It was the second round of the 2018 NCAA tournament, during the Duck dynasty, when Oregon and Minnesota last met.
In Eugene, the Ducks, led by Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hubbard and Satou Sabally, took apart the Gophers 101-73. Ionescu’s 29 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds did most of the damage. Carly Wagner, Destiny Pitts and Kenisha Bell each played 40 minutes; but couldn’t stem the onslaught. Oregon eventually lost in the Elite 8 to “date with destiny” champions Notre Dame 74-84.
Head coach Kelly Graves’ move from Gonzaga had paid quick dividends. The Ducks won three PAC 12 titles, went to three Elite 8’s and a Final Four. Plus, there were two more NCAA appearances. But that was then. Graves, now entering his 11th season, saw last season’s team free fall to last place in the now defunct PAC 12. The Ducks dropped their final 14 conference games, finished 2-16 and watched players scurry into the portal. Two former Ducks, Chance Gray (Ohio State) and Grace Van Slooten (Michigan State) made their way to the Big Ten.
Graves searched the portal and came away with one of the prizes, Deja Kelly, the 5’8” graduate guard from North Carolina who is averaging 10.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 31.4 minutes. Kelly was one of seven transfers brought in to refloat the Ducks. Oregon (8-6) relied heavily on the transfers to defeat rival Washington on Wednesday night 68-67.
Graves sent out a four-guard offense against the Huskies led by the aforementioned Deja Kelly. Kelly, whose scoring has lagged her 16 ppg during her All ACC run with Tar Heels, got loose for a season high 21 points including the winning free throws.
5’10” junior guard Elisa Mevius transferred from Sienna where she was MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Mevius averages 5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 23.3 minutes. She broke out for 14 points, 4 assists and 3 steals against Washington.
The post in the four-guard line up was 6’8” senior Phillipina Kyei. The four year Duck averages 7.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 21.8 minutes. She had 11 points and 5 rebounds versus the Huskies.
6’0” sophomore guard Sofia Bell averages 3.4 points and 1.8 rebound in 20.5 minutes. She will occasionally connect on a three pointer.
Rounding out Wednesday’s starters was Nani Falatea. The BYU transfer averages 8.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 24.2 minutes.
Other Players of note:
6’4” junior forward Amina Muhammad averages 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18.8 minutes. The Texas transfer has started every Big Ten game except the last two (UCLA and Washington).
6’2” graduate forward Alexis Whitfield averages 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. The UC Santa Barbara transfer was an All Big West first team selection.
5’8” graduate guard Peyton Scott averages 8.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 24.5 minutes. Scott returned to the court after missing the previous two games with a knee injury, She had started every game before the injury.
You probably noticed that Oregon is not an offensive juggernaut. They are 17th in conference scoring at 60.9 barely ahead of Purdue. However, the Ducks do hold their opponents to 62.4 points per game which is 4th best in the B1G. Be prepared for a slug fest. Although, any match-up between Gopher and Duck mascots makes me smile.
