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NCAA Regional Weekend Begins WIth Short Trip To Portland
03/27/19 | Women's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
While other programs were jetting across the country to their Sweet Sixteen games, the UO women practiced in Eugene on Wednesday and then made a quick bus trip to Portland.
For the last 24 hours, the Oregon women's basketball team has watched local colleagues scatter to various corners of the country.
On Tuesday, Oregon's men's team boarded a flight to Louisville, Ky, for its Sweet Sixteen game against Virginia. A day later, the UO women's in-state rivals, Oregon State, also made a flight to the East Coast, for an NCAA Tournament regional semifinal game in Albany, N.Y.
As for the Ducks themselves, they had a markedly different travel schedule. The Oregon women practiced in their home gym Wednesday afternoon, then boarded a bus for the quick ride up to Portland, site of the Ducks' own Sweet Sixteen game against South Dakota State in the Moda Center on Friday (8:30 p.m., ESPN2).
"Huge advantage," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "We'd much rather be traveling by bus than by plane at this point in the year."
National player of the year candidate Sabrina Ionescu is friendly with members of the UO men's team, and the OSU women's squad. She got sneak peeks of their long travel days via social media. Needless to say, she was not envious.
"It's crazy that we're literally going right down the road," Ionescu said Wednesday after practice, before returning to the court to get up shots on her own, long after coaches and teammates had left the gym. "I think we earned it, and hopefully we have a good turnout and a lot of people can come down and make that trip, because I'm hoping that we can get good fan support."
The Ducks (31-4) earned the right to play in the Portland Regional via their Pac-12 regular-season championship, and a tough nonconference schedule that included NCAA Tournament teams including Syracuse, Michigan State, South Dakota State and Mississippi State — the latter two potentially being both of the Ducks' opponents this weekend.
Beat the Jackrabbits on Friday, and Oregon will play Sunday against the winner between Mississippi State and Arizona State. The Ducks played South Dakota State and Mississippi State in back-to-back games on Dec. 12 and Dec. 18, and could do so again this weekend.
That was a turning point in Oregon's season; the Ducks allowed 79 points to SDSU, three days after giving up 88 in a loss at Michigan State, but rebounded by clamping down against Mississippi State in a win at home over the then-No. 4 Bulldogs. The defensive toughness Oregon showed in that game carried over into the Pac-12 slate, giving the UO women a complement to their prolific offense.
"I thought we continued to improve from there, so I guess that was kind of a turning point weekend," Graves said.
The Ducks have the chance to reach the Elite Eight for the third straight year with a win Friday against the Jackrabbits, who have won 18 straight and spread the floor with a veteran group that averages nearly 80 points per game. But reaching the Elite Eight again isn't Oregon's goal; as Ionescu said after last year's loss to eventual national champion Notre Dame, the Ducks intended to come back "hunting the Final Four" in 2018-19.
"I think that's in the back of our minds, and just knowing that, you know, we're knocking on the door right there," Ionescu said. "… We're right where we want to be, and I think it's going to be a great weekend for us."
As he has done all season, Graves was willing Wednesday to acknowledge Oregon's long-term potential, while working to keep the Ducks' focus on the short term.
"I hope we don't play feeling any kind of pressure," he said. "We've been to that Elite Eight twice and I know there's expectations externally for us to go further — and we obviously want to go further, and feel that we can. But we're only worried about Friday night's game, and that'll take care of itself. And then, if we're fortunate enough to move on, then we'll take that next game.
"I don't think we can look too far ahead, and I certainly haven't put any pressure on them. Listen, they know what we're capable of doing. Now we've just got to go out and do it."
On Tuesday, Oregon's men's team boarded a flight to Louisville, Ky, for its Sweet Sixteen game against Virginia. A day later, the UO women's in-state rivals, Oregon State, also made a flight to the East Coast, for an NCAA Tournament regional semifinal game in Albany, N.Y.
As for the Ducks themselves, they had a markedly different travel schedule. The Oregon women practiced in their home gym Wednesday afternoon, then boarded a bus for the quick ride up to Portland, site of the Ducks' own Sweet Sixteen game against South Dakota State in the Moda Center on Friday (8:30 p.m., ESPN2).
"Huge advantage," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "We'd much rather be traveling by bus than by plane at this point in the year."
National player of the year candidate Sabrina Ionescu is friendly with members of the UO men's team, and the OSU women's squad. She got sneak peeks of their long travel days via social media. Needless to say, she was not envious.
"It's crazy that we're literally going right down the road," Ionescu said Wednesday after practice, before returning to the court to get up shots on her own, long after coaches and teammates had left the gym. "I think we earned it, and hopefully we have a good turnout and a lot of people can come down and make that trip, because I'm hoping that we can get good fan support."
The Ducks (31-4) earned the right to play in the Portland Regional via their Pac-12 regular-season championship, and a tough nonconference schedule that included NCAA Tournament teams including Syracuse, Michigan State, South Dakota State and Mississippi State — the latter two potentially being both of the Ducks' opponents this weekend.
Beat the Jackrabbits on Friday, and Oregon will play Sunday against the winner between Mississippi State and Arizona State. The Ducks played South Dakota State and Mississippi State in back-to-back games on Dec. 12 and Dec. 18, and could do so again this weekend.
That was a turning point in Oregon's season; the Ducks allowed 79 points to SDSU, three days after giving up 88 in a loss at Michigan State, but rebounded by clamping down against Mississippi State in a win at home over the then-No. 4 Bulldogs. The defensive toughness Oregon showed in that game carried over into the Pac-12 slate, giving the UO women a complement to their prolific offense.
"I thought we continued to improve from there, so I guess that was kind of a turning point weekend," Graves said.
The Ducks have the chance to reach the Elite Eight for the third straight year with a win Friday against the Jackrabbits, who have won 18 straight and spread the floor with a veteran group that averages nearly 80 points per game. But reaching the Elite Eight again isn't Oregon's goal; as Ionescu said after last year's loss to eventual national champion Notre Dame, the Ducks intended to come back "hunting the Final Four" in 2018-19.
"I think that's in the back of our minds, and just knowing that, you know, we're knocking on the door right there," Ionescu said. "… We're right where we want to be, and I think it's going to be a great weekend for us."
As he has done all season, Graves was willing Wednesday to acknowledge Oregon's long-term potential, while working to keep the Ducks' focus on the short term.
"I hope we don't play feeling any kind of pressure," he said. "We've been to that Elite Eight twice and I know there's expectations externally for us to go further — and we obviously want to go further, and feel that we can. But we're only worried about Friday night's game, and that'll take care of itself. And then, if we're fortunate enough to move on, then we'll take that next game.
"I don't think we can look too far ahead, and I certainly haven't put any pressure on them. Listen, they know what we're capable of doing. Now we've just got to go out and do it."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballMia Jacobs, Katie Fiso, & Ehis Etute | Postgame vs. Michigan
Tuesday, December 30
Kelly Graves | Postgame vs. Michigan
Tuesday, December 30
Katie Fiso & Mia Jacobs | Postgame vs. Portland
Friday, December 19
Kelly Graves | Postgame vs. Portland
Friday, December 19
