3/10/2017 basketball Edit

Oregon State getting R&R before NCAA Tournament

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

Publisher

As the Oregon State Women's Basketball Team awaits their seeding for the NCAA Tournament, they are getting a bit of a rest and relaxation period. BeaversEdge.com brings you the news, notes, and analysis surrounding Scott Rueck's team.

Rundown

After winning their first two games in the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament, the Oregon State women’s basketball team fell to Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship game. Despite the loss to the Cardinal, the Beavers (29-4, 16-2 Pac-12) are still in prime position to be a No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. By way of being one of the top teams in women's basketball, OSU will also be hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Gill Coliseum sometime late next week.

Rested and ready for action

After playing three games in three days in Key Arena in the Emerald City for the Pac-12 Tournament, the Beavers took Monday and Tuesday off, and had light practices this week in order to get some much needed rest after the grind of the regular season. Playing three games in three days is one of the most difficult things to do regardless of sport, and OSU played three of the toughest teams in the conference in CAL, UCLA, and Stanford. Sydney Wiese, Mikayla Pivec, and Katie McWilliams all noted that having several days to unwind and recover were much needed heading into postseason basketball.

Bracketology

Despite the loss to Stanford, OSU is still in a very good position heading into NCAA Tournament play. The Beavers are still slated as a 2 seed in the tournament, however with their loss to the Cardinal, coupled with Baylor’s loss to West Virginia, the Beavers now find themselves in the Oklahoma City Regional, rather than the Stockton Regional. However, before OKC, they would play UC Davis in the first round, and the winner of Marquette/Purdue. This presents a tough matchup for the Beavers given that Marquette won the Big East conference and is one of OSU’s four losses this season.

In terms of the rest of the Pac-12, Stanford (2 seed), Washington (3), UCLA (4), ASU (7), and Oregon (8) are all slated to make the tournament.

Home Court Advantage

Luckily for the Beavers and their fanbase, there are still games yet to be played in Corvallis this season. One unique aspect of NCAA women’s basketball is that if you are one of the top 16 teams in the country, you get to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. For the Beavers, getting one or two more games at home where they are 14-2 on the season gives them the upper hand and plenty of momentum heading into regional play should they make it that far.

This is now the third straight season where the Beavers will be hosting games postseason games in Gill Coliseum. OSU has been a part of both heartbreak (losing to Gonzaga in the second round at home 2015) and elation (2016 when they won their first two games in Gill) en-route to a Final Four matchup against UConn. It’s a wildcard in terms of who the Beavers will play, and they will certainly draw tough matchups in Gill and beyond, but OSU can take pride in knowing that they have the experience, poise, and moxie to make another deep run in the NCAA tournament thanks to veteran leadership.

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Return of Katie McWilliams

After not playing in the Pac-12 Tournament with an undisclosed ailment, the Beavers got a boost at practice on Thursday as Katie McWilliams returned to the court. Without McWilliams the Beavers had to shorten their rotation in Seattle, and by day three their rotation had logged heavy minutes leading to tired legs.

The Beavers also missed McWilliams’ smothering on-ball defense against Stanford’s quick guards. With McWilliams back in the fold, the Beavers can play a more balanced brand of basketball, and substitute more frequently, keeping their rotation fresh.

Quotable

Sydney Wiese on R&R...

“We’ve been resting,” Wiese said with a grin. “After the last two months we needed to catch our breath because we have been traveling, and it's a grind and a routine. And to end the season with a conference tournament like that, it’s brutal to be honest.”

Wiese on momentum heading into tournament...

“If you are going to lose a game, it might as well be in the championship to Stanford,” Wiese said. “To be able to make it to the championship to begin with is an accomplishment within itself. You want to win it of course, but we know there is still a lot of basketball left to be played and the NCAA tournament is looming. It’s right there for us, so from here on out it’s do or die. To have a loss like that, it’s painful, but it’s definitely good motivation going forward into the rest of the season.”

Katie McWilliams on being back...

“I’m feeling good,” McWilliams said. “I just got cleared (Thursday) to practice full on, yesterday I practiced with no contact and now I’m all ready to go. It is good to be able to get back into things and finally get back.”

McWilliams on having postseason basketball in Gill Coliseum...

“I’m excited to host those first two games,” McWilliams said. “I know we are going to have a good showing of fans and we will be ready to go. Obviously we want to make it as far as we can so we are gonna come out with our A game every night.”

Mikayla Pivec on Pac-12 Tournament experience...

“Coming off the three games in the Pac-12 tournament, it definitely took a toll on our bodies,” Pivec said. “It was a fun experience, although not how we hoped it would end but you learn from it and that is what we are doing this week trying to look at those weaknesses we found in those games and improve them.”

Join the Beavs

For those of you who are interested: The women’s basketball team is hosting a watch party Monday at 4:00 p.m. for Selection Monday. It will take place in the club level of Reser Stadium with the doors opening at 3:30. This event will be open to the general public.