Liberty Star Sabrina Ionescu to Appear on ESPN's College GameDay

Ionescu, fresh off her third season with the New York Liberty, will return to Eugene as the Ducks face a major challenge from Los Angeles.

Sabrina Ionescu is used to picks, often uniting with New York Liberty teammate Natasha Howard to create some of the most potent offensive attacks in the WNBA. 

That, perhaps, made her one of the most appropriate choices to lead one of the most famous "pick 'em" segments in televised sports history.

Ionescu will return to her collegiate stomping grounds at the University of Oregon in Eugene on Saturday, where she'll serve as the celebrity guest in the prediction segment that closes out ESPN's weekly broadcast of "College GameDay" (9 a.m. ET, ESPN). The renowned traveling college football pregame show will travel to the Pacific Northwest as Ionescu's Ducks battle the UCLA Bruins (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox). It sets up a bit of a Liberty civil war between Ionescu and teammate Michaela Onyenwere, the 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Welcoming back Ionescu, fresh off a career-best WNBA season that ended in All-WNBA Second Team honors, will be what Oregon fans hope is only the first piece of a victorious Saturday puzzle. Ionescu burst onto the national basketball scene with the Ducks, earning a plethora of awards before she became the WNBA's top overall pick in 2020. She is far and away the NCAA's all-time leader in triple-doubles with 26 and guided the Ducks to their first Women's Final Four the year prior. 

Ionescu remains one of the most celebrated athletes in the history of Oregon's lauded athletic programs. She recently earned her first WNBA All-Star appearance with the Liberty, averaging 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while guiding the team to its second consecutive playoff appearance. 

Saturday will mark the 28th appearance for "College GameDay" at Oregon, the most among Pac-12 competitors. The visit from the ninth-ranked Bruins, ranked 9th in the most recent Associated Press poll, could help shape the conference's chances for the College Football Playoff. No. 10 Oregon has won each of its last five games after an opening weekend loss to currently poll leader Georgia, topping Arizona 49-22 in their last game on Oct. 8. 

New York hardwood representatives are no strangers to College GameDay, which recently brought in Liberty game day host Jess Sims to serve as a reporter. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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