Purdue and UConn Claim Wins Against Ole Miss

In the Rady Children's Invitational final, No. 12 Purdue basketball faced No. 24 Ole Miss, with Purdue's Braden Smith making key plays to secure the win. Purdue aimed to maintain its momentum after defeating North Carolina State, while Ole Miss sought to extend its impressive non-conference winning streak. In a separate women's basketball event, No. 18 Ole Miss faced No. 2 UConn at the Baha Mar Women’s Championship in the Bahamas. Despite a strong comeback effort in the second half led by KK Deans and Kennedy Todd-Williams, Ole Miss fell short with a 73-60 loss to UConn, highlighted by Paige Bueckers' 29 points. Ole Miss's defensive efforts resulted in UConn's negative assist-to-turnover ratio, marking a strategic effort by Ole Miss to compete against top teams and grow under coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.