Amina Muhammad took the pass in the post midway through the third quarter, firmly grabbing the ball with both hands. She swung her arms one way, then another, until she found the positioning she wanted.

It was then that Oregon’s breakout forward rose for another layup against an overmatched defender.

A program taking a monumental step forward this season is only getting better with Muhammad, a top interior presence excelling at all levels of the game. 

With 2024 all-conference center Phillipina Kyei missing time, or being hindered by an injury, Muhammad has elevated her game as the season progresses. Muhammad has added a stabilizing force in the middle for a Ducks’ team (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) in need of a stopper of the conference’s talented front-court players. 

“I mean, I gotta do what I gotta do for the team,” Muhammad said in the preseason of her stepping in with Kyei’s projected absence. 

Transferring to head coach Kelly Graves’ Ducks in the offseason, Muhammad has elevated her game in Eugene, averaging two points per game more than last season and seeing a six-point increase in her field-goal percentage. 

It hasn’t just been her offense. Muhammad is extremely noticeable on the defensive end as well, using her long reach to get into passing lanes and lauded toughness as a formidable presence in the paint. 

“She’s just really solidified herself as someone that’s going to play a lot,” Graves said of Muhammad before the season. 

In that increased playing time — she’s averaging a career-high in minutes played — Muhammad is on pace to set new personal bests in steal-to-turnover ratio, scoring efficiency and steals. 

There’s been more to celebrate in Eugene than just Muhammad’s recent performance, with the Ducks’ 12 wins already besting last year’s total while touting an impressive 10-1 record on home court. 

But the 6-foot-4 forward’s emergence has certainly been one of this season’s most pleasant surprises.