The Oregon and USC women’s basketball teams have gotten to know each other very well
this season.
They have already faced each other twice in the regular season, splitting the series, and will match up for a third time during the quarterfinals of the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament in Los Angeles tonight.
The Ducks (16-14, 7-11) go into the tournament as a No. 6 seed, while USC (18-11, 12-6) stands at No. 3.
Collectively, the team appears to be excited about the rematch.
“I think USC is the perfect opponent for us,” head coach Paul Westhead said. “We split (during the regular season), we actually beat them on their home court, they beat us here. I think we match up pretty well.”
The players are also pleased with the draw, particularly senior guard Micaela Cocks, who scored 16 points in her last matchup with the Lady Trojans.
“I’m really excited that we’re playing USC,” Cocks said. “I think they’re a great matchup for us. We’ve had two really good games against them … it’s going to be exciting.”
“Exciting” hasn’t exactly been the word of choice for the Ducks of late, as they have dropped their last six games. The regular season ended with a two-game sweep at the hands of the Washington schools, during which the team shot just 28 percent from the field.
Oregon has struggled with various issues throughout the season, but shooting has
generally not been one of them. Still, Westhead sees a relatively simple cure.
“Our players are slightly out of position,” Westhead said. “So I worked today on trying to regroup them to get them into their normal positions and spots, so we’ll minimize why they’re missing shots.”
The Lady Trojans are by no means pushovers on defense, but signs point to the Ducks regaining their touch in Southern California. USC ranks dead last in the Pac-10 in three-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot .311 from beyond the arc.
Oregon shot an impressive 8-17 from three-point land in its last matchup with the Lady Trojans, and 49.2 percent overall. Though the game ultimately ended in a loss, the Ducks remain confident they can come away victorious.
“(The previous matchup) gives us some sense of confidence, in that we know it’s going to be a big game on both ends,” senior guard Taylor Lilley said. “It’s just a matter of who plays well that night … and who can really get down to the rebounding that night. I think it will be a really great game.”
Also important is that the Ducks very nearly swept the Lady Trojans during the regular season. USC barely hung on for an 87-84 victory on Feb. 25 at McArthur Court, and Westhead knows the outcome could have been different.
“(It) was a one-possession game,” Westhead said. “We were down one with twenty plus seconds, had the ball, and had a good look, and missed. So it could have easily gone the other way.”
Despite their recent struggles, the Ducks know they can compete with just about anyone in the conference. The Pac-10 Tournament is a perfect place to prove just that.
“We just need to play at our level,” Westhead said. “And we’ll be right there.”
The rest of the field
After finishing with a perfect 18-0 record in the Pac-10, Stanford is the obvious No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Cardinal (28-1, 18-0) will face off with the winner of eighth seeded Arizona (13-16, 6-12) and ninth seeded Washington State (8-21, 3-15). Second seeded UCLA (22-7, 15-3), meanwhile, will take on either No. 7 Washington (12-16, 7-11) or No. 10 Oregon State (10-19, 2-16).
A few hours before the Ducks take the floor, fourth-seeded California (17-12, 11-7) and fifth-seeded Arizona State (17-12, 9-9) will battle for a spot in the semi-finals. The Sun Devils swept the season series with a 63-61 victory on Jan. 30 and a 57-50 win on Feb. 27.
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