I can’t believe I’m saying this, but here it goes: Watch out, Pacific-10 Conference Tournament participants, here comes Oregon.
The women’s tournament begins Friday in San Jose, Calif., and the Ducks appear as if they could make some noise.
With wins over then-No. 10 Stanford and California to close out the regular season last week, Oregon has transformed itself from dead money to a potential sleeper.
I’m not saying the Ducks are going to win the tournament. I’m just saying they could make life difficult for others.
No. 8 Oregon faces No. 9 California on Friday. It’s a matchup that favors Oregon after the Ducks figured out a formula for success in Saturday’s 77-62 win against the Golden Bears.
California is one of two teams in the Pac-10 that Oregon was able to dominate inside sans Cathrine Kraayeveld. The Ducks repeatedly pounded the ball inside to Andrea Bills, who dropped in a career-high 22 points on 9 of 14 shooting.
Defensively, Oregon switched to a zone in the second half, forcing California — the worst three-point shooting team in the Pac-10 — to take outside shots. The Golden Bears struggled, shooting 38 percent from the floor, and never settled into a rhythm.
If Oregon can get past California, it’s on to face No. 1 Stanford in what equates to a home game for the Cardinal. While San Jose is also close to Berkeley, the Golden Bears’ home record (9-7) isn’t nearly as daunting as that of the Cardinal (14-1).
Not only would Oregon have to face Stanford on its turf, the Cardinal will be out for revenge. A 67-66 loss to the Ducks last week cost Stanford a shot at having sole possession of the 2003-04 Pac-10 title as the Cardinal settled for a split championship with Arizona.
Even though it seems Oregon’s chances would be slim to none in a potential second-round matchup with Stanford, a Duck victory isn’t that far-fetched.
As Oregon showed in last week’s upset of mighty Stanford, the key to beating the Cardinal is shutting down senior All-American forward Nicole Powell.
Taking Powell out of her game is easier said than done, but Oregon forward Kedzie Gunderson did a phenomenal job Feb. 26.
Gunderson’s not the quickest or strongest defender, but what she lacks in physical tools she makes up for in mental muscle.
The 6-foot junior found a way to get inside Powell’s head by using veteran defensive tactics. Along with a quality overall defensive effort, Gunderson pulled, bumped and pushed on Powell when she got the chance, frustrating the National Player of the Year candidate.
When it came down to crunch time, Powell — who was held without a field goal in the first half — was complaining to officials instead of focusing on the game.
If Gunderson can rattle Powell for a second time, anything is possible.
If Oregon somehow advances to the semi-final round, it would face the winner of the game between No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Arizona State. The Ducks have beaten the Bruins once and should have beaten the Sun Devils in a meeting at McArthur Court on Jan 24.
From there it’s on to the championship game and a likely date with No. 2 Arizona. The Ducks were a couple of made free throws away from upsetting the Wildcats on Jan. 22.
Is a Pac-10 Tournament championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament likely for the Ducks?
No.
But they can certainly make life difficult for others.