BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Oregon’s Sweet 16 practice on Webster Bank Arena’s court is in the books.
The Ducks were the second of four teams to practice in the lead up to the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance.
Oregon meets No. 3-seeded Maryland on Saturday morning (8:36 a.m. PT, ESPN) in what will be the second meeting between the two programs. Oregon defeated Maryland in 1983, 76-70.
The Oregon Ducks practice at Webster Bank Arena on March 24, 2017. (Eric Evans/Oregon Athletics)
Here are a few notes from the media availabilities:
Duck men and women experiencing success
Oregon on Friday talked about how both men’s and women’s basketball have experienced NCAA Tournament success this season.
The Ducks watched the men’s team take down Michigan on Friday night in dramatic fashion after they had a shootaround.
“I think there’s really good synergy between the two programs,” Graves said.
Added Sabrina Ionescu: “The men’s team, they’ve been great to us as well. We get tweets after every game — congratulations — and that kind of goes both ways. We congratulate them as well. We see them every day in the training room and on the court.”
USA Basketball on the horizon
Before the Ducks touched down on the East Coast on Thursday, USA Basketball announced that Oregon will field a 3×3 team as part of a pilot program for the national tournament on April 8-9 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Ducks are one of seven Pac-12 teams expected to compete. Oregon has entered Lexi Bando, Oti Gildon, Ruthy Hebard and Ionescu. Graves joked that Ionescu will likely be the trio’s coach.
“Hey, sign me up,” Graves said of fielding a team. “Any chance they have to play more basketball and compete, I think the better.”
Pack in the UConn fans
Maryland fans are furious that UConn fans from nearby Storrs, Connecticut, bought up the Bridgeport Regional before the NCAA Tournament bracket was released, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
“But when teams work so hard all season to only have 100 tickets available is disappointing,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “It’s disappointing for our fans that can drive the distance. … I hope the article brings awareness to the NCAA in terms of, you know, allowing some sort of fairness and equity across the board.”
UConn’s Katie Lou Samuelson talks Ionescu
Both Ionescu and Maryland guard Destiny Slocum were highly ranked recruits in the 2016 espnW class. On Saturday, they will square off against each other. Ionescu (No. 4 overall) and Slocum (No. 7 overall) have both garnered national attention during their debut seasons.
UConn star Katie Lou Samuelson played with Ionescu and has seen Slocum at USA Basketball tryouts.
She had kind words for Ionescu before the Huskies practiced.
“One of the things, she’s really passionate about the game and what she does on the court,” said Samuelson, who grew up in Southern California. “Watching her and seeing what she’s been able to do — she kind of did that in high school. She’s just picked it right up from there.”
Frese said both Ionescu and Slocum are fearless on the court.
“They’re confident,” Frese said. “The biggest compliment I can give them both is that they don’t play like freshmen.”
Full Oregon press conferences
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
Find all of the Emerald’s coverage leading up to the Sweet 16 here.
