The matchup is set: The Lady Rebels take on the Louisville Lady Cardinals Friday night for a chance at a spot in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Elite Eight. Ole Miss defeated No 1 seed Stanford in convincing fashion on Sunday, and Louisville ousted Texas on Monday to set up this Sweet 16 showdown.
The Cardinals have a rich and consistent history in March Madness. Louisville has made the big dance in 17 out of the last 19 years, with four trips to the Final Four and two trips to the national championship.
Ole Miss is in unfamiliar territory. This is the Rebels’ first time in the Sweet 16 since 2007.
A great way to gauge and predict non-conference matchups, and one of the only ways to compare teams who have not played this season, is looking at similar opponents.
Ole Miss and Louisville had two common opponents this season: Gonzaga and Kentucky. The Rebels and the Cardinals both beat Kentucky convincingly, but Ole Miss decisively beat Gonzaga in the tournament round of 64, while Louisville fell to the Lady Bulldogs in overtime this season.
The personnel of these teams stack up quite evenly. Louisville has star point guard Hailey Van Lith, who averages just under 20 points per game, while the Rebels are led by former Wright State point guard Angel Baker, who averages around 15 points per game but is liable to go for 20 or more on any given night.
Who wins this game will come down to two simple factors: Which team can make shots when it matters and which team can get the important defensive stops.
March Madness produces some of the best basketball in the world. That being said, many games in the tournament are not without scoring droughts, but the team that finds a way to make a run typically prevails.
Take Ole Miss’ game against Stanford. The Rebels went a long time without scoring against the comeback-hungry Stanford Cardinal. But once they settled down, the Lady Rebels found a way to take care of business.
On the other side of the ball, the defense might be the biggest determining factor for who will win this game. If executed correctly, defense is one of the few constants in basketball that a team can rely on.
Ole Miss definitely relies on its defense, so it will be intriguing to watch how the Lady Rebels plan to slow down the aggressive Louisville attack.
This game, which features the No. 8-seeded Rebels and No. 5-seeded Cardinals, will take place in Seattle on Friday, March 24 at 9:00 p.m. CDT. The game will air on ESPN.
