BLACKSBURG — The Virginia Tech women's basketball team will play Baylor in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four seasons.
The Hokies are hoping for a different result this time.
Fourth-seeded Virginia Tech (25-7) will play fifth-seeded Baylor (25-7) in the second round Sunday at 8 p.m.
In the 2021 NCAA second round, second-seeded Baylor defeated the seventh-seeded Hokies 90-48.
“Every other month we joke about that game,” Tech senior point guard Georgia Amoore said in a press conference Saturday. “We were babies…that was [Baylor] The team was crazy.
“I'm sure that match was the deciding factor for me. Playing against these girls and seeing them and the elite standards they uphold. That was an eye-opener for me. did.”
Others are also reading…
“The loss at Baylor left a bad taste in my mouth.”
Baylor University won the NCAA title in 2019, and since there was no NCAA Tournament in 2020, they were still the reigning champions when they defeated Tech. The 2021 tournament was held in the San Antonio area due to the pandemic.
Amoore was a freshman on that 2021 Tech team, while Elizabeth Kitley and Kayla King were sophomores.
“This is a signature game for this group,” Tech coach Kenny Brooks said. “What we took away from that was, 'If you want to be at that level, you've got to have that much confidence.' How hard do you have to play and compete to get to that level?” I knew there was one.
“It's really a full circle moment for us to have Baylor at home.”
Senior guard Sarah Andrews is the only active Baylor player on the Bears' 2021 team.
“I really don't remember. [anything] “Ever since my freshman year,” said Andrews, who made the All-Big 12 second team this year. “I think we won. But they're a different team and we're a different team.”
Kim Mulkey stepped down as Baylor's coach after the 2021 NCAA Tournament and took the reins at LSU.
Former WNBA coach Nikki Collen is in her third season as Mulkey's successor.
“Our style is not the same as Coach Mulkey's style,” said Collen, whose team has been eliminated in the NCAA second round the past two years. “We still want to recruit great players. … A lot of the top players want to go pro. I know what the pros are like. It's not just about getting to the pros. , I know what it takes to stay professional.”
The Hokies defeated 13th-seeded Marshall 92-49 in the first round on Friday, but Baylor should present a tough test.
Baylor University is ranked 19th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, just six spots behind Tech University. Baylor finished tied for fourth in the Big 12 standings with a 12-6 record. The Bears defeated six ranked opponents, including Texas and Utah State.
“I'm excited to play because they're good players,” Amoor said. “It's going to be a good challenge.”
“They're strong, they're physical,” Brooks said.
Tech will play its third consecutive game without the 6-foot-6 All-American second-team center Kitley, who suffered a torn ACL in the final game of the regular season.
“It's going to be a battle [Sunday]. “…You wish you had a 6-foot-6 All-American because I think that would have really given you an advantage in certain areas,” Brooks said, “but we don't. do not have.”
There will be a huge crowd behind the tech industry.
“The energy in this building is going to be insane,” Koren said. “We're going to have to play really, really well and find a way to quiet the crowd.”
The Hokies are known for their 3-point shooting, but Baylor ranks seventh in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (25.9%).
“We have to do a good job of taking and contesting 3-point shots,” Collen said. “We don't really get beat by athletes. Sometimes…we have size issues. But ultimately, I think we can make plays and cover the 3-point line.”
Vanderbilt lost to Baylor 80-63 on Friday, hitting just 3-of-17 from 3-point range.
“Our coaches really emphasize just playing catch,” Baylor forward Dariana Littlepage Baggs said.
Only two opponents have made seven or more 3-pointers against the Bears this season.
“They guard the perimeter really well,” Brooks said. “They put pressure on you [on the perimeter]. If we allow that to happen, it will affect the rhythm of our attack. ”
The Hokies are averaging nine 3-pointers. In addition to making 10 3-pointers in Friday's win, he also scored 34 points in the paint.
“If we compromise for three seconds, potentially [Baylor’s defense] “We have to be confident and know we can knock down threes, but at the same time we have to explore the lane and go downhill,” Amoor said.I think we showed that [on Friday]. …He won when he got 3 seconds, but I felt like he did well on the downhill. ”
Tech and Baylor are tied for 17th nationally in rebounding margin, outscoring opponents by 7.7 rebounds per game.
“We showed in some games that we can be very dominant on the boards, and I think that's going to be a strong suit for us tomorrow,” Andrews said. “We don’t want them to rebound and hit us with a kickout 3.”
Tech no longer has the services of Kitley, who averaged a team-high 11.4 rebounds. The Hokies topped Miami and Marshall without Kitley, but were edged by Notre Dame 42-38 in the ACC semifinals.
“We just have to do a good job of boxing and finishing possession tomorrow,” Amoor said. “You're just going to crash. You've got to put your body on the line.”
Forward Olivia Zumiel filled in for Kitley's absence. Sumiel had 18 rebounds in the ACC semifinals and 14 on Friday.
“We all have to play a little bit better than we were before,” Zumiel said. “Rebounding is kind of a mental thing, a mental thing, and you can really hope for it.”
