Sunday, March 28
San Antonio, TX
4:00 PM
University of Oregon
vs
Louisville
Ducks Take On Louisville For A Spot In The Elite Eight
03/26/21 | Women's Basketball
SAN ANTONIO - The Oregon women's basketball team will square off with Louisville in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen this Sunday at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN with a berth to a fourth consecutive Elite Eight on the line.
Game Details
Matchup: (6) Oregon (15-8) vs. (2) Louisville (25-3)
Oregon/Louisville AP Rankings: #23/#8
Date: Sunday, March 28, 2021
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Venue: Alamodome
Opening Tip: 4:00 p.m. PT
Broadcast Information
TV: ESPN
PxP: Beth Mowins | Analyst: Debbie Antonelli | Reporter: LaChina Robinson
Radio: Oregon Sports Network
Eugene: KUGN 590 AM | Portland: KDZR 1640 AM
PXP: Terry Jonz | Analyst: Bev Smith
Different Path, Same Destination
The path looks different but the destination is the same for Oregon, which on Wednesday advanced to its fourth straight Sweet Sixteen with a second-round NCAA Tournament win over Georgia, 57-50. The 2020-21 Ducks haven't often resembled the high-scoring teams of recent years led by Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally, instead relying on relentless defense and timely scoring from a young and relatively unproven roster. Oregon held Georgia to 21-of-60 shooting, including 1-of-13 from three-point range, and improved to 13-1 this season when allowing less than 60 points. The result is yet another trip to the Sweet Sixteen, and the Ducks will face off with Louisville on Sunday with a chance to reach a fourth consecutive Elite Eight.
Oregon's win over No. 3 seeded and 10th ranked Georgia was powered by the twin tower duo of Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally, who combined to score 37 of UO's 57 points. Prince was a dominant force from start to finish, matching her career-high with 22 points while blocking four shots, and Sabally took over late in the game to finish with 15 points and nine rebounds. The achievement is extra sweet for Prince and Sabally, who both missed each of the last two seasons while coming back from serious injuries and spent last year rehabbing together. "Nyara and I talked before the start of the fourth quarter and we were like, we're going to the Sweet Sixteen in our first year," Prince said. "We came out and she dominated, and also our teammates allowed us to get good post-ups and made good entry passes. It was just a collective effort."
Ducks In The NCAA Tournament
» Fourth straight Sweet Sixteen appearance, fourth all-time.
» Seeking fourth straight Elite Eight appearance.
» 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, fourth straight. » 17-15 all-time, including 12-3 in four trips under Graves.
» Sixth time as a No. 6 seed (4-5 all-time), and first since 2000.
» 1-2 all-time vs. No. 2 seeds and 4-10 vs. top-4 seeds.
Numbers to Know
4 - Oregon is making its fourth straight Sweet Sixteen appearance and is looking to advance to its fourth straight Elite Eight.
16 - In their 16th appearance, the Ducks are 17-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 12-3 in four berths under Kelly Graves.
18 - All-Pac-12 selection Nyara Sabally leads Oregon with 18 double-figure scoring games, including 16 in her last 17 games.
22 - Sedona Prince matched her career-high with 22 points while blocking four shots on Wednesday to lead UO to the Sweet Sixteen.
33 - Erin Boley became the 33rd 1,000-point scorer in Oregon history with her 22-point performance on Monday vs. South Dakota.
60 - The Ducks are 13-1 this season when allowing less than 60 points, and 5-0 when giving up fewer than 50 points.
Series History - Oregon vs. Louisville
All-Time Series: Louisville leads, 3-2
Current Streak: Louisville W3
Last Meeting: Louisville won, 72-62 (11/30/19, Virgin Islands)
Scouting The Cardinals
Oregon and Louisville will meet for the second straight season, with the Cardinals getting the best of the Ducks last November at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. Louisville has won each of the last three matchups to take a 3-2 lead in the all-time series. The 2021 Cardinals have gone 25-3 overall after going 14-2 in ACC play, falling to NC State in the ACC Tournament championship game before knocking off Marist and Northwestern to open the NCAA Tournament. Louisville is led by first-team all-American and ACC player of the year Dana Evans, who averages 19.6 points per game. Kianna Smith (11.5), Hailey Van Lith (11.4 PPG) and Oliva Cochran (10.4) give the Cardinals four total players averaging double-digit points. Louisville is making its fourth straight Sweet Sixteen appearance and 10th overall, and is seeking its third consecutive trip to the Elite Eight and sixth all-time.
Prince Proving To Be Key to Postseason Run
After missing the last two seasons - first due to a knee injury and then NCAA transfer rules - and then dealing with an ankle injury that forced her to miss five games this season, redshirt sophomore Sedona Prince appears to finally be back at full strength for the Ducks and is proving to be a key to Oregon making a deep run in San Antonio. The 6-foot-7 center dominated with a career-high-tying 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting with four blocks in UOs second-round win over Georgia, two days after recording 12 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks against South Dakota. Prince now owns 10 double-figure scoring performances this season, including eight in her last 11 games. During that stretch, Prince is averaging 12.3 PPG on 58.2 percent shooting (57-of-98) with six games of five rebounds or more. Prince had 16 points and a career-high five blocks on Jan. 24 vs. Washington, and she closed the regular season with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting vs. Oregon State on Feb. 28.
Sabally Well Worth The Wait
It's been a long two-plus years for Nyara Sabally - who lost the opportunity to play with her sister Satou Sabally after suffering knee injuries in each of her first two seasons as a Duck - but the 6-foot-5 forward was well worth the wait. Sabally was named an all-Pac-12 selection by the league's coaches, solidifying her standing as one of the top 15 players in the conference in her first healthy season since arriving in Eugene. The redshirt sophomore went 8-of-12 from the floor for 17 points with five rebounds and two blocked shots in her NCAA Tournament debut vs. South Dakota on Monday and then took over late vs. Georgia on Wednesday to finish with 15 points and nine rebounds, giving her a team-leading 18 double-figure scoring games this season and 16 in her last 17 games. Sabally is shooting a team-best 54.0 percent (116-of-215) from the floor, the best mark in the Pac-12 according to the official NCAA stat rankings. The Berlin, Germany, native owns a team-best four double-doubles, including a 20-point, 10-rebound performance on Dec. 4 vs. Colorado in which she tied for the seventh-best individual shooting performance in UO single-game history by going 9-of-9 from the field.
Defense Lifts Ducks to Round Two
A stunning display of defense fueled Oregon to a 67-47 victory over South Dakota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks held the Coyotes without a field goal for a stretch of 14:44 that began midway through the first quarter and extended until the opening moments of the second half, during which South Dakota missed 25 straight field-goal attempts. Oregon outscored South Dakota 9-1 in the second quarter - the fewest points UO has ever allowed in a quarter in a postseason game - and the Ducks led 34-9 at halftime before holding their fifth opponent of the season to less than 50 points. "I think we put together as good a half of defense as I've ever been a part of as a coach.," Kelly Graves said of the first-half performance.
Boley Balls Out, Joins 1K Club
Senior Erin Boley got her final NCAA Tournament started in impressive fashion, going 9-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three-point range for 22 points vs. South Dakota. Boley posted the 21st game of 20 points or better by a Duck in the NCAA Tournament - with Sedona Prince adding the 22nd on Wednesday with 22 points vs. Georgia - and in the process became the 33rd player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points in an Oregon uniform. The Kentucky native also took over sole possession of fourth place in program history for three-pointers; she owns 217 triples as a Duck entering Sunday.
Scherr Stepping Up In Paopao's Absence
The Ducks are without all-Pac-12 point guard Te-Hina Paopao for the postseason due to injury, but another freshman has stepped up to run the show for Oregon. Maddie Scherr has started each of the Ducks' last three games, applying tremendous pressure on the defensive end while orchestrating the offense at the point. Scherr had five rebounds and two steals on Monday vs. South Dakota, and dished out six assists while recording three steals on Wednesday vs. Georgia.
Oregon, Pac-12 Dominating March Madness So far
Oregon's fourth straight berth to the Sweet Sixteen continued a trend so far in "March Madness." The UO women join the men in the Sweet Sixteen, making Oregon one of only three schools (Baylor & Michigan) to have both basketball programs still alive in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks have been at the forefront of a tremendous postseason so far for the Pac-12 Conference, which as of Friday had gone a combined 18-4 between the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments with four men's teams and three women's teams advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
Solid Defense Yields Success
The new-look Ducks have been searching for their offensive identity for much of 2020-21, but Oregon's solid play on the defensive end has kept Kelly Graves' squad in the top 25 in the AP national rankings all season. Oregon is giving up just 59.6 points per game after two terrific defensive performances to open the NCAA Tournament, not far off from last season's program-record of 57.9 points per game allowed. The Ducks have held eight of their last 13 opponents and 14 total teams to fewer than 60 points this season, and South Dakota became the fifth team to be limited to fewer than 50 points by Oregon. UO held the Coyotes to just 26.2 percent shooting - including a stretch of 25 straight missed field goals - before limiting Georgia to 21-of-60 shooting from the floor and 1-of-13 from three-point range. Oregon has forced 14 turnovers in each of the first two games in San Antonio while recording 21 steals. The Ducks forced a season-high 23 turnovers and allowed a season-low 41 points to California on Jan. 10, tied for the fewest points the Ducks have given up in a conference game since Jan. 17, 2009.
Simple Plays
Oregon has done a tremendous job of sharing and being smart with the basketball since Kelly Graves arrived, leading the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio each of the last two seasons. The new-look Ducks have kept this trend going, dishing out 22 assists with just three turnovers in the season opener vs. Seattle and a season-high 26 assists on 42 field goals against just five turnovers in the Jan. 10 win at California. UO enters Sunday's game ranked No. 16 in the nation with a 1.26 assist-to-turnover ratio and No. 22 with 12.6 turnovers per game. Freshman point guard Te-Hina Paopao - who won't play in San Antonio due to injury - leads the Pac-12 and all NCAA freshmen with a 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Depth On Full Display
Despite having to replace four starters - including three top-10 WNBA Draft picks - Kelly Graves boasts one of the deepest teams in the country this season. Oregon has had 11 different players combine for 77 total double-figure scoring performances through 23 games, and seven different Ducks have led or tied for the team lead in scoring at least once. At least 10 different players have scored in nine different games, including seven straight to open the season, and Nyara Sabally (12.9), Erin Boley (10.7), Sedona Prince (10.4) and Te-Hina Paopao (10.2) are all averaging double figures with five more Ducks averaging at least 3.6 PPG. Oregon has had 12 different starting-lineup combinations in 23 games, and the Ducks have racked up a whopping 560 bench points (24.3 per game). Oregon's depth becomes even more important with Paopao out for the NCAA Tournament due to injury.
Mikesell Surpasses 1,000 Points
Junior Taylor Mikesell impressed in her first career Pac-12 Tournament game on March 4 vs. Oregon State, leading the Ducks with 24 points while setting a new career-high with 10 made field goals. The transfer from Maryland reached a career milestone with the performance, surpassing 1,000 points for her collegiate career to join Erin Boley as active Ducks in the 1K club. Mikesell was one of only three players on Oregon's roster with NCAA Tournament experience as the Ducks headed to San Antonio; she reached the second round of the Big Dance with Maryland in 2019 as a freshman, leading the Terrapins with 16 points in a first-round win over Radford before putting up 14 points in an 85-80 loss to UCLA in the second round. Mikesell had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists on Wednesday vs. Georgia.
