As the Arizona schools prepare to play Oregon in the quake-riddled Northwest, perhaps they should be the ones shaking in their boots.
With three games remaining and its RPI rating at 67, the Oregon women’s basketball team would love nothing more than to knock off ASU and Arizona, two schools which respectively sit in and near first place in the Pacific-10 Conference.
“We want to be the giant killers this year,” senior forward Angelina Wolvert said. “We’re obviously not going to win a Pac-10 title, and our chances to go into the tournament are getting slimmer — actually, they’re probably not there anymore — but we want to be the giant killers this year now and go out and cause problems for people at the top.”
That team on top is Arizona State, whom the Ducks face at 7 p.m. today at McArthur Court.
When Oregon traveled to the desert to take on the Wildcats and Sun Devils early in February, the games’ circumstances were different. The Ducks, ranked No. 22, held the Pac-10 lead, and appeared on their way to an eighth-straight NCAA postseason. Meanwhile, both the Arizona schools were unranked.
The tables turned, however, when Oregon lost both games.
Now, the Ducks are unranked, and — with a touch of irony — Arizona State is ranked No. 22, holds the conference lead and is heading to the Big Dance.
“They’re a tremendous challenge for us and I think our kids feel confident about how we played them last time,” Oregon head coach Jody Runge said. “We just need to put our best foot forward. I think if we play the way we played against USC and Washington, we have a great shot at it. Hopefully the home court advantage will help us out.”
Arizona State is led by a pair of junior transfers. Guard Amanda Levens is averaging 15 points a game, while center Melody Johnson averages 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per outing.
Last Saturday, the Sun Devils beat Arizona in Tucson. Levens was everywhere in that game, logging 14 points, 6 boards, four assists and two steals. Arizona State hadn’t won in Tucson since 1993.
The Ducks are also fresh from a long-awaited victory. Oregon ousted Southern California last Sunday, but only after losing to lowly UCLA two days prior. The loss to the Bruins all but ruined any chance the Ducks have of going to the NCAA Tournament.
Earlier this week, Oregon players expressed mixed views of whether or not they’d want to play in the WNIT. So, with the NCAA tourney and the WNIT possibly out of the question, the Ducks may be lacking motivation against the Arizona schools, right?
Wrong, said senior center Jenny Mowe.
“It’s our last three games for me as a senior, as far as being in the Oregon Duck uniform, and I think there’s excitement in just that,” Mowe said. “That it is the last three games in front of our home crowd. We’re definitely not going to host anything.”
And while the Ducks may not be favored statistically to win Thursday’s game, Runge said the Ducks might be better off with their newfound giant-killer mentality.
“Quite frankly, they really like that role, so that’s a good role for them to be in,” Runge said. “I think they have struggled with being the giant, and I think that’s been a tremendous challenge for them, being wounded and not having everyone healthy.
“It’s a role that they like, so hopefully it’s a role that will have a positive effect on them.”