South Carolina vs Oklahoma: Rebounding Showdown

0:00On March 27, top seeded South Carolina takes on 4th seeded Oklahoma in the sweet 16 of the women's NCAA tournament, Saturday and Sacramento. It's a rematch from earlier this season when the Sooners stunned the Gamecocks 94-82 in overtime on the road. South Carolina advanced here after blowout wins over the 16th seed, Southern and 9th seed Southern Cow, scoring over 100 points each. Time. Sooncocks have only three losses all year, two to Texas, and that one heartbreaker to Oklahoma. They're using the defeat to sharpen their game, especially in transition defense, rebounding, and handling Oklahoma's cuts and shots. Coach Don Staley keeps it simple for her team. No revenge talk, just survive in advance by outscoring the opponent after 40 minutes. Players echoed that focus, saying there are different squad now, with plenty of room to improve on boxing out and grabbing boards. Freshmen and veterans alike are hungry to hit the court again, knowing Oklahoma spreads the floor and crashes the pain hard.

1:01A big key will be the battle inside between South Carolina Center, Medina O'Cote, and Oklahoma's Reagan Bears. Bears dominated their last meeting with 14 points and 18 rebounds, helping the Sooners win the board battle 54-39. O'Cote bounced back strongly with 9 double doubles in her final 12 games, making her paint presence vital. Both teams no rebounding decides this one, with each side praising the others front court stars. Expect a griddify as South Carolina pushes for its 12th straight Elite 8 while Oklahoma aims to keep rolling.