OXFORD, Miss. — It didn’t take long for the video of Ole Miss women’s basketball head coach Yolett ‘Coach Yo’ McPhee-McCuin and Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell’s postgame handshake to make its rounds on social media. Fans noticed how quickly Caldwell moved past McPhee-McCuin and the ensuing laugh from the Rebels’ head coach after Tennessee lost 94-81 in Oxford.
McPhee-McCuin didn’t shy away from addressing in her postgame press conference, either. When asked about it, she shrugged it off, noting that she does like Caldwell and there’s no hard feelings. She just thinks Caldwell was probably ready to get out of there.
“I think she was probably just really ready to go,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Because I like Kim. Sometimes, I don’t ever take stuff like that personally because the emotions — we’re competitive. She’s at Tennessee, and that’s a lot of history behind that place. So, maybe she was in a rush or maybe she was upset, and I respect both of them. For me, I was just glad we got the win.”
Looks like Kim Caldwell wasn’t too happy about taking that massive loss on the road
✌️✌️ pic.twitter.com/zIGhlEn5MB
— Everything Ole Miss (@EverythingRebs) February 18, 2026
More From RTI: Everything Lady Vols Basketball HC Kim Caldwell Said After Losing at Ole Miss
The handshake came after a dominant performance from Ole Miss. The Rebels never trailed in the game and led by as much as 26 points in the third quarter. While the Lady Vols were able to cut into it late, it was never a serious threat to fully coming back and winning.
This is now another double-digit loss to a ranked opponent away from Knoxville. In those games, Tennessee has suffered a 22-point loss at UCLA, 24-point loss vs. Louisville in Brooklyn, 30-point loss at UConn and 43-point loss at South Carolina.
“I think we rallied,” Caldwell said after the game. “I think we fought towards the end. I think we got off to a really slow start offensively and then our offense wasn’t really the problem. It was getting stops.”
It’s now a short turnaround for the Lady Vols. Tennessee is back in action on Thursday when Texas A&M comes to town. UT will play the Aggies at home at 6:30 p.m. ET on SECN+.
Then, it’s another big road bout. The Lady Vols play No. 11 Oklahoma on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN.
One Response
I personally think 2 years is the only 2 that Kim will be at Tennessee because she’s in over her head! WAY over! Too bad because I do like her and think she’s a good coach but that this level was too much for her. Same with Kellie. And even Holly.