Lane Kiffin shares the advice he gave Coach Yo as Ole Miss women prepare for Sweet 16

OXFORD — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin said he found himself thinking about women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Monday morning following the Rebels' upset win over top-seeded Stanford.

So he picked up the phone and made the call.

His message? Focus on what's next.

"Not that I have all the answers," he said Tuesday morning at his media availability. "I just called her the other morning and just said, 'Go to the next game.' We've all been in situations where we focus too much on a big week the week before and a big upset. I just talked to her about: Now what?"

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The Rebels are among the biggest storylines in women's basketball at the moment, receiving props not only for their performance against the Cardinal, but also for illustrating what some are interpreting as increased parity in women's basketball. This is the first time since 1998 that two No. 1 seeds have been eliminated before the tournament's second weekend.

"They're going to hear – the players – all week about how great they are, first time going to Sweet 16 in so many years and all of that stuff," Kiffin said of his message to McPhee-McCuin. "You've gotta get them away from that focus and get them onto the next game because upsets happen all the time, and they're a big story at the time. But if you don't win the next one, then you forget about them."

The Rebels (25-8) continue NCAA Tournament play on Friday (9 p.m., ESPN) when they take on Louisville (25-11) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin shares his advice to Coach Yo, Ole Miss women's basketball