Texas Women's Basketball will be back in action on Saturday afternoon against the Tennessee Volunteers. Taking on a conference rival in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament feels weird. This will be the first time in school history that the Longhorns will take on a conference opponent in the tournament.
Texas has already played Tennessee at the Moody Center this season and came away with a four-point victory. Texas has to be prepared for this weekend and put the win against Illinois in the past.
Just because the Longhorns have already beaten the Volunteers this season doesn't mean Texas has an automatic trip to the Elite Eight. Regular season results go out the window in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
You could also say the same thing about the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Just because a team beat another in the regular season, it doesn't mean you'll win automatically in the postseason. Here is a preview of the upcoming Sweet 16 matchup with the Volunteers.
Previewing the Volunteers
Kim Caldwell has done a good job coaching the Volunteers this season. Just because they finished with an 8-8 conference record doesn't mean they won't be able to take down Texas.
Before the tournament started, there were some concerns about Texas Women's Basketball being the first number one seed eliminated. Let's look at the Volunteers the Longhorns need to defend on Saturday to advance to the Elite Eight.
Junior guard Ruby Whitehorn is the first player the Longhorns need to stop if they want to advance to the Elite Eight. She did a number on the Ohio State Buckeyes, finishing the game with 13 points and 4 rebounds. She will be one of the guards the Longhorns can't allow to have a shooting clinic Saturday afternoon.
The next player the Longhorns need to stop is Senior guard Samara Spencer. She constantly finds a way to finish with double-digit scoring. She's another player the Longhorns can't allow to find her shooting rhythm. She finished with 10 points and 6 assists against the Buckeyes in the previous round. The Longhorns will have their work cut out if they want to advance to the Elite Eight.
Previewing the Longhorns
One of the players Texas needs to show up this afternoon is Sophomore forward Madison Booker. Madison has been one of the consistent Longhorns during their tournament run this season. She's finished the first two games of the tournament with 20 points in each game. If the Longhorns want to have a shot at beating the Volunteers, Booker's ability to score will be needed.
Another player who has finished with over 20 points in each of their tournament games is Senior center Taylor Jones. She's another player the Longhorns will have to rely on for offense on Saturday. They will also need her to be a threat on the boards.
They will have to win the rebounding battle to eliminate the Volunteers. It won't be an easy game on Saturday, but if Jones and Booker show up, I like the odds of the Longhorns advancing in the tournament.