Oregon hopes the addition of Amanda Johnson will bolster the Ducks’ front court and give them a chance to finish off the Pac-12 season strong. (Alex McDougall/Oregon Daily Emerald)
This weekend, for the first time, Oregon (11-10, 3-6) will welcome Utah (10-10, 3-6) and Colorado (15-5, 4-5) to Eugene as Pac-12 Conference opponents. The Ducks will face the Utes at Matthew Knight Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday, while the Buffaloes will take the court at 2 p.m. Saturday. @@http://pac-12.org/SPORTS/BasketballW/Standings.aspx@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=236&SPSID=4304@@
Utah and Oregon currently sit in a three-way tie for ninth place in the Pac-12 standings with Washington. Oregon holds a 9-5 advantage in the all-time series, but the Utes have won the last two games, including an 89-86 Utah victory on Dec. 22, 2009.
Utah is anchored by sophomore forward Michelle Plouffe, who leads the team with 14.4 points per game. The 6-foot-4 Plouffe also grabs 8.5 boards per contest while shooting 41 percent from three-point range. @@http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/utah-w-baskbl-mtt.html@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/wbasketball/2011-12-Stats/HTML/UTAH.HTM@@
Fellow sophomore forward Taryn Wicijowski, who stands 6-foot-3, will join Plouffe down low for the Utes. She’s averaging 12.2 boards and 8.4 rebounds per game so far this season. The glue on offense for Utah is senior guard Janita Badon, who leads the league with 5.7 assists per game. @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/wbasketball/2011-12-Stats/HTML/CONFONLY.HTM@@
The game marks a homecoming for Utah head coach Anthony Levrets, who was born in Eugene and raised in Bandon. The Utes also have three Oregon players on their roster — Badon (Portland), sophomore Allison Gida (Ashland) and sophomore Brittany Knighton (Oregon City). @@http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/levrets_anthony00.html@@
The winner of the matchup will likely be the team that controls the pace. Oregon ranks second in the Pac-12 and 15th in the nation averaging 75.7 points per game, while Utah is averaging 60.2 points per game and holding opponents to 54.2 points per contest, good for second in the Pac-12. @@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-women/d1/current/team/111/p1@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/wbasketball/2011-12-Stats/HTML/CONFLDRS.HTM@@
On Saturday, the Ducks must prepare for a Colorado squad predicated on strong guard play. The Buffaloes have shown balance with five players averaging between eight and 15 points per game, but have a clear No. 1 option in junior guard Chucky Jeffery. Jeffery leads the team with 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. She is all over the Pac-12 leader board, ranking third in steals (2.45 per game), fourth in assists, fifth in defensive rebounds (6.05 per game), sixth in scoring and free-throw percentage (.739) and eighth in blocked shots (1.1 per game). @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/wbasketball/2011-12-Stats/HTML/COLO.HTM@@ @@http://www.cubuffs.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=258&SPSID=3912&DB_OEM_ID=600@@
The Buffaloes started this season 12-0, mostly due to improved defense and rebounding. The Buffaloes rank third in the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage and rebounding margin (+6.4) and fourth in scoring defense (57.3 ppg) and rebounding defense (34.8 rpg).
Though the status of her broken thumb is still in the air, senior forward Amanda Johnson made headlines for Oregon last week. Johnson, a first-team Academic All-American in 2011, was named a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award on Jan. 25. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence — community, classroom, character and competition. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4305&SPID=236&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1507345&Q_SEASON=2011@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4305&SPID=236&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205327955@@
