The state of Oregon took care of business in the first round, demolishing the state of Florida 83-59. They will have a much more difficult task in the second round, when they will face seed No. 1 in the Hemisfair region, the South Carolina Gamecocks. Here’s what the beavers are up against.
- Record: 23-4
- Best scorer: Zia Cooke – 15.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG
- Head coach: Dawn Staley – 12 seasons, 5 SEC championships, 1 national championship (2017)
- PPG: 76.9
- OPPG: 59.1
- First round result: 79-53 Win against # 16 Mercer
Last season, Gamecocks were a favorite to win the NCAA Tournament, before the season ended prematurely due to the pandemic. This season, the team did not seem as unbeatable as last year, but it is very close. Gamecocks only lost against 4 teams this year; two of those defeats were against the seeds of the NCAA # 1 tournament, NC State and UConn, one was against a seed 2, Texas A&M, and one was against a seed 3, Tennessee.
Against everyone else, they seemed unstoppable. One of the keys to its success was South Carolina’s absolute dominance in the rebound game; this season they beat their opponents from 1292 to 881. As an average per game, it’s 47.9 against 32.6. This recovery domain was led by one of South Carolina’s stars, Forward Aliyah Boston.
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Jonathan Newton photo / The Washington Post via Getty Images
Boston averages 11.9 rebounds per game and 13.9 points per game. If the average double double is not enough for you, she has also blocked 74 shots this season and is the third of the team in steals, with 31. She will be the most difficult person to deal with in the state of Oregon.
It will not be the only problem for Beavers. South Carolina also has a pair of excellent guards at Zia Cooke and Destanni Henderson who will make the defensive scheme very difficult. Cooke is Gamecocks’ top scorer, with 15.8 points per game, and hit three more for the team with 37. Henderson shoots minus three, but at a better rate, she hit 35 out of 83 for a shooting percentage of 0.422, and is averaging 12.1 points per game.
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Photo by Carmen Mandato / Getty Images
The five South Carolina holders are completed by striker Victoria Saxton and guard Brea Beal. Saxton gives the USC another big rebound and kick blocker, and Beal is a solid presence everywhere. The Beavers are expected to face South Carolina guards, but these attackers will be a problem.
There will be a lot of pressure on Taylor Jones and Jelena Mitrovic to make the rebound battle competitive. The last time someone defeated South Carolina, in the last game of the USC season against Texas A&M, the Aggies only lost the board battle by 44-40. This reduced Gamecock’s second chance opportunities, which was also a strength of the team.
Oregon State will have to play the best game it has played in the entire season to have a chance on Tuesday. I think the team is up to the task, but they cannot afford the many turns or cold shots they are prone to. The off tip is scheduled for tomorrow, at 4 pm (Pacific time), with ESPN broadcasting the game.