. 3 South Carolina.

The recent up-rise of Ole Miss women's basketball has caught the attention of national media including long-time personality, Stephen A. Smith. He faced some backlash from his interview with Rebel's head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin where Smith insinuated that Ole Miss has challenges when it comes to recruiting athletes from outside the state of Mississippi. McPhee-McCuin was quick to defend the university's supportive and diverse environment.

It was then that he told McPhee-McCuin during his Sirius XM radio show that he would come to Oxford for a game. He kept his word. Following Ole Miss' impressive win Tuesday night, Smith announced on ESPN that he will be in attendance for their game Thursday night against LSU, which perhaps not so ironically, will be televised on ESPN.

Time to give Stephen A. the Hotty Toddy experience#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/tWrdkU455S
— Ole Miss Athletics (@OleMissSports) February 18, 2026

"As you know I talked some mess about Ole Miss," Smith said in reference to comments he made about former football coach Lane Kiffin leaving for LSU.

"Oxford, Mississippi and stuff like that. And those folks dared me to come down there. And I promised them that I would. So I am showing up tomorrow night," he added.

Cotie McMahon Has Been Quietly Taking Command in the SEC

Transfer forward Cotie McMahon helped propel the Rebels in their win over the Lady Vols Tuesday night after putting up an impressive stat line. She finished with a double-double, hitting a career high 39 points with 10 rebounds. Since transferring from Ohio State, McMahon's production has increased steadily in head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin's system.

She became just the fifth player in school history to hit the 2,000 point milestone. Her role has expanded to being a player that brings the ball up the floor, commands the offense consistently, and creates plays for her teammates.

Following their victory over Tennessee, coach McPhee-McCuin was extraordinarly complimentary of McMahon's performance and what she's meant to the team's overall success.

"I don't know if I've seen anything like that. Cotie is a generational player," she said.

WATCH:

“I don’t know if I’ve seen anything like that. Cotie is a generational player.”

-Ole Miss head coach ⁦@YolettMcCuin⁩ on Cotie McMahon who scored a game high 39-points. pic.twitter.com/VNJGNx58OK
— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) February 18, 2026

Against SEC opponents, McMahon has averaged 24.5 points per game. She's helped fill the void that was left after the Rebels lost their top three scorers from a season ago. They sit firmly in the mix in the standings, setting them up for good position leading into the conference tournament. Along with McMahon's stat line, two other Rebels, Latasha Lattimore and Christen Iwuala, both put up double figures Tuesday night.

Things will only get more challenging for the Rebels as they are poised for the high-profile showdown with LSU.