There's plenty similarities and differences that Oregon and Baylor share heading into Friday night's Final Four bout in Tampa, Florida.
On one side are the Ducks, appearing in their first Final Four, powered by the junior do-it-all wunderkind guard, Sabrina Ionescu. One the other side is Baylor, making its first appearances since 2012, led by a pair of towering and experienced post players, and a dynamic grad transfer running the point.
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Here's a quick look at how the leaders of the two sides stack up against each other, and also a peek at each team's prowess on defense:
|
Leading Scorer |
||
|---|---|---|
|
|
Kalani Brown (Baylor) |
Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon) |
|
Points per game |
15.5 |
19.9 |
|
Total points |
544 |
737 |
|
FGM |
221 |
264 |
|
FGA |
363 |
585 |
|
FG% |
60.9 |
45.1 |
|
FT% |
79.7 |
88.1 |
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|
Top Rebounder |
||
|---|---|---|
|
|
Lauren Cox (Baylor) |
Ruthy Hebard (Oregon) |
|
Rebounds per game |
8.3 |
9.1 |
|
Off. Rebounds |
88 |
102 |
|
Def. Rebounds |
210 |
224 |
|
Total Rebounds |
298 |
326 |
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|
Best Passer |
||
|---|---|---|
|
|
Chloe Jackson (Baylor) |
Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon) |
|
Assists per game |
5.33 |
8.24 |
|
Total assists |
192 |
305 |
|
Turnovers |
80 |
93 |
|
Assist-Turnover ratio |
+2.40 |
+3.28 |
NATIONAL STATS: Individual and team leaders in the 2018-19 season
|
Team Defense |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Points allowed per game |
54.6 |
62.7 |
|
Steals |
277 |
259 |
|
Blocks |
260 |
105 |
|
FG% allowed |
31.4 |
39.5 |
|
3pt FG% allowed |
29.6 |
30.8 |
Fun stats
Baylor: In 16 statistical categories, the Lady Bears rank inside the top 10 in the nation. This includes rebounds per game, rebound margin, field goal percentage defense, assists and field goal shooting percentage. Baylor is outscoring teams 393-98 on the fast break this season.
Oregon: Here are some noteworthy Ionescu numbers. She’s the only player in the country averaging more than 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per-game. She has tallied an NCAA career record 18 triple-doubles, and she has scored in double figures in 70 straight games.
HISTORY: Longest NCAA tournament appearance streaks in women's college basketball
They said it
Baylor freshman Caitlin Bickle: “Well, they’re calling it old school versus new school. I think (Oregon) works from the outside in, so, we’re just kind of the opposite. We’re just two different teams, but I know it’s gonna be a great ballgame."
Oregon sophomore Satou Sabally: “I just think that both teams are going to be really aggressive and appreciative of where they are. We're not going to take it for granted that we made it to the Final Four. We've came a long way and worked all the season hard for it. The same thing applies to Baylor. They're going to be thankful and aggressive in the game.”
Mitchell Northam is a graduate of Salisbury University. His work has been featured at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Orlando Sentinel, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today and the Delmarva Daily Times. He grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore and is now based in Durham, N.C.
