Photo by: Samuel Marshall
NCAA Opener A Chance For UO Women To Re-Establish Momentum
03/20/19 | Women's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon had an extended break to put its Pac-12 Tournament final loss in the rear-view mirror before hosting PSU in the NCAA Tournament on Friday (6 p.m., ESPN2)
A different Oregon assistant coach has been assigned to scout each of the three different teams joining the Ducks in Eugene for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Friday and Sunday.
Play begins in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday at 4 p.m. between No. 7 Texas and No. 10 Indiana; the two UO assistants assigned to those teams will have devoured hours of video tape before finally getting that chance to see them in person. The third UO assistant was assigned to Oregon's own opponent in the game to follow that one Friday evening, Portland State.
The scouting report on the Viks will include several key personnel points. PSU had a first-team all-Big Sky guard, Sidney Rielly, their leading scorer at 14.4 points per game and a nearly 40 percent three-point shooter. The 6-foot-4 post Courtney West was Big Sky defensive player of the year, after averaging 7.4 rebounds and nearly three blocked shots per game. And second-leading scorer Ashley Bolston is a Washington State transfer with a penchant for getting to the free-throw line.
All of those will be keys to Friday's NCAA Tournament matchup between the Portland Region's No.2 seed Oregon and No. 15 Portland State. But UO coach Kelly Graves has identified another key to the game, something less schematic and more ethereal.
"We," Graves said Tuesday, "have just got to get our mojo back."
When the Ducks (29-4) take the court Friday evening, on ESPN2, it will have been 12 days since their Pac-12 Tournament final loss to Stanford. Playing for the third time in three days with a roster beset by injury and illness, and coming off an overtime semifinal against UCLA, the UO women got off to a slow start, fought back into the lead in the second half but couldn't hang on.
Oregon still earned the right to play at home this weekend, and was placed in the Portland Region in a nod to its regular-season Pac-12 title, earned with a 16-2 conference record. But the Ducks are looking to regain a little of the momentum they had at midseason, when they put together a 17-game winning streak capped by a 40-point win at Stanford and a home victory in the Civil War.
"We're still the best shooting team in the country by pretty much most measures, and the best offensive team in the country by pretty much every metric by which that's evaluated," Graves said. "We've struggled down the stretch to shoot a little bit … but we've been defending well, and I think with a week off, our kids are going to be healthier now. So we're in a good spot."
Graves said injured guard Taylor Chavez still hadn't practiced as of Tuesday on the foot injury that sidelined her down the stretch. But, he added, "I'm confident at some point she's going to be back this season."
The extended break since the Pac-12 final — the Ducks only resumed practice early this week — also provided time for Ruthy Hebard to rest the knee she injured at Oregon State, and for Sabrina Ionescu to rehab the ankle she tweaked in the conference tournament. The Ducks also were able to devote their full attention to preparing for final exams, which are taking place at Oregon this week.
"Number one, I think we needed the mental and the physical rest," Graves said. "I think that was really important to our group. And secondly, we have finals this week. … I always say, Ruthy and Sabrina don't need to practice one more pick-and-roll. I mean, they've got that pretty much taken care of. So I think the rest far outweighs what we would have got done in practice."
Since they returned to practice, the Ducks have focused their attention on Portland State, which is working on the best season in school history. The Viks made the tournament for the first time since 2010, and are looking for their first-ever NCAA win.
So it's a hungry group with something to prove that will take the floor Friday evening in Matthew Knight Arena. But the Ducks fit that description, too, looking to put their loss to Stanford well in the rear-view mirror, and re-establish themselves as a national championship contender.
"The reality is, we're 29-4, and we're one of those teams that's at least in the discussion to get to Tampa (for the Final Four) and perhaps win it all," Graves said. "And we're not going to shy away from that."
Play begins in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday at 4 p.m. between No. 7 Texas and No. 10 Indiana; the two UO assistants assigned to those teams will have devoured hours of video tape before finally getting that chance to see them in person. The third UO assistant was assigned to Oregon's own opponent in the game to follow that one Friday evening, Portland State.
The scouting report on the Viks will include several key personnel points. PSU had a first-team all-Big Sky guard, Sidney Rielly, their leading scorer at 14.4 points per game and a nearly 40 percent three-point shooter. The 6-foot-4 post Courtney West was Big Sky defensive player of the year, after averaging 7.4 rebounds and nearly three blocked shots per game. And second-leading scorer Ashley Bolston is a Washington State transfer with a penchant for getting to the free-throw line.
All of those will be keys to Friday's NCAA Tournament matchup between the Portland Region's No.2 seed Oregon and No. 15 Portland State. But UO coach Kelly Graves has identified another key to the game, something less schematic and more ethereal.
"We," Graves said Tuesday, "have just got to get our mojo back."
When the Ducks (29-4) take the court Friday evening, on ESPN2, it will have been 12 days since their Pac-12 Tournament final loss to Stanford. Playing for the third time in three days with a roster beset by injury and illness, and coming off an overtime semifinal against UCLA, the UO women got off to a slow start, fought back into the lead in the second half but couldn't hang on.
Oregon still earned the right to play at home this weekend, and was placed in the Portland Region in a nod to its regular-season Pac-12 title, earned with a 16-2 conference record. But the Ducks are looking to regain a little of the momentum they had at midseason, when they put together a 17-game winning streak capped by a 40-point win at Stanford and a home victory in the Civil War.
"We're still the best shooting team in the country by pretty much most measures, and the best offensive team in the country by pretty much every metric by which that's evaluated," Graves said. "We've struggled down the stretch to shoot a little bit … but we've been defending well, and I think with a week off, our kids are going to be healthier now. So we're in a good spot."
Graves said injured guard Taylor Chavez still hadn't practiced as of Tuesday on the foot injury that sidelined her down the stretch. But, he added, "I'm confident at some point she's going to be back this season."
The extended break since the Pac-12 final — the Ducks only resumed practice early this week — also provided time for Ruthy Hebard to rest the knee she injured at Oregon State, and for Sabrina Ionescu to rehab the ankle she tweaked in the conference tournament. The Ducks also were able to devote their full attention to preparing for final exams, which are taking place at Oregon this week.
"Number one, I think we needed the mental and the physical rest," Graves said. "I think that was really important to our group. And secondly, we have finals this week. … I always say, Ruthy and Sabrina don't need to practice one more pick-and-roll. I mean, they've got that pretty much taken care of. So I think the rest far outweighs what we would have got done in practice."
Since they returned to practice, the Ducks have focused their attention on Portland State, which is working on the best season in school history. The Viks made the tournament for the first time since 2010, and are looking for their first-ever NCAA win.
So it's a hungry group with something to prove that will take the floor Friday evening in Matthew Knight Arena. But the Ducks fit that description, too, looking to put their loss to Stanford well in the rear-view mirror, and re-establish themselves as a national championship contender.
"The reality is, we're 29-4, and we're one of those teams that's at least in the discussion to get to Tampa (for the Final Four) and perhaps win it all," Graves said. "And we're not going to shy away from that."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballKelly Graves | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
Deja Kelly, Peyton Scott & Phillipina Kyei | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
Peyton Scott & Ari Long: "A good, competitive basketball game."
Thursday, February 27
Kelly Graves: "We've played really well."
Thursday, February 27
