Notes: UConn Awaits in Elite Eight

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The No. 10 seed Oregon women's basketball team will look to continue its string of upsets in the NCAA Tournament as the Ducks meet No. 1 ranked and No. 1 seed UConn on Monday night in the Elite Eight.

The Ducks and Huskies tip at 4:06 PM PT on ESPN.

NO. 10 SEED OREGON DUCKS (23-13, 8-10 Pac-12)
PPG: 71.4 | FG%: 45.0 | 3FG%: 39.0 | FT%: 72.8
Notable: Oregon is in the Elite 8 for the first time in school history after knocking off No. 2 seed Duke and No. 3 seed Maryland in back-to-back games. The Ducks held the Terps to a season-low 63 points. Maryland came into the game averaging an NCAA-best 90.1 points per game. Oregon is the first double-digit seed in the Elite 8 since Kelly Graves took No. 11 seed Gonzaga to the Spokane Regional final in 2011. Freshman Ruthy Hebard is averaging 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament.

NO. 1 SEED UCONN HUSKIES (35-0 16-0 AAC)
PPG: 87.7 | FG%: 52.9 | 3FG%: 40.0 | FT%: 78.4
Series: UConn leads, 2-0 (Last, 11/2013 in Hartford)
Notable: UConn, winners of 110 straight games, are making their 12th straight appearance in the Elite 8. The Huskies are led by guard Katie Lou Samuelson's 20.7 points per game. Napheesa Collier is just behind her, averaging 20.4 points per game to go with a team-high 9.0 rebounds per game. In three NCAA Tournament games, the Huskies are averaging 98.7 points per game while shooting shooting 60.2 percent from the field.

TV AND RADIO BROADCAST INFO
Oregon's game on Monday vs. No. 1 ranked UConn in the NCAA Tournament will be aired on ESPN at 4 PM PT. The game will also be broadcasted live on the radio in Eugene (KUGN 590 AM) and Portland (KBNP 1410 AM) with Terry Jonz on the call, Oregon women's basketball's longtime play-by-play man. Fans can find a free radio stream online via TuneIn.com/Ducks and the TuneIn app.

OREGON'S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- The Ducks are 8-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- Oregon is just the third double-digit seed to reach the Elite Eight. Gonzaga and Lamar have also done it.
- This is Oregon's 13th trip to the NCAA Tournament.
- Oregon's last appearance was in 2005.
- This is Oregon's first trip to the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8. Previously, the Ducks never advanced beyond the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Oregon won first round games in 2005, 1999, 1997, 1994 and 1987 but lost in the second round each time.
- The most points scored by the Ducks in an NCAA Tournament game was 80 in a win over San Diego State in 1997.
- Alison Lang had the most points by UO player in the NCAA Tournament with 24 against Missouri in 1982. - Lang also owns the rebounds record with 20 in that same game against Missouri.
- Missy Croshaw owns UO's NCAA Tournament record for three-pointers with five against Colorado in 1994.
- Oti Gildon tied the UO NCAa Tournament record with four steals against Maryland on Saturday.

LAST TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The last time the Ducks made the NCAA Tournament was in the 2004-05 season. No. 10 seed Oregon defeated No. 7 seed TCU, 58-55, in Seattle in the first round behind Catherine Kraayeveld's 23 points. The Ducks lost, 69-46, to No. 2 seed Baylor in the second round.

KELLY GRAVES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
In his third season at UO, this is Kelly Graves' first trip to the NCAA Tournament with the Ducks. However, he is hardly a stranger to the tournament.
- This is Graves' ninth trip in the NCAA Tournament overall. He has been a double-digit seed seven times.
- Graves is 11-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- This is Graves' second trip to the Elite 8.
- Graves is the only coach in NCAA women's basketball history to take two double-digits seeded teams to the Elight 8. He also did it with Gonzaga in 2011.
- He has been in the Sweet 16 four times.
- He first went to the NCAA Tournament as the head coach of Saint Mary's as a No. 12 seed in 1999. Graves then went dancing seven more times at Gonzaga, going as a No. 12 seed three times, No. 11 seed twice, No. 7 seed once and No. 6 seed once.
- Graves took Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 in three straight seasons - 2010, 2011 and 2012.
- In 2011, Graves and Gonzaga advanced to the Elite 8. The No. 11 seed 'Zags were the lowest seed ever to reach the Elite 8. They defeated No. 10 seed Vanderbilt, No. 2 seed Xavier and No. 7 seed Louisville before falling to No. 1 seed Stanford in the regional finals.
- Graves' teams have upset No. 2 seeds twice and No. 3 seeds three times in the NCAA Tournament.

MAGIC NUMBER 70
Oregon is 21-1 this season when reaching 70 points in a game. The Ducks scored exactly 70 points in both of their Pac-12 Tournament wins and 71 and 74 points last weekend in wins over Temple and Duke to open the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks defeated Maryland, 77-63. Oregon's only loss when reaching the 70-point mark was against Washington, 99-77. Only two times this year have the Ducks won without reaching 70 points - 69 points at Cal and 59 points at USC.

THE NATION'S TALLEST TEAM
With six players standing 6-foot-3 or taller, the Ducks are tied with Kansas State and Texas for the tallest roster in Div. I women's basketball this season. Oregon's tallest player is 6-foot-6 freshman forward Lydia Giomi from West Seattle. She is the tallest player on the Oregon roster in 10 years (Jessie Shetters, 6-foot-6, 2003-07).

FRESHMEN STARTING IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Oregon starts three freshmen - G Sabrina Ionescu, F Ruthy Hebard and F Mallory McGwire - more than any other team in the NCAA tournament this year. Only Maryland, which started both Destiny Slocum and Kaila Charles, has more than one freshman in the lineup. (Starter defined as having 20-or-more starts this season.)

LOOKING AHEAD
With the Ducks surprising the basketball world by reaching the Elite 8 with three true freshmen in the starting lineup, its hard not to look ahead to what could be ahead for this young team. Going into Monday night's game against UConn, the Ducks will return 100% of its points and 100% of its rebounds so far in the tournament. Only one of the Ducks' 50 assists is from a senior.

FRESHMEN SCORING
In last Saturday's win over Temple to open the NCAA Tournament, Oregon's three freshmen starters - Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Mallory McGwire - combined to score 52 of the Ducks' 71 points. So far in the tournament, Oregon's rookies have accounted for 59% of UO's scoring.

NCAA STAT RANKINGS
Oregon is one of the best shooting teams in the nation.
- The Ducks rank 19th in the NCAA and third in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage at 45.0 percent.
- Oregon is better from three, shooting 39.0 percent which is fourth in the NCAA and first in the Pac-12.
- With all those made shots come assists. The Ducks rank 10th in the NCAA and first in the Pac-12 with 599 assists this season. Oregon is averaging 16.6 assists per game as a team, first in the Pac-12 and 17th in the NCAA.

TOP-25 TESTED
Oregon has played a whopping 15 games against top-25 teams this season. The Ducks are 6-9 in those contests, including Saturday's victory over No. 4 ranked Maryland. The No. 4 Terps are the highest-ranked team the Ducks have defeated under Graves.