How to watch No. 1 South Carolina vs. Oregon State in NCAA Elite Eight
After surviving and advancing in its closest game of the NCAA Tournament, No. 1 South Carolina keeps things going with an Elite Eight game against No. 3 Oregon State on Sunday (1 p.m., ABC) in Albany.
Here’s how to watch and what to know as the Gamecocks, who squeaked past No. 4 Indiana by five points in the Sweet 16 on Friday, try to reach their fourth straight Final Four.
South Carolina WBB vs. Oregon State game info
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (35-0) vs. No. 3 Oregon State (27-7)
Where: MVP Arena in Albany, New York
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
TV: ABC (Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe)
Radio: 107.5 FM in Columbia area (see full list of affiliates here)
Betting line: South Carolina by 14.5 points (Fox Sports)
Next up: The winner of South Carolina-Oregon State advances to the Final Four in Cleveland as the winner of the Albany 1 Regional and will play its first game April 5 against either Texas or NC State.
South Carolina’s wake-up call
After winning its first two NCAA Tournament games by a combined 99 points, South Carolina faced some true adversity here Friday in the Sweet 16.
With 7:30 remaining in the third quarter at MVP Arena, the Gamecocks led the Hoosiers by 22 points, 56-34, and looked to be cruising to the Elite Eight.
But they let their foot off the gas — specifically when it came to defending IU at the three-point line and taking good shots of their own — and it showed. After going down 22, Indiana outscored USC 41-23 over the game’s final 17 minutes and was within a possession in the last minute.
Nobody wanted a wake-up call, but it happened anyway. Now it’s about translating that into a net positive — as South Carolina did in winning the SEC Tournament championship over LSU after escaping Tennessee in the semis on an impromptu Kamilla Cardoso winner.
“We’ve learned a lot through our wins and knowing that we’ve got to do better each and every game because everyone is going to come for us,” USC guard Te-Hina Paopao said.
Added coach Dawn Staley: “At this point, it’s about just being able to play to the habits that you’ve created all season long. And when they go haywire, you’re just trying to, in real time, make adjustments. That’s what it’s about at this stage of the game.”
Oregon State playing tough
On Friday against Notre Dame, Oregon State won despite committing a whopping 26 turnovers. That tells you all you need to know about the moxie of a Beavers team that has gone from No. 10 in the Pac-12 preseason poll to its first Elite Eight since 2018.
“Find a way,” Beavers coach Scott Rueck said Saturday. “This is living the dream. This is what we all do this for.”
Oregon State’s Raegan Beers, a savvy true post player, averages a double-double and had 18 points and 13 rebounds on 9-13 shooting against Notre Dame. Forward Timea Gardiner also had 21 points against the Fighting Irish, and Oregon State assisted on 20 of its 29 baskets.
“Obviously, turnovers were a problem for us yesterday, so we’re going to have to take care of the ball and handle the pressure,”Oregon State forward Talia Von Oelhoffen said. “But I think if we do that, we can get the shots we want. So it’s going to come down to hitting shots.”
South Carolina vs. Oregon State game notes
South Carolina is seeking a fourth consecutive Final Four appearance and the sixth in program history, all under Staley (2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Oregon State is seeking its second Final Four appearance (2016).
The Gamecocks are 2-1 all time against the Beavers and 2-0 against them in the NCAA Tournament, with wins in the 2014 and 2021 second round.
South Carolina has averaged a NCAA Tournament-best 39 bench points per game in three contests so far (that includes 12.2 points per game from star freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley).
This game pits the nation’s No. 1 field goal percentage defense team (South Carolina, 32%) against the No. 8 team (Oregon State, 35.5%).
