On the surface, the Oregon Ducks are merely an average Pacific-10 Conference women’s basketball team. For the most part, they have beat the teams they were supposed to beat, and lost to the teams they were supposed to lose to.
Struggling with the adjustment of a new coaching staff and the loss of four starters, Oregon’s preseason was marred with inconsistencies. Head coach Bev Smith lost her debut, a 75-57 defeat to Wisconsin-Green Bay at McArthur Court. Three days later on Nov. 20, the Ducks fell to the Portland Pilots for just the second time in the rivalry’s 17-year history.
Oregon rebounded and entered Pac-10 play with a winning record at 5-4. Six weeks later, the Ducks are now 12-8 overall and a 7-4 conference mark has them in the hunt for a strong seed in the inaugural conference tournament.
An embarrassing loss to Oregon State 10 days ago set the Ducks up for big wins against Southern California and UCLA last weekend, putting Oregon in a four-way tie for second place in the conference. One of those sharing the second spot is Arizona State, which Oregon will play on Thursday in Tempe.
The Ducks should take solace in the fact that as Pac-10 play has picked up, so has their game. And with seven games remaining in the regular season, Oregon must prove it’s fit for a ninth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Overall — Grade: B-
Time has been the Ducks’ best remedy this season as they’re finally starting to play like a team.
“I think we’re doing really well,” senior guard Edniesha Curry said. “Our chemistry is coming together, we’re starting to find our rhythm on offense, and we’re really starting to click.”
Smith said the team has a “new look” from its early season woes.
“Offensively and defensively, we have some chemistry, we have understanding of how we need to play in certain situations, and we have a flow,” she said. “We’ve improved in areas that, in the beginning, people thought we weren’t very strong.”
Continued improvement could make Oregon a dangerous team down the stretch, especially with home-court advantage in the Pac-10 Tournament.
Offense — Grade: B+
Rebound. Push the ball. Score.
It sounds simple, but hasn’t always been for the Ducks this season.
Entering the season without a true inside presence was a clear weakness as opponents concentrated their defense on Oregon’s talented backcourt. Still, the backcourt tandem of Shaquala Williams and Curry have paced the Ducks this season, averaging a combined 29 points per game.
And the recent emergence of post players Cathrine Kraayeveld and Andrea Bills has given the Ducks more options and the guards more open looks.
Defense — Grade: C+
It’s all about Eddie, the Energizer bunny.
Typically, fans only rise to their feet after a sweet behind-the-back pass or a deep three at the buzzer. But not at McArthur Court. Curry, a speedy 5-foot-6 guard, gets the crowd going with her uncanny defensive prowess, harassing opposing point guards and forcing turnovers.
Rebounding, the biggest question mark at the beginning of the season, “has certainly come a long, long way,” Smith said. The Ducks, in fact, are even with their opponents in rebounding margin.
While the defense has been a sticking point all year, it may be doing the most improving — and continues to do so. By the end of the season, this could be the team’s best asset.
The guards — Grade: B
On pure potential, Oregon’s starting backcourt is probably the best in the Pac-10.
Since Pac-10 play began, Williams leads the league with 18.4 points per game and has showed the same form that made her the 2000 Pac-10 Player of the Year.
And Curry’s quickness and floor leadership has added another dimension to the Oregon attack — on both ends of the court.
Simply put, if the Ducks need a bucket, Curry and Williams are eager to take control and are capable of scoring on anyone.
Senior sharpshooter Jamie Craighead has struggled in Oregon’s new up-tempo game, but has found her long-range shot of late.
The posts — Grade: B-
The Ducks’ inside game, by far, has been the biggest surprise of
the season.
Replacing 6-foot-5 Jenny Mowe and 6-foot-3 Angelina Wolvert, both WNBA draft picks, was no easy task.
Seniors Alyssa Fredrick and Ndidi Unaka opened the season as the starters in the paint, but have since moved to the bench.
In the last month, sophomore Kraayeveld and freshman Bills have taken over the starting roles — and they’ve both given Academy Award-winning presentations of late.
Since jumping into the starting lineup on Dec. 29, Kraayeveld has averaged 10.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and her 1.82 blocks a game leads the Pac-10.
Bills is averaging 8.3 points and 5.8 rebounds during conference play.
“They’ve been a huge help in the Pac-10s,” Curry said. “Having an inside presence opens it up more for our guards with dribble penetration and three-point shots.”
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