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.

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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.

1. Force someone other than Asia Durr to beat you

If the Beavers are going to pull off an upset against the likes of Louisville, they're going to have to summon their best defensive performance of the season and limit the impact that Cardinals senior guard Asia Durr has. Durr is one of the top players in the country, averaging 21.4 points per game and is expected to be named a consensus All-American for the second-straight season. Durr hit four three-pointers, scored 18 points, and tallied five rebounds, and five assists against the Beavers last year and if OSU wants to advance this time around, they'll need to reduce Durr's imprint on the game. The Beavers have proven they're up for the task this season as they upset No. 2 Oregon in Gill Coliseum in February with a top-notch defensive effort. It will take a performance similar to that night for the Beavers to come out on top.

2. Take good shots and limit turnovers

The Beavers' two achilles heels against Louisville last year are the keys to a victory this year as taking good shots and limiting turnovers will be crucial to the Beavers' upset bid. Against the Cardinal last year, the Beavers committed 17 turnovers and shot 34 percent from the field, well below their season average. By contrast, the Cardinal shot 48 percent against the Beavers and committed just three turnovers. The Beavers need to take shots within the flow of their offense and be patient against a very good Louisville defense to keep themselves in the game this go around. Secondly, they'll need to hang onto the ball. The Beavers committed 18 turnovers against Boise State and 12 against Gonzaga and if they're going to upset a top seed on a neutral court, taking care of the basketball is a must. Defending Louisville is tough enough, but giving them extra opportunities by way of turnovers is a path to a lopsided contest, the Beavers must handle the pressure of the Cardinal.

3. Embrace the role of underdog

While the Beavers did host the first two rounds, I think there's some pressure lifted off the Beavers' shoulders now that they've reached the Sweet Sixteen. It's certainly nice to host, but there's a lot of pressure to perform in front of your home fans against aggressive and hungry underdog teams. Now, the Beavers have the opportunity to embrace the role of underdog. Unlike a season ago, when the Beavers played Louisville in Lexington K.Y., just 80 miles from the UL campus, it will be a 'neutral' site this go around and that definitely works in the Beavers' favor. Very few are giving the Beavers a chance to win this game, and I think that sits fine with them. OSU was open and accepting of being the underdog heading into this matchup with Louisville and after last season, that chip on their shoulder is going to be really big and should make for an exciting contest.

- Oregon State is one of eight current teams that has made to the Sweet 16 four straight seasons.

- Oregon State and Louisville have met twice in program history, with the Cardinals taking both meetings. The two sides went head-to-head in the Elite Eight last season in Lexington, Ky., with Louisville winning 76-43.

- The Beavers currently sit alongside Baylor, UConn, Rice and SFA as the only teams in the top-20 nationally in both field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense.

- Mikayla Pivec and Destiny Slocum have been named as WBCA Region Five All-America Finalists. The WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America team will be announced April 4.

- OSU has notched the 14th 20-win season in program history and its sixth straight. It is the seventh time the Beavers have won 20 games in a season in the Rueck era.

- After drawing more than 5,000 fans to the NCAA Tournament First and Second Round games last week, the Beavers have now drawn 4,000-plus fans to Gill Coliseum in 20 straight contests.