I’m sure the Oregon women’s basketball team hates Willie Nelson.
“On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again.”
Yeah, that one.
It certainly isn’t playing in the team’s headphones.
After all, the road hasn’t exactly been kind to Oregon.
It’s almost a cliché thing to say, but the key to the Ducks winning on the road is literally in their hands — more specifically, what they can keep in their hands.
The basketball.
The numbers speak for themselves.
Four losses, 85 turnovers.
One win, six turnovers.
Granted that win was against Oregon State, whose defense, according to Oregon State head coach Judy Spoelstra, wouldn’t be able to stop a quintet of sports writers of any age, skill or fitness level.
The other four losses were against UCLA, USC, Arizona and Arizona State — the four best defenses in the conference. Against Arizona State, the Ducks committed 25 turnovers, one less than their season-high of 26 against Arkansas.
But if you look at the Pacific-10 Conference statistics, the Ducks rank second behind Stanford in total turnovers this season with 278. In conjunction, the Ducks are second in the Pac-10 in average turnovers per conference game.
It’s a real feast or famine, drought or deluge situation and, unfortunately, most of the deluges happen away from Mac Court.
Aside from wearing receiving gloves or rubbing pine tar on the ball or putting photos of Mac Court in the player’s duffel bags, the Ducks need to find that “something” that reduces 25 turnovers to 15 and keeps defenders from salivating every time the ball bounces.
“Turnovers against aggressive-minded teams have been a problem for us,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “I just think that we have to be aggressive ourselves with the ball.”
But there’s a caveat. Playing aggressive also means playing smart. Aggressive doesn’t mean wild and careless. Aggressive isn’t making the spectacular pass or the impossible falling-away-one-eye-closed-shot every single time down the floor.
Aggressive defenses give the Ducks problems.
My advice? Have patience, young grasshoppers.
But also play smart, aggressive basketball.
All of which Oregon can do at home against any given team on any given night.
Which is why Thursday’s matchup against UCLA should be different for a few reasons.
Mac Court, for one.
UCLA’s sophomore guard Noelle Quinn’s absence, for another.
And then there’s Mac Court.
And well, yeah, Mac Court again.
“It just makes us feel a lot more comfortable,” Oregon senior Corrie Mizusawa said. “We always get about 4,000 fans a game, which is always a huge advantage, and it always makes it a lot more difficult for opponents to come in and play well.”
So, what gives?
Remember that certain “something”?
The Ducks have it at home, whatever it is.
Patience? Confidence?
Whatever is contained in Mac Court needs to make it onto the plane the next time the Ducks play away from home — preferably in some sort of carry-on.
So maybe instead of photos of Mac Court, the Ducks’ duffel bags should contain planks of Mac Court hardwood instead.

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