Sweet Sixteen Preview: Oregon State vs Louisville
After defeating Boise State and Gonzaga in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Gill Coliseum, the Oregon State women's basketball team continues its postseason journey at 6:00 p.m. as the fourth-seeded Beavers (26-7) play one-seed Louisville (31-3) on ESPN.
If the Oregon State women's basketball team had a chip on their shoulder going into its Sweet Sixteen matchup with top-seeded Louisville, it would be understandable.
After all, the Beavers' magical run to the Elite Eight a season ago ended with a 76-43 thud to the Cardinals and nearly the entire roster remains intact from last year's squad.
"I know we've all got a chip on shoulder," forward Taya Corosdale said. "We're ready to prepare for them."
After clinching a berth to the Sweet Sixteen by way of a tight victory over Gonzaga, the Beavers weren't shy about voicing their excitement about the opportunity for payback against Louisville.
"We definitely remember last year...we got smacked," guard Mikayla Pivec said.
Just because the Beavers are still a little sour about last season doesn't mean that it's going to come easy. Knocking off top seeded Louisville will be a tall task.
Louisville boasts one of the most complete teams in the country and sports just three losses (Notre Dame x2, Miami) on the season. They've tallied wins over UConn, Arizona State, Boise State, Michigan, Syracuse, and Florida State and have looked every bit the part of a team destined to reach the Final Four for a second straight year.
Despite the Beavers being a "favorite" over the past few years in many of their regular season and postseason contests under head coach Scott Rueck, the Beavers enter the contest against the Cardinal as a seven-point underdog.
The Beavers have always embraced the role of underdog, (Beating Baylor twice, Oregon this season, Tennessee last year, etc.) and they'll look to do the same against Louisville.
What they’re saying about Friday’s Oregon State-Louisville NCAA women’s basketball Sweet Sixteen game
Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck talks to a member of his staff during practice at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 28, 2019, in Albany, N.Y. Oregon State faces Louisville in a regional semifinal game on Friday.
There will be plenty of star power and Pac-12 teams on display when the women’s Sweet 16 tips off on Friday night with four games.
Napheesa Collier and UConn will get things started when they face UCLA. The Bruins crashed the Albany Regional by upsetting third-seed Maryland. With the school on spring break, coach Cori Close decided to keep the team on the East Coast after the victory in College Park. It just didn't make sense to fly all the way home, only to turn around.
Asia Durr and Louisville play the second game in New York, facing Oregon State. The Bruins and Beavers are two of five Pac-12 teams still in the tournament. All the coaches in the conference are rooting for each other.
"What I really like is I know genuinely we all care about each other's programs, and we're pulling for each other," Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. "The first text I got after we won our last game was from coach (Tara) VanDerveer. She's always championing the league. That always means a lot."
The Ducks, led by NCAA triple-double career record holder Sabrina Ionescu, will face South Dakota State. It's the first time the Jackrabbits, who have won 18 straight games, have made the Sweet 16. Mississippi State and star center Teaira McCowan will face Arizona State in the final game of the night.
While his name has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Holly Warlick at Tennessee, Jeff Walz suggested a different person for the open position — Geno Auriemma.
"I think Geno would be a wonderful candidate for that position that is open," Walz said jokingly.
Walz then got more serious saying that "I'm the head coach at the University of Louisville. I've loved it, enjoy it, it's been great. So now I'll start talking about our team so we can focus on that."
After defeating Boise State and Gonzaga in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Gill Coliseum, the Oregon State women's basketball team continues its postseason journey at 6:00 p.m. as the fourth-seeded Beavers (26-7) play one-seed Louisville (31-3) on ESPN.
If the Oregon State women's basketball team had a chip on their shoulder going into its Sweet Sixteen matchup with top-seeded Louisville, it would be understandable.
After all, the Beavers' magical run to the Elite Eight a season ago ended with a 76-43 thud to the Cardinals and nearly the entire roster remains intact from last year's squad.
"I know we've all got a chip on shoulder," forward Taya Corosdale said. "We're ready to prepare for them."
After clinching a berth to the Sweet Sixteen by way of a tight victory over Gonzaga, the Beavers weren't shy about voicing their excitement about the opportunity for payback against Louisville.
"We definitely remember last year...we got smacked," guard Mikayla Pivec said.
Just because the Beavers are still a little sour about last season doesn't mean that it's going to come easy. Knocking off top seeded Louisville will be a tall task.
Louisville boasts one of the most complete teams in the country and sports just three losses (Notre Dame x2, Miami) on the season. They've tallied wins over UConn, Arizona State, Boise State, Michigan, Syracuse, and Florida State and have looked every bit the part of a team destined to reach the Final Four for a second straight year.
Despite the Beavers being a "favorite" over the past few years in many of their regular season and postseason contests under head coach Scott Rueck, the Beavers enter the contest against the Cardinal as a seven-point underdog.
The Beavers have always embraced the role of underdog, (Beating Baylor twice, Oregon this season, Tennessee last year, etc.) and they'll look to do the same against Louisville.
What they’re saying about Friday’s Oregon State-Louisville NCAA women’s basketball Sweet Sixteen game
Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck talks to a member of his staff during practice at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 28, 2019, in Albany, N.Y. Oregon State faces Louisville in a regional semifinal game on Friday.
There will be plenty of star power and Pac-12 teams on display when the women’s Sweet 16 tips off on Friday night with four games.
Napheesa Collier and UConn will get things started when they face UCLA. The Bruins crashed the Albany Regional by upsetting third-seed Maryland. With the school on spring break, coach Cori Close decided to keep the team on the East Coast after the victory in College Park. It just didn't make sense to fly all the way home, only to turn around.
Asia Durr and Louisville play the second game in New York, facing Oregon State. The Bruins and Beavers are two of five Pac-12 teams still in the tournament. All the coaches in the conference are rooting for each other.
"What I really like is I know genuinely we all care about each other's programs, and we're pulling for each other," Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. "The first text I got after we won our last game was from coach (Tara) VanDerveer. She's always championing the league. That always means a lot."
The Ducks, led by NCAA triple-double career record holder Sabrina Ionescu, will face South Dakota State. It's the first time the Jackrabbits, who have won 18 straight games, have made the Sweet 16. Mississippi State and star center Teaira McCowan will face Arizona State in the final game of the night.
While his name has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Holly Warlick at Tennessee, Jeff Walz suggested a different person for the open position — Geno Auriemma.
"I think Geno would be a wonderful candidate for that position that is open," Walz said jokingly.
Walz then got more serious saying that "I'm the head coach at the University of Louisville. I've loved it, enjoy it, it's been great. So now I'll start talking about our team so we can focus on that."