There’s no Pac-12 team the Ducks have seen more in the last two years than Washington State.
WSU has eliminated the Ducks from the Pac-12 tournament each of the past two years and the Cougars have won four of the last six meetings.
Freshman Borislava Hristova leads the Cougars with 16.6 points per game, and no other WSU player averages in double-digits. Both Oregon and Washington State have near similar rebounding averages, but the Ducks shoot 47.5 percent from the field and WSU shoots 39.8 percent.
The Ducks will play WSU for the only time this regular season tonight (8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
Jillian Alleyne — who had 18 points and 10 rebounds in Oregon’s win over Arizona on Sunday — talked with reporters before Thursday afternoon’s practice.
Are you glad that Washington State’s star duo is finally gone? And what is the new team like?
Their new team is really good. They run a different kind of defense that we’ve been working on. I think they just kind of matchup to whoever they’re next to. I think we have an advantage inside as well as outside, so I’m really excited to play against them. It’s my last time against WSU, so we’re looking for the win.
You guys have established kind of a rivalry against them, with the Cougars knocking you out of the last two Pac-12 Tournaments. What would a win mean to your personally?
Personally, WSU has just been a school that I want to beat every year. They’re just one of those teams — what’s the word? They’re just the kind of team you want to beat every year. They’re always in you. They give you their best and you have to play your best. If this is the last time I play them, I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’ll be a great game, but I’m sure we’ll see them down the road. Excited for it.
As a senior, what did you make of last Sunday’s game and sort of everything that went on last weekend?
Sunday’s game was phenomenal. I think every player stepped up in every way. We had players who don’t normally play as many minutes come in and have a load of minutes, and were able to produce offensive and defensively. I think that got us really going after that deficit in the beginning of the first quarter. Washington and WSU will be teams we can beat if we have that same tenacity and that same performance.
Has that momentum and tenacity been a huge lift for you guys recently? 
With the loss of Liz Brenner’s dad and the things that have happened this last weekend, it’s kind of given us strength and kind of like an extra push in the right direction. And right now we’re on the right track and trying to stay there.
Is Kat Cooper kind of the X-factor for you guys?
Kat contributes a lot, both on and off the court. I think her — as well as the help of Mar’Shay, Lauren — we have players who can come in and are a threat and have to be guarded. She helps us a lot, but it’s definitely a team effort.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne