No. 2 Oregon acrobatics and tumbling (5-1) will close its regular season on April 5 with the matchup that has defined its existence. The Ducks travel to Waco, TX to face No. 1 Baylor (8-0) for a rematch of their second meet of the season. Then, Oregon lost at home after trailing by less than two points after five events. Now, it hasn’t lost in four-straight meets and looks to shock the NCATA with an upset of the program that hasn’t dropped a meet in four years.
Here’s what to know before the Ducks and Bears face off on Saturday.
A free shot?
Oregon will likely have to go through Baylor to win a national title. This meet, though, is almost a free shot at the reigning champs. The Ducks don’t have much to lose: a loss in Waco would still mean they hold onto the second-overall spot in the NCATA Championship Rankings and face the seventh seed in the first round of the postseason. Yes, their winning streak would be snapped, but it has little reflection on their standing.
A win, meanwhile, could mean everything. Oregon hasn’t beaten Baylor since 2021, and the Bears haven’t lost a meet since then. Victory would go a long way towards making the nine-time reigning champions look fallible — and they haven’t looked it often, if ever. The Ducks would have a shot at the first-overall seed and, while they’d probably have to beat the Bears again for a national championship, would know that they could. It’s almost a free swing at the champ — and those don’t come often in sports.
Extreme execution
Since its loss to the Bears on February 22, Oregon has struggled to put together complete meets. It suffered a shaky first half against No. 11 Gannon on March 7, took its foot off the gas and didn’t post a season-high in any of the second-half events against No. 7 Mary Hardin-Baylor on March 14 and had to pull out a team-event win on the road over No. 3 Quinnipiac on March 23. It looked strong against No. 6 Iona on March 28, but the Gaels didn’t pose much of a challenge as the Ducks won by 13.260 points.
Oregon hasn’t put together a complete performance when the pressure is on since that Baylor meet. Now, it has to happen again. It’s been acro and pyramid that fuel a win one week, and tumbling and team the next. It won’t fly against the country’s best team, and the Ducks will struggle to win if they underperform in even one of the events.
Extreme execution — season-average or higher scores in nearly all of their heats — will be key.
Mentality
“I think that we let a little bit of the nerves get to us, just at the end. It was neck and neck,” Oregon head coach Taylor Susnara said after Oregon lost to Baylor earlier this season.
It can’t happen again. Susnara preaches mental fortitude and a “0-0 mentality” — which means that every heat has to be competed with no regard for any lead or deficit.
The Ducks failed against Baylor. They made mistakes in the final event, and couldn’t overcome a slim deficit when the opportunity was there.
Odds are, Oregon will be in that situation again on Saturday, with a chance to write a different ending. That’s what the Ducks can get out of this meet: a check on where they stand in high-pressure situations before they head to the postseason.
Event to watch
This meet could be the one to say “every event.” This is the highest level of competition in the NCATA, year after year. The bar is higher than in any other meet. You should watch every event.
It will, though, come down to the team event. It always does. Watch for the slightest mistakes — check the corners of the mat for step-offs on tumbling passes and look at the formations in the back of the mat for stability. Every tenth matters.
Around the NCATA
The NCATA released its second set of Championship Rankings on April 2. None of the teams shifted from the previous set. The top eight programs qualify for the National Championships. Here’s how they stand before the Ducks and Bears meet.
- Baylor
- Oregon
- Quinnipiac
- Augustana
- Fairmont State
- Iona
- UMHB
- Limestone
- Azusa Pacific
- Saint Leo
- Gannon
- Duquesne
- Glenville State
- Coker
- Lander
Here’s the NCATA Championships bracket, as it stands now:
QUARTERFINALS:
- Baylor vs. 8. Limestone
- Oregon vs. 7. UMHB
- Quinnipiac vs. 6. Iona
- Augustana vs. 5. Fairmont State
SEMIFINALS:
Winner of 1/8 vs. 4/5
Winner of 2/7 vs. 3/6
