December was a turning point for Oregon women’s basketball.
The Ducks went on a road trip to the Midwest, where Michigan State handed them their first loss of the season. Oregon then bounced back with a win at South Dakota State before traveling back to Eugene for a top-10 win against Mississippi State.
Now heading into the Portland Regional, the No. 2-seed Ducks will once again face sixth-seeded South Dakota State in the Sweet 16.
“We’re not going to get caught by surprise,” Oregon junior guard Sabrina Ionescu said. “We know they can shoot the ball really well, we know they’re really well coached and they play really hard so we’re going to have to come back and do the same thing.”
The Ducks have what head coach Kelly Graves called a “huge advantage” by being able to take a bus to Portland rather than travel by plane.  
A win would mean a third straight Elite Eight appearance for the Ducks and a matchup against another familiar opponent — either the Pac-12’s Arizona State or No. 1-seed Mississippi State.
“I think it’s happened in the Final Four because those teams all play each other but in the regional round I think it’s unusual because we’re all from different areas as well,” Kelly Graves said. “We’re familiar with each other, I don’t know if that hurts or helps either side.”
First, of course, the Ducks will have to get through South Dakota State on Friday night at the Moda Center. The Ducks beat the Jackrabbits 87-79 in South Dakota on Dec. 12.
Oregon will face a challenge from a sharp-shooting South Dakota State team, which is on an 18-game win streak going into Friday’s game. The Jackrabbits shot 48.1 percent this season and 37.4 percent from 3-point range. In the December meeting, South Dakota State’s Madison Guebert shot 6-of-9 from behind the arc as she and Myah Selland each scored 21 points. 
“They are well skilled, well schooled in what they do and they play their style and they make you guard it. It’s difficult,” Graves said. “They can put five players out on the court that can all score. They can all handle it, they can all pass it, so it’s a unique challenge to say the least.”
Oregon won’t feel as comfortable as it did during its wins in the first two rounds. It’s been a while since the two teams met and the Ducks feel that they’re different this time around.
The Ducks have some pressure on their shoulders as favorites in the game and as one of the favorites to make it into the Final Four.
“I hope we don’t play with feeling kind of pressure,” Graves said. “We’ve made it to that Elite Eight twice and I know there is expectations externally to go further and we obviously want to go further and feel like we can. We’re only worried about Friday night’s game and that’ll take care of itself.” 
Ionescu, who is coming off her 18^th career triple-double in last Sunday’s second-round win over Indiana, is confident that she and the Ducks can clear that Elite Eight hurdle if they get the chance on Sunday.
“I think it’s in the back of our minds, we’re knocking on the door,” Ionescu said. “I think we’re right where we want to be and I think it’s going to be a great weekend.”
Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow