Loaded Field Awaits Ducks at San Diego Invitational

SAN DIEGO — The 16^th-ranked Oregon Ducks take their five-game winning streak to the San Diego Invitational, where they kick off a four-team, two-day tournament against No. 17 Arkansas Tuesday at 1 p.m. PT at Pechanga Arena.

Oregon looks to hand the Razorbacks, who have started the season 13-0, their first loss of the season. On the other side of the bracket, No. 3 Ohio State or South Florida will meet, with the winners of the two games playing at 3:30 p.m. and the consolation game taking place at 1 p.m.

Earlier Monday, Grace VanSlooten was tabbed Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after averaging 19.5 points a game on 64 percent shooting. VanSlooten poured in a career-high 26 points along with 10 rebounds in UO's 88-38 win over Eastern Washington Thursday.

GAME #11
No. 16 Oregon (9-1) vs. No. 17 Arkansas (13-0)
Tuesday, Dec. 20 | 1 p.m. PT | Pechanga Arena (San Diego, Calif.)
TV: FloHoops
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM/590 AM)
Play-by-play: Terry Jonz
Listen Online | Live Stats

GAME #12
No. 16 Oregon (9-1) vs. No. 3 Ohio State/South Florida
Wednesday, Dec. 21 | 1 or 3:30 p.m. PT | Pechanga Arena (San Diego, Calif.)
TV: FloHoops
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM/590 AM)
Play-by-play: Terry Jonz
Listen Online | Live Stats

AT A GLANCE
Oregon is part of a stacked four-team field at the San Diego Invitational, which gets underway Tuesday at Pechanga Arena. The Ducks will take on 17th-ranked Arkansas Tuesday and will take on either No. 3 Ohio State or South Florida on Wednesday.

The Razorbacks mark UO's second top-25 opponent this season, falling to then-eighth-ranked North Carolina 85-79 at the Phil Knight Invitational on Nov. 24. Head coach Kelly Graves sits one win shy of his 200th victory while at Oregon.

The two-day tournament signals the end of the Ducks' non-conference schedule, as UO will return to Matthew Knight Arena on Dec. 30 to host UCLA. Earlier this month, Oregon defeated rival Oregon State 75-67, earning its fifth Pac-12-opening win over the last six seasons.

LAST TIME OUT
The Ducks are coming off a back-to-back resounding victories, the first a 88-38 drubbing of Eastern Washington. Sunday, the Ducks walked away with a 64-point victory over College of Charleston, 97-33. It marked the first time Oregon has won consecutive games by at least 50 points since the 1978-79 season.

Thursday's game against Eastern Washington saw three players register double-doubles in Phillipina Kyei, Endyia Rogers and Grace VanSlooten. It marked the first time three Ducks turned in double-doubles in the same game since Feb. 16, 2020 when Ruthy Hebard, Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally did so at USC.

Three players - Ahlise Hurst, Te-Hina Paopao and Endyia Rogers - all logged a team-high 15 points against the Cougars. Monday, VanSlooten was recognized by the Pac-12 as the conference's freshman of the week, marking her second such award of the season.

SCOUTING THE FIELD
Oregon kicks off the four-team San Diego Invitational against 17th-ranked Arkansas on Tuesday. The Ducks will then take on either No. 3 Ohio State or South Florida on Wednesday to wrap up the two-day tournament.

The Razorbacks, who have started the season 13-0, will mark the second top-25 team the Ducks will face this season. Arkansas is coming off an 83-75 win at then-No. 16 Creighton, its second ranked win of the year after also taking down 25th-ranked K-State 69-53 at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Arkansas is led by Samara Spencer (16.5 points per game) and Erynn Barnum (14.9 points, 6.7 rebounds per game). The pair are part of four players averaging in double figures, joined by Makayla Daniels (13.4) and Chrissy Carr (12.2). As a team, the Razorbacks attempt the second-most free throws per game at 28.1 and haul in the sixth-most defensive rebounds a game with 32.7.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Arkansas holds a 3-1 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1984. The sides last faced off on Nov. 15, 2012, with the Razorbacks earning a 79-67 win in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Ducks claimed the only matchup in Eugene on Nov. 25, 2005, 70-59. Tuesday's game will mark the first time that either side has been ranked in the series' history.

On the other side of the bracket at the San Diego Invitational, Oregon trails the all-time series with Ohio State 2-1. The 10th-ranked Buckeyes claimed the last matchup on Dec. 18, 2004, 73-58, in Eugene. UO and USF faced off a season ago, with the 23rd-ranked Bulls earning a 71-62 upset victory over No. 9 Oregon on Nov. 22, 2021 in the Bahamas.

OREGON vs. RANKED TEAMS
No. 17 Arkansas marks the second top-25 opponent on Oregon's schedule this season, aftre the Ducks fell to then-eighth-ranked North Carolina 85-79 at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland on Nov. 24. Ninth-year head coach Kelly Graves owns 43 career wins against ranked teams in his Oregon career, the last coming on Jan. 17, 2022 with a 72-59 win over No. 9 UConn at Matthew Knight Arena. A season ago, the Ducks collected a pair of top-10 wins, including a 68-66 win over No. 7 Arizona. The Ducks have picked up 16 victories over teams in the nation's top 10 in Graves' tenure, with seven coming in the 2019-20 campaign.

THE "O" STANDS FOR OFFENSE
Oregon's 120.4 offensive efficiency rating (points per 100 possessions) is the third-highest mark in the country and second-best in the Pac-12 behind only Utah at 122.1. The Ducks' 85.4 points per game rank as the ninth-best mark in the country and second-highest in the conference.

UO has scored at least 75 points in nine of 10 outings while reaching the 90-point mark four times, including a 97-point effort in the Ducks' last outing against College of Charleston Sunday. Under ninth-year head coach Kelly Graves, the Ducks are 52-0 when scoring at least 90 points. This season, Oregon is 4-0 when reaching the 90-point plateau, surpassing the total number of 90-point efforts during the 2021-22 and 2020-21 seasons (three games each). At Matthew Knight Arena this season, the Ducks are averaging 86.6 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from behind the arc.

In 10 games, six different players have led the Ducks in scoring this season after Ahlise Hurst, Te-Hina Paopao and Endyia Rogers each led UO with 15 points against Charleston. Paopao, Rogers and Grace VanSlooten have finished as the team's leading scorer (or tied) three times. Freshman Jennah Isai has twice finished second in scoring without finishing as the team's top scorer.

STATEMENT WINS
In extending its winning streak to a season-best five games, Oregon won its two games last week by a combined 114 points over Eastern Washington and College of Charleston. The Ducks' 88-38 win over EWU was their largest of the season before a 64-points victory over Charleston on Sunday, 97-33. The 64-point margin of victory marked UO's highest since defeating McNeese by 71 a season ago.

The pair of 50-point wins are the first in back-to-back games in Oregon history since the 1978-79 season.

In the Ducks' 88-38 win over Eastern Washington Thursday, Phillipina Kyei (11 points, 18 rebounds), Endyia Rogers (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Grace VanSlooten (26 points, 10 rebounds) all finished with double-doubles. It was the first time that three players recorded a double-double in a game since Feb. 16, 2020 (Ruthy Hebard, Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally).