The final time Indiana and Oklahoma girls’s basketball have been in the identical constructing, the 2 packages have been in Fort Myers, Florida, for the Fort Myers Tip-Off in November. The Hoosiers and the Sooners have been in the identical four-team division however didn’t face one another over the weekend.
That may change Monday evening as the 2 groups face off for the primary time in historical past, preventing for a spot within the Candy Sixteen.
“We all know that we now have a problem forward of us in a really, superb Oklahoma group,” Teri Moren stated Sunday. “We’re in a terrific place to be at house and play in entrance of our house crowd, and perceive that there’s a activity at hand, enterprise to handle.”
Monday evening’s sport means a terrific deal to each groups for varied causes. For No. 4-seed Indiana, it’s an opportunity to lastly be rid of the reminiscences of shedding to No. 9-seed Miami within the spherical of 32 final season and a chance to make Mackenzie Holmes, Ariella Wisne and Sara Scalia’s final sport at Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor one. For No. 5-seed Oklahoma, it’s a chance to succeed in the Candy Sixteen for the primary time since 2013 and hand Indiana its first house loss.
Oklahoma, the regular-season Massive 12 champion, isn’t any stranger to difficult street environments, enjoying in opposition to Texas and Iowa State in Massive 12 play. The Sooners swept Texas — a No. 1 seed within the match — within the common season, taking down the Longhorns 91-87 in Austin.
“I feel that sport is basically getting ready us for the sport arising,” senior ahead Skylar Vann stated. “As a result of if you’re enjoying nice groups on their house flooring, you’re down 10 factors already.”
“That is what we play for all 12 months,” senior guard Lexy Keys added.
Vann, a drive below the basket, leads the Sooners in each factors (15) and rebounds per sport (6.9). Keys averages 8.5 factors and a couple of.7 rebounds per sport and is among the group’s strongest perimeter presences. She shoots 40 p.c from deep and has a team-high 57 3-pointers. She additionally leads the group with 51 steals.
The Sooners are recognized for scoring proficiently from a number of areas and shifting shortly up and down the courtroom, with 60 p.c of their scoring coming inside the first 10 seconds of the shot clock.
Indiana is coming off a fast-paced sport Saturday afternoon in opposition to Fairfield, wherein the Stags have been capable of management the tempo within the first half earlier than Indiana took management. The Hoosiers anticipate an analogous effort from the Sooners however really feel much more ready after their win on Saturday.
“Whether or not it was by way of their movement offense and enjoying five-out and all of the reducing that we’re going to have to protect, I believed the preparation for Fairfield in all probability put us forward of our preparation for Oklahoma,” Moren stated.
Oklahoma enters Monday evening’s matchup averaging 76.7 factors per sport to Indiana’s 79.8 factors per sport. On paper, the 2 groups match up properly with robust presences each within the put up and on the perimeter, which might imply the matchup end result could also be extra decided by toughness and connectivity.
“You’re enjoying on another person’s house flooring in an enormous sport which means loads,” Oklahoma head coach Jennie Barancyzk stated. “You’re enjoying a group that’s actually hungry. You’ve acquired to not solely match that, however you’ve acquired to get each unfastened ball, you’ve acquired to get each hustle play, you’ve acquired to play actually free all on the similar time.”
Moren and her group are taking an analogous strategy. They know the Sooners will are available able to play arduous and quick, and the Hoosiers are as mentally centered as potential. They, too, have exterior noise, not about going up in opposition to an skilled group on their house courtroom like Oklahoma, however with the truth that that is the final sport at Meeting Corridor for a number of the best gamers to placed on an Indiana uniform. That’s not on the Hoosiers’ minds proper now, although.
“Simply because it’s Mackenzie’s final sport and Sara’s final sport and Arielle’s final sport, that doesn’t entitle us to wanting the script to be that they gained their final sport in Meeting, we’re not entitled to that,” Moren stated. “We perceive that we’ve started working for that, we’ve acquired to earn it.”
Emotions can come later. Successful is the precedence. For Indiana, that may begin with setting the tone and tempo of Monday’s sport from the very starting. That was one thing Indiana struggled to do in opposition to Miami final 12 months, and it ended up costing the sport and the season. The Hoosiers are decided that that won’t be the case once more.
“We strive to not assume a lot about final 12 months, however I feel it’s all the time at the back of our thoughts,” Sydney Parrish stated. “We nonetheless have that chip on our shoulder and we by no means need to really feel like we did after our loss final 12 months.”
The Hoosiers have confirmed as soon as they set their minds to one thing, they’re arduous to beat. They haven’t misplaced at Meeting Corridor all season, largely resulting from their means to be fueled by their house crowd. But it surely’s referred to as March Insanity for a cause, and something can occur. Indiana and Oklahoma are each as decided and centered as may be, and solely time will inform who emerges victorious. Nothing is assured, and everybody is aware of it.
“We’re working off simply being grateful proper now that we’re enjoying,” Moren stated. “And understanding that we’re entitled to nothing.”
(Photograph credit score: IU Athletics)
Filed to:
