Familiar Faces Square Off Down Low as Oklahoma Battles Michigan State for Spot in the Sweet 16

NORMAN — Sunday’s Second Round battle will pit strength versus strength in Norman.

Oklahoma leans on center Raegan Beers, while Michigan State plays through its own big, Grace VanSlooten.

Both the 4-seeded Sooners and 5-seeded Spartans lean on underclassmen guards, freshman Aaliyah Chavez for OU and sophomore Kennedy Blair for MSU, but the veteran bigs have plenty of history.

How to Watch 4-seed Oklahoma vs. 5-seed Michigan State

When: Sunday, March 22
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Lloyd Noble Center
Channel: ESPN

VanSlooten once played at Oregon, opposite Beers in the rivalry with Oregon State.

They battled throughout high school, and then the pair played together over the summer for USA basketball.

The Sooners and the Spartans have only met twice, but even the coaches — Jennie Baranczyk and Robyn Fralick — have met earlier in their careers.

“They're just a really well-balanced team. They move so well on the offensive end, and they share the basketball,” Baranczyk said on Saturday.

Beers and VanSlooten do attack things a bit differently.

As much as Beers likes to post up in the lane, VanSlooten steps out to bury mid-range jumpers.

VanSlooten enters the contest averaging 15.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on 50.1 percent shooting, while Beers adds 15.8 points and 10.3 rebounds each night on 61.6 percent shooting.

Oklahoma Sooners, Raegan Beers — Oklahoma center Raegan Beers drives against Idaho in the NCAA Tournament. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

“What a beautiful picture of post play that is completely different,” Baranczyk said. “That's what's so cool about the game of basketball is there are so many different ways to be really, really good.

“Obviously Grace just does an incredible job of being shifty. She's crafty. She's been a winner. She has so much experience. … Then you have Raegan who has an outside game, and she has this brute strength inside. They're so different, and yet, they both impact the game so greatly.”

Beers said she’ll have her hands full to keep VanSlooten from pulling down a bunch of rebounds.

“She rebounds really, really well, is relentless on the boards, which is something that we struggled with last night that I think we can take a step forward in tomorrow, especially against a good rebounding team,” Beers said.

Both VanSlooten and Beers cherished their time together over the summer, but they’re both ready to leave it all on the floor on Sunday to get to the Sweet 16.

“She's just so tough to guard,” VanSlooten said. “She's just really, really great. And you know what's even better, she's a great person, and her family is amazing too.

“I just have a lot of gratitude that I got the opportunity to spend some time with her this summer and kind of build a friendship. I'm just really proud of her and happy for her and everything she's doing.”

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Regardless of the result, Beers, Payton Verhulst and Beatrice Culliton will all be playing in their last game at the Lloyd Noble Center on Sunday.

The OU trio hopes to continue their collegiate careers next weekend in Sacramento, however, as a victory would put Oklahoma in its second-straight Sweet 16 since trips in 2010 and 2011.

“We have our hands full, for sure,” Baranczyk said. “But it's also March, and that's what it's supposed to be, and we know that. So it's going to be a really, really good basketball game.”