Game Details
Matchup: (6) Oregon (15-8) vs. (2) Louisville (25-3)
Oregon/Louisville AP Rankings: #23/#8
Date: Sunday, March 28, 2021
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Venue: Alamodome
Opening Tip: 4:00 p.m. PT
Broadcast Information
TV: ESPN
PxP: Beth Mowins | Analyst: Debbie Antonelli | Reporter: LaChina Robinson
Radio: Oregon Sports Network
Eugene: KUGN 590 AM | Portland: KDZR 1640 AM
PXP: Terry Jonz | Analyst: Bev Smith
Different Path, Same Destination
The path looks different but the destination is the same for Oregon, which on Wednesday advanced to its fourth straight Sweet Sixteen with a second-round NCAA Tournament win over Georgia, 57-50. The 2020-21 Ducks haven't often resembled the high-scoring teams of recent years led by Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally, instead relying on relentless defense and timely scoring from a young and relatively unproven roster. Oregon held Georgia to 21-of-60 shooting, including 1-of-13 from three-point range, and improved to 13-1 this season when allowing less than 60 points. The result is yet another trip to the Sweet Sixteen, and the Ducks will face off with Louisville on Sunday with a chance to reach a fourth consecutive Elite Eight.
Prince, Sabally Power DucksThey've battled through so much together.
— Oregon Women's Basketball (@OregonWBB) March 26, 2021
Now, Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally are headed to the Sweet 16. #GoDucks @sedonaprince_ x @sabally2000 pic.twitter.com/z9lSVir2Tt
Oregon's win over No. 3 seeded and 10th ranked Georgia was powered by the twin tower duo of Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally, who combined to score 37 of UO's 57 points. Prince was a dominant force from start to finish, matching her career-high with 22 points while blocking four shots, and Sabally took over late in the game to finish with 15 points and nine rebounds. The achievement is extra sweet for Prince and Sabally, who both missed each of the last two seasons while coming back from serious injuries and spent last year rehabbing together. "Nyara and I talked before the start of the fourth quarter and we were like, we're going to the Sweet Sixteen in our first year," Prince said. "We came out and she dominated, and also our teammates allowed us to get good post-ups and made good entry passes. It was just a collective effort."
Ducks In The NCAA Tournament
» Fourth straight Sweet Sixteen appearance, fourth all-time.
» Seeking fourth straight Elite Eight appearance.
» 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, fourth straight. » 17-15 all-time, including 12-3 in four trips under Graves.
» Sixth time as a No. 6 seed (4-5 all-time), and first since 2000.
» 1-2 all-time vs. No. 2 seeds and 4-10 vs. top-4 seeds.
Numbers to Know
4 - Oregon is making its fourth straight Sweet Sixteen appearance and is looking to advance to its fourth straight Elite Eight.
16 - In their 16th appearance, the Ducks are 17-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 12-3 in four berths under Kelly Graves.
18 - All-Pac-12 selection Nyara Sabally leads Oregon with 18 double-figure scoring games, including 16 in her last 17 games.
22 - Sedona Prince matched her career-high with 22 points while blocking four shots on Wednesday to lead UO to the Sweet Sixteen.
33 - Erin Boley became the 33rd 1,000-point scorer in Oregon history with her 22-point performance on Monday vs. South Dakota.
60 - The Ducks are 13-1 this season when allowing less than 60 points, and 5-0 when giving up fewer than 50 points.
