The game between Indiana and South Carolina in 24: "Anything can happen."
Columbia, South Carolina -- According to Indiana guard Sydney Parrish, her team felt hopeful when the NCAA tournament bracket was unveiled and No. 1 seed South Carolina was listed as a potential second-round opponent.
In a rematch of their Sweet 16 matchup from a year ago, the Hoosiers will play the Gamecocks on Sunday. Parrish stated, "Anything can happen."
Last year, South Carolina defeated Indiana 79-75 in Albany, New York, but the Hoosiers have not forgotten how they overcame a double-digit deficit and came close to pulling off the upset.
"It gives us a little bit of motivation," Parrish stated at a press conference on Saturday that was held in advance of the game in the second round. "When we got the seeding, knowing our second game would be against South Carolina, it gave us a little bit of hope knowing that we did play them so closely last year.
Because of our current situation, anything can happen. Given that South Carolina has only lost once here in the previous four years, I believe our chances of winning are about 4%. However, these are the times we grew up wishing for. We are placed in a position where we could defeat a team that also ended our season the previous year, and we grow up watching March Madness and upsets."
Last year, Parrish scored 21 points to lead Indiana. With 1:08 remaining, Indiana cut South Carolina's lead to two points after they had accumulated a 22-point advantage. In response, Raven Johnson made a 3-pointer to put South Carolina ahead and win the game.
Although the majority of the Gamecocks' roster is back, Parrish and Indiana forward Karoline Striplin noted that they no longer have 6-foot-7 post presence Kamilla Cardoso. Nevertheless, the Gamecocks went on to win the national championship.
"It definitely helps us not to have a 6-7 kid in there with Kamilla and Ashlyn Watkins being injured at the beginning of this year," Parrish stated. "We do not have their height. Knowing when to pick and choose, when to double, when to assist specific players, when to push the ball and try to play quickly, and when to try to slow it down a little bit are all strengths we may have, in my opinion.
Striplin played for Tennessee for the previous three years before transferring to Indiana this season. Striplin was present when Cardoso made her first 3-pointer as a Lady Vol last year, helping South Carolina defeat Tennessee 74-73 in the SEC tournament semifinals.
"We have a little bit more space to run some of our stuff that we normally do because of the height advantage, but I would not say [it's] easier to guard their post players at all this year," Striplin stated. "We must go in, comprehend the strategy, and carry it out. I believe that will help us fight them.
Many of the players who won the national championship the previous year, including Johnson, Bree Hall, and Te-Hina Paopao, who played with Parrish at Oregon, are back, despite Cardoso's absence.
Coach Dawn Staley of South Carolina stated, "We just had a film session a few minutes ago, and the first thing we discussed was what happened last year." "We will be ready for anything. In order to put us in a position where they fought back and we had to claw for the victory, I hope they will not make as many three-pointers as they did in that fourth quarter."
Teri Moran, the coach, stated that she thinks her team is confident heading into Sunday. But more than that, she wants her team to "believe that we are rock solid defensively when our assists are high and our turnovers are low." We can play with anyone, I believe.