No.8 seed Oregon are traveling to Austin to take on the No.1 seed Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Either one of these teams will book a berth to the Sweet 16 if they are able to win this matchup.
In the previous round, Texas dominated Missouri State 87-45 while shooting 50% from the floor, while Oregon booked a 70-60 win over Virginia Tech to advance. Though Oregon is a massive underdog here, there is a high chance they can pull off a major upset.
Oregon vs. Texas Prediction
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Texas a 95.1% chance to win this game. In fact, Texas’ numbers speak for themselves. Madison Booker is averaging 18.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 51.6% from the field. This makes her one of the most efficient and complete players in the country.
Guard Rori Harmon is the program’s all-time steals leader and runs the offense at 8.4 points and 6.2 assists per game. With a deep, athletic, and experienced squad, the wins seems imminent for Texas.
On the other hand, the only realistic way Oregon can pull off an upset if it can apply defensive discipline and ball security. Texas forced 16 turnovers in the first round, nine of them being steals. Oregon turned it over 13 times against Virginia Tech, which could be a deep concern heading into Sunday’s matchup.
Coach Kelly Graves went 3-0 against the SEC in the NCAA Tournament play during his tenure, including an 88-84 Elite Eight win over Vic Schaefer’s Mississippi State in 2019. Nevertheless, Texas is simply operating at a different level playing at home right now and could pull away with a win in the second half.
Oregon vs. Texas Lineups
Oregon Lineup
- Katie Fiso
- Jennah Isai
- Mia Jacobs
- Phillipina Kyei
- Deja Kelly
Texas Lineup
- Madison Booker
- Jordon Lee
- Rori Harmon
- Breya Cunningham
- Justice Carlton
Oregon vs. Texas Injury Report
Oregon will be heading in without Elisa Mevius, who has been out for the season. Mia Jacobs suffered a gory chin injury during the first round matchup against Virginia Tech, but is expected to go up against Texas for Sunday’s matchup. Jacobs has also been dealing with a leg injury late in the season, but is playing through it quite well. She scored 13 points and five rebounds in the previous game against Virginia Tech.
Texas will be heading in with a completely healthy squad with no prominent names on its injury report. Stars such as Madison Booker, Rori Harmon, and Jordan Lee are all expected to be available and fully healthy for this game.
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