Series History - Oregon vs. Louisville
All-Time Series: Louisville leads, 3-2
Current Streak: Louisville W3
Last Meeting: Louisville won, 72-62 (11/30/19, Virgin Islands)
Scouting The Cardinals
Oregon and Louisville will meet for the second straight season, with the Cardinals getting the best of the Ducks last November at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. Louisville has won each of the last three matchups to take a 3-2 lead in the all-time series. The 2021 Cardinals have gone 25-3 overall after going 14-2 in ACC play, falling to NC State in the ACC Tournament championship game before knocking off Marist and Northwestern to open the NCAA Tournament. Louisville is led by first-team all-American and ACC player of the year Dana Evans, who averages 19.6 points per game. Kianna Smith (11.5), Hailey Van Lith (11.4 PPG) and Oliva Cochran (10.4) give the Cardinals four total players averaging double-digit points. Louisville is making its fourth straight Sweet Sixteen appearance and 10th overall, and is seeking its third consecutive trip to the Elite Eight and sixth all-time.
Prince Proving To Be Key to Postseason Run
After missing the last two seasons - first due to a knee injury and then NCAA transfer rules - and then dealing with an ankle injury that forced her to miss five games this season, redshirt sophomore Sedona Prince appears to finally be back at full strength for the Ducks and is proving to be a key to Oregon making a deep run in San Antonio. The 6-foot-7 center dominated with a career-high-tying 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting with four blocks in UOs second-round win over Georgia, two days after recording 12 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks against South Dakota. Prince now owns 10 double-figure scoring performances this season, including eight in her last 11 games. During that stretch, Prince is averaging 12.3 PPG on 58.2 percent shooting (57-of-98) with six games of five rebounds or more. Prince had 16 points and a career-high five blocks on Jan. 24 vs. Washington, and she closed the regular season with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting vs. Oregon State on Feb. 28.
Sabally Well Worth The Wait
It's been a long two-plus years for Nyara Sabally - who lost the opportunity to play with her sister Satou Sabally after suffering knee injuries in each of her first two seasons as a Duck - but the 6-foot-5 forward was well worth the wait. Sabally was named an all-Pac-12 selection by the league's coaches, solidifying her standing as one of the top 15 players in the conference in her first healthy season since arriving in Eugene. The redshirt sophomore went 8-of-12 from the floor for 17 points with five rebounds and two blocked shots in her NCAA Tournament debut vs. South Dakota on Monday and then took over late vs. Georgia on Wednesday to finish with 15 points and nine rebounds, giving her a team-leading 18 double-figure scoring games this season and 16 in her last 17 games. Sabally is shooting a team-best 54.0 percent (116-of-215) from the floor, the best mark in the Pac-12 according to the official NCAA stat rankings. The Berlin, Germany, native owns a team-best four double-doubles, including a 20-point, 10-rebound performance on Dec. 4 vs. Colorado in which she tied for the seventh-best individual shooting performance in UO single-game history by going 9-of-9 from the field.
Defense Lifts Ducks to Round Two
A stunning display of defense fueled Oregon to a 67-47 victory over South Dakota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks held the Coyotes without a field goal for a stretch of 14:44 that began midway through the first quarter and extended until the opening moments of the second half, during which South Dakota missed 25 straight field-goal attempts. Oregon outscored South Dakota 9-1 in the second quarter - the fewest points UO has ever allowed in a quarter in a postseason game - and the Ducks led 34-9 at halftime before holding their fifth opponent of the season to less than 50 points. "I think we put together as good a half of defense as I've ever been a part of as a coach.," Kelly Graves said of the first-half performance.
Boley Balls Out, Joins 1K Club
Senior Erin Boley got her final NCAA Tournament started in impressive fashion, going 9-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three-point range for 22 points vs. South Dakota. Boley posted the 21st game of 20 points or better by a Duck in the NCAA Tournament - with Sedona Prince adding the 22nd on Wednesday with 22 points vs. Georgia - and in the process became the 33rd player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points in an Oregon uniform. The Kentucky native also took over sole possession of fourth place in program history for three-pointers; she owns 217 triples as a Duck entering Sunday.
Scherr Stepping Up In Paopao's Absence
The Ducks are without all-Pac-12 point guard Te-Hina Paopao for the postseason due to injury, but another freshman has stepped up to run the show for Oregon. Maddie Scherr has started each of the Ducks' last three games, applying tremendous pressure on the defensive end while orchestrating the offense at the point. Scherr had five rebounds and two steals on Monday vs. South Dakota, and dished out six assists while recording three steals on Wednesday vs. Georgia.
Oregon, Pac-12 Dominating March Madness So far
Oregon's fourth straight berth to the Sweet Sixteen continued a trend so far in "March Madness." The UO women join the men in the Sweet Sixteen, making Oregon one of only three schools (Baylor & Michigan) to have both basketball programs still alive in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks have been at the forefront of a tremendous postseason so far for the Pac-12 Conference, which as of Friday had gone a combined 18-4 between the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments with four men's teams and three women's teams advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
Solid Defense Yields Success
The new-look Ducks have been searching for their offensive identity for much of 2020-21, but Oregon's solid play on the defensive end has kept Kelly Graves' squad in the top 25 in the AP national rankings all season. Oregon is giving up just 59.6 points per game after two terrific defensive performances to open the NCAA Tournament, not far off from last season's program-record of 57.9 points per game allowed. The Ducks have held eight of their last 13 opponents and 14 total teams to fewer than 60 points this season, and South Dakota became the fifth team to be limited to fewer than 50 points by Oregon. UO held the Coyotes to just 26.2 percent shooting - including a stretch of 25 straight missed field goals - before limiting Georgia to 21-of-60 shooting from the floor and 1-of-13 from three-point range. Oregon has forced 14 turnovers in each of the first two games in San Antonio while recording 21 steals. The Ducks forced a season-high 23 turnovers and allowed a season-low 41 points to California on Jan. 10, tied for the fewest points the Ducks have given up in a conference game since Jan. 17, 2009.
Simple Plays
Oregon has done a tremendous job of sharing and being smart with the basketball since Kelly Graves arrived, leading the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio each of the last two seasons. The new-look Ducks have kept this trend going, dishing out 22 assists with just three turnovers in the season opener vs. Seattle and a season-high 26 assists on 42 field goals against just five turnovers in the Jan. 10 win at California. UO enters Sunday's game ranked No. 16 in the nation with a 1.26 assist-to-turnover ratio and No. 22 with 12.6 turnovers per game. Freshman point guard Te-Hina Paopao - who won't play in San Antonio due to injury - leads the Pac-12 and all NCAA freshmen with a 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Depth On Full Display
Despite having to replace four starters - including three top-10 WNBA Draft picks - Kelly Graves boasts one of the deepest teams in the country this season. Oregon has had 11 different players combine for 77 total double-figure scoring performances through 23 games, and seven different Ducks have led or tied for the team lead in scoring at least once. At least 10 different players have scored in nine different games, including seven straight to open the season, and Nyara Sabally (12.9), Erin Boley (10.7), Sedona Prince (10.4) and Te-Hina Paopao (10.2) are all averaging double figures with five more Ducks averaging at least 3.6 PPG. Oregon has had 12 different starting-lineup combinations in 23 games, and the Ducks have racked up a whopping 560 bench points (24.3 per game). Oregon's depth becomes even more important with Paopao out for the NCAA Tournament due to injury.
Mikesell Surpasses 1,000 Points
Junior Taylor Mikesell impressed in her first career Pac-12 Tournament game on March 4 vs. Oregon State, leading the Ducks with 24 points while setting a new career-high with 10 made field goals. The transfer from Maryland reached a career milestone with the performance, surpassing 1,000 points for her collegiate career to join Erin Boley as active Ducks in the 1K club. Mikesell was one of only three players on Oregon's roster with NCAA Tournament experience as the Ducks headed to San Antonio; she reached the second round of the Big Dance with Maryland in 2019 as a freshman, leading the Terrapins with 16 points in a first-round win over Radford before putting up 14 points in an 85-80 loss to UCLA in the second round. Mikesell had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists on Wednesday vs. Georgia.
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