Ole Miss, MTSU Make History Sunday with Father-Son Match

Ole Miss hosts Middle Tennessee Sunday afternoon. The Rebels (3-0) look to remain unbeaten through the early part of the season while the Blue Raiders (1-2) try to bounce back from a home loss to Arkansas.
Not only is Sunday’s matinee matchup a big game for both teams, but history will be made when Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell faces his dad and MTSU coach Rick Insell and become the first father-son duo to coach against each other in a Division I women’s basketball game.
“We play Middle Tennessee to bring exposure to the game and get people to talk about Ole Miss women’s basketball,” said Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell. “We are also playing them because they are a great RPI team.”
Middle Tennessee finished 29-5 overall last year winning the C-USA regular season championship its first year in the league. The Blue Raiders made a school-record sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Rick Insell enters his 10th season at Middle Tennessee and has a 229-69 overall record. Middle Tennessee is led by sophomore Olivia Jones with 16.3 points per game.
Ole Miss leads the series against Middle Tennessee 13-3. The Blue Raiders won the last meeting between the two schools 74-64 in December 2001 in Murfreesboro, TN. The Rebels aim to start the season 4-0 for the first time since the 2008 season.
“Regardless of who wins the basketball game, in the annals of history, the first time it takes place it will be Matt and Rick Insell,” Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Insell told reporters after the Arkansas game. “I will probably be most proud of that.”
“I’m probably going to smoke a cigar with him tomorrow (Saturday) night,” Rick Insell said. “Just for good times and then when that last ash goes out, baby it’s on!”
The Insells will make history in Tad Smith Coliseum when this father and son square off for the first time as head coaches. Come to the Tad Pad and cheer on the Rebels and witness history. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Graham Doty is a HottyToddy.com contributor and can be reached at grahamdoty@gmail.com.