First Round: OU vs. Central Michigan

March 22, 2013

(22-10)

	1st	2nd	F
(11) CMU	-	-	-
(6) Oklahoma	-	-	-

TV: ESPN2 | Live Stats | Live Audio | Bracket | Postgame

(21-11)

Sunday, March 10 \| 3:30 p.m. \| American Airlines Center \| Dallas, Texas
Television	Radio	Online
ESPN2 Clay Matvik & Swin Cash	Sooner Radio Network Brian Brinkley & Colton Coale	ESPN3.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- March Madness begins for the Oklahoma women's basketball team Saturday at 10:10 a.m. Central as the Sooners face 11-seed Central Michigan for the first time in history.

The game will be televised in home markets on ESPN2 and webcast online at ESPN3.com.

The Sooners are 22-10 overall and went 11-7 in the Big 12, placing third in a conference that had seven teams selected to the tournament field. With a victory Saturday, OU has a potential rematch with UCLA looming Monday for a right to play in its backyard at the Oklahoma City Regional.

Tournament Central | Friday News Conference Quotes: OU | CMU

Another benefit the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee gave to the Oklahoma is that Columbus is the only first-round site without a team playing on its home court.

Yet, the Sooners know not to look too far down the road.

"Our team understands if we don't show up and present the best version of ourselves, we are in trouble no matter who we face." OU head coach Sherri Coale said. "Central Michigan can score. They are a tough matchup for us. They're big on the perimeter and there are mismatches all over the place. There is nobody who is looking beyond Saturday morning."

Central Michigan is 21-11 and won the Mid-American Conference Tournament after going 12-4 in its regular season.

"We have two teams that like to get out in transition and will not have a 30-second violation," Central Michigan head coach Sue Guevara said. "Oklahoma likes to shoot the ball quickly and has good size inside. We present some challenges to them also. I expect it will be 40 minutes of going up and down the court."

The Chippewas are led by 6-foot, sophomore guard Crystal Bradford, who averages 15.5 points and 9.8 rebounds.

"They're very good in transition," Coale continued. "I'm impressed how they move from transition to their early offense. They have capable scorers and confident scorers. They think their ball is going into the basket. They are better defensively than people given them credit and get points in transition off steals."

Head-to-Head: Projected Starters

10	Morgan Hook 5-10 \| Junior \| Lowell, Ark.

33	Brandie Baker 6-0 \| Senior \| Flint, Mich.

PPG

RPG

APG

PPG

RPG

APG

10.4

3.4

5.4

8.5

5.7

3.2

3	Aaryn Ellenberg 5-7 \| Junior \| Las Vegas, Nev.

24	Niki DiGuilio 5-8 \| Junior \| Mt. Vernon, Ohio

PPG

RPG

APG

PPG

RPG

APG

18.5

3.3

2.1

7.3

2.0

0.4

24	Sharane Campbell 5-10 \| Soph. \| Spencer, Okla.

23	Crystal Bradford 6-0 \| Sophomore \| Detroit, Mich.

PPG

RPG

APG

PPG

RPG

APG

9.2

4.2

1.2

15.5

9.8

3.0

53	Joanna McFarland 6-2 \| Senior \| Derby, Kan.

44	Taylor Johnson 5-11 \| Junior \| Belding, Mich.

PPG

RPG

APG

PPG

RPG

APG

9.2

10.0

0.9

8.6

5.4

0.8

4	Nicole Griffin 6-6 \| Junior \| Center

13	Jessica Schroll 5-11 \| Senior \| Midland, Mich.

PPG

RPG

APG

PPG

RPG

APG

11.8

5.1

1.0

10.5

4.6

1.5

OKLAHOMA STORYLINES
• The Sooners will appear in their 16th NCAA Tournament, and 14th consecutive, the nation's seventh longest active streak and 13th longest in history. Oklahoma is a No. 6 seed for the third consecutive year.
• A win over Central Michigan means a potential rematch of a Nov. 14 loss to UCLA. Two wins in Columbus sends the Sooners back to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma has advanced past the NCAA First Round each of the last seven seasons.
• Junior guard Aaryn Ellenberg owns OU's single-season record for 3-pointers made with 103 this season. Ellenberg made two 3-pointers against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament to match and then pass Erin Higgins (2003-07) for Oklahoma's career record, now 272.
• The Sooners are 17-0 this season when leading at halftime; 4-11 when tied or trailing; 21-1 when their field goal percentage is higher than their opponent's; and 18-1 when holding their opponent to 40 percent or lower field goal shooting.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN STORYLINES
• Central Michigan is making its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first since consecutive appearances in 1983-84. The tournament marks the third-straight postseason trip for the Chippewas as they played in the WNIT each of the previous two seasons. CMU is still seeking its first postseason win in program history as it enters Saturday's contest 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament and 0-4 overall in postseason play.
• The Chippewas entered the FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament as the fourth seed and promptly defeated No. 5 Bowling Green, No. 1 Toledo and No. 3 Akron to earn their first MAC Tournament title since 1984. The conference championship is the third in program history.
• With its 21 wins and its NCAA Tournament appearance, Central Michigan has won 20-plus games and qualified for a postseason tournament in three-straight seasons for the first time in program history. The Chippewas have won 61 games over the last three seasons.
• Head Coach Sue Guevara will be back where her Division I coaching career started as she served as a Graduate Assistant for Ohio State during the 1984-85 seasons. Guevara earned a master's degree in athletic administration from Ohio State in 1985.
• The Chippewas and Sooners will be squaring off for the first time in program history when they take the floor Saturday morning. Senior Jessica Schroll brings experience versus the Sooners as she averaged 6.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in two career meetings versus Oklahoma as a member of Iowa State.

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Players Mentioned

Aaryn Ellenberg

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics