SEATTLE — Lexi Bando and Jillian Alleyne both had telling looks on their face after Oregon’s heartbreaking ending to their season.

“I have, obviously, three more years left,” said Bando matter-of-factly in front of a collection of reporters.

The look — of unrelenting optimism and determination for the future — says the Ducks are on an upward trend.

If Kelly Graves were a hat guy, he’d have somewhere to hang it.

Despite a 66-64 loss to Washington State Thursday in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament, the Ducks saw the experience as a slight setback in Graves’ orchestrated transformation of the program.

Last year, on the same court and seeds, the Ducks lost 107-100. This year, the scoreboard at Seattle’s KeyArena didn’t have to work quite as hard.

The Ducks have shown fight. There’s no doubt about it. Down against No. 19 Stanford, the Ducks rallied to pull of an upset that the seniors will remember forever.

A senior day upset for the ages. It was pure ecstasy. Families abound, leis of candy and tears—a glimpse into the future, perhaps.

To boot, Oregon swept USC and UCLA at home, the first time since 2007. There are many bright moments that’ll propel the Ducks into Graves’ first full offseason at Oregon.

Alleyne’s positive outlook combined with Graves’ never-have-a-bad-day mentality will ensure a smooth transition to the offseason.

“I think that’s the best 13 games that we as a team have played since I’ve been here at Oregon,” Alleyne said.

That’s a powerful thing. It shows Alleyne’s positivity. She’d be well-suited to remember this moment when the going gets tough next year.

Graves has to be pleased to have such optimism from Bando and Alleyne, who will be big pieces of next year’s puzzle.

That puzzle is all scrambled up right now, but Graves will get every last piece sorted out until it becomes an in-focus image worthy of a picture frame.

“It’s been a really great year,” Bando said. “It’s been a year of development and learning. We’ve gotten better and better each day and in practice.”

Alleyne said she’s exited to see more of what Graves can offer them on both ends of the court.

The Ducks should be thankful to have Lexi Petersen and Jordan Loera back next season, both of whom would have graduated after this year if had not been for missed seasons due to knee injuries.

Next year, Alleyne will be a clear leader. 100 percent — no way around it. As a senior, she’ll be expected to be more vocal and help the underclassmen progress.

“The seniors have been the greatest class that I’ve had go before me, and it’s hard to let them go,” Alleyne said. “It’s been a fun year. It’s been a lot funner than a lot of people expected.”

Bando said she can’t wait for next year.

There’s a lot of fans in Eugene that certainly agree.

Follow Jonathan Hawthorne @Jon_Hawthorne