Belmont women's basketball vs. Oregon in 2022 NCAA Tournament: Score prediction

Mike Organ, Nashville Tennessean

March 18, 2022 at 7:01 AM·3 min read

Belmont women's basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in seven years.

The No. 12 seed Bruins hope to advance past the first round for the second straight year when they face No. 5 seed Oregon on Saturday (4:30 p.m., ESPN2) at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

It will be the first meeting between Belmont and Oregon.

Belmont (22-7) upset fifth-seeded and 14th-ranked Gonzaga 64-59 in last season's NCAA Tournament first round, becoming the first Ohio Valley Conference program to win a March Madness game since 1990. The Bruins lost to Indiana 70-48 in the second round.

Oregon (20-11) is not ranked but receiving votes in the top 25 national poll. The Ducks are in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year and 17th overall. They lost to Utah 80-72 in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.

Here's what to know about the matchup:

The Belmont women's basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in eight years and set to play Oregon on Saturday at Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena.

THE MATCHUP: Belmont women's basketball will play No. 5 seed Oregon in the 2022 NCAA Tournament

BELMONT'S DESTINEE: In Destinee Wells, Belmont women's basketball has a star primed for the big stage | Estes

Comparing the competition

Being a mid-major program makes the NCAA Tournament a challenge for Belmont each season. The Bruins don't usually face the same caliber of competition their opponents face coming into the tournament. Bruins coach Bart Brooks is aware of that and works hard each season to put together a challenging nonconference schedule. The Bruins had five opponents — Louisville, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Central Florida — this season that earned NCAA Tournament berths. Belmont beat Ole Miss 62-50 in Oxford, Mississippi, and lost at Louisville (80-66), Georgia Tech (58-45), Arkansas (83-63) and Central Florida (57-45). Belmont and Oregon did not have a common opponent.

The Ducks had eight opponents earn NCAA Tournament berths. They went 6-6 against tournament teams with wins over Connecticut (72-59), Arizona (68-66 OT) and Oklahoma (98-93).

Oregon has a NET ranking of No. 12 and Belmont is No. 50.

Belmont's Bart Brooks is the Tennessee Sports Writers Association women's basketball coach of the year.

Strengths and weaknesses

Belmont was young last season and depended heavily on freshman Destinee Wells. The Bruins also rely on Tuti Jones but are more experienced and balanced this season. Brooks says they have gone from being young to being grizzled sophomores. Wells, who averages 16.6 points, is still Belmont's best player but is getting more help this season from Madison Bartley (11.7), Jones (11.0) and Conley Chinn (8.3). The Bruins' defense is their greatest strength. They held Tennessee Tech to nine field goals in a 51-29 win in the OVC Tournament championship and are ranked 23rd nationally in scoring defense (55.5 ppg).

Oregon also features a balanced attack. The Ducks' leading scorers Endyia Rogers and Nyara Sabally both average 14.7 points and Te-Hina Paopao averages 13.4. Sabally is a 6-foot-5 junior from Germany who also averages 7.6 rebounds. She and Sedona Prince, a 6-7 junior who has 38 blocks, will be a big challenge for Belmont, which does not have a player taller than 6-3.

Belmont women's basketball vs Oregon score prediction

Oregon 74, Belmont 65: Belmont, which is smaller and quicker, should be able to keep it close early and possibly into the second half. Oregon, however, with more size and offensive weapons, will eventually wear down the Bruins and move into the second round to face the winner of the Tennessee-Buffalo game.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Belmont women's basketball vs Oregon: March Madness score prediction

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Comparing the competition

Strengths and weaknesses

Belmont women's basketball vs Oregon score prediction

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