South Carolina not viewing Oklahoma rematch as revenge game - ESPN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Facing one of the only two teams that beat it during the regular season, South Carolina doesn't view its Sweet 16 matchup with Oklahoma as a revenge game.

«It's not really about getting a lick back,» South Carolina senior Raven Johnson said.

The Sooners handed the Gamecocks an overtime loss in Norman back in January — a game that saw Oklahoma battle back from a seven-point halftime deficit, tie the game at regulation, and then dominate the extra period. Freshman Aaliyah Chavez had a breakout performance, scoring 15 of her 26 points in overtime, where the Sooners outscored the Gamecocks 19-7 overall.

«We're not motivated by avenging a loss,» South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. «We're motivated by advancing. It's not like, oh, they beat us last time, let us do this or that. It's survive and advance.»

South Carolina has dominated its opponents through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, scoring 100 points in both games. It's the first time in program history the Gamecocks have scored more than 100 points in the same tournament.

«I don't think we tweak from what we didn't do the last time,» Staley said. «I think we tweak from where we want to play in a tournament and the things that we need to do to stay organized.»

Both South Carolina and Oklahoma said they watched film from their last matchup, but there's an understanding that both teams feel they are different than where they were two months ago.

That January win ended a three-game skid for the Sooners. For them, that win was less about beating the beast that is South Carolina and more about what it signaled for their younger group.

«The emotion didn't come from the win of a game. The emotion came because we're a young team trying to