It has been nine years since the Oregon women’s basketball team has not made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
For eight straight seasons, the team has been a force in the Pacific-10 Conference, winning or sharing conference crowns in 1999 and 2000. Two 10-8 seasons are the worst the squad has performed since the Ducks went 3-15 in the 1992-93 season.
This year’s team, at 7-6 in Pac-10 play (12-10 overall), could be the first to miss the postseason since Elwin Heiny roamed the sidelines at McArthur Court.
However, this is not the first time Oregon has been on the bubble.
“I think (last year) we were in a better position because Stanford had losses, and we kind of expected other people to beat them,” senior forward Alyssa Fredrick said. “Now, everyone has to beat them.”
With five games remaining last season, the Ducks were 6-7 in conference play, and the team was embroiled in turmoil due to the issues surrounding former coach Jody Runge.
Bu the team pulled together and finished at 10-8 after four consecutive wins to end the regular season.
This year’s team is one game better, but unlike last season, the Pac-10 is a muddled group of teams looking for someone to throw them a bone. One game can make a world of difference, but Oregon will most likely not make the NCAA Tournament with the same record as last season.
“I don’t think 10-8 is good enough,” head coach Bev Smith said, “but whatever happens in the Pac-10 Tournament can help us, and there’s nothing we can really do about it right now. We’ve got five games left, so that’s where we go from here.”
The Ducks know the need to put on a strong performance in the last part of the season to make the field of 64.
“We have been there eight straight times and it’s kind of a big thing for us,” sophomore Cathrine Kraayeveld said. “If we didn’t make it this year it will be like, ‘Wow, we didn’t make it.’ And I think maybe that should be a focus for us. We have a streak going here, and I think we need to keep it going.”
Because of the overall equality of the Pac-10 this season, the inaugural conference tournament, scheduled for March 1-4 at Mac Court, will become hotly contested. Stanford is the immediate favorite to win it all, but on any given night, there can be an upset.
One or two wins and an impressive performance in the tournament may help the Ducks when it comes to selection time, but that is no guarantee.
“I think we have to win” the Pac-10 Tournament to get in the NCAA Tournament, senior Jamie Craighead said. “I don’t think our conference is strong enough to get us in. Maybe if we win the next five games and people drop some games and we end up in second or third, then I think we can be in. But if people do what they’re supposed to do, then I don’t know if five wins will get us in.”

All A-board
Coming into the season, the Ducks were more concerned with their inability to consistently rebound, citing that their lack of size and experience would hinder them at the post.
But in their last 10 games, Oregon has come alive underneath. And starting with their game against Oregon State on Jan. 19, the Ducks have gone five games without being outrebounded. In three of those contests, Oregon has held the advantage by at least six boards.
And against Arizona on Saturday, the Ducks held a 25-19 advantage on the offensive side of the ball.
“I think it’s just an understanding of the focus we have to have when rebounding,” Smith said. “We’ve got to work hard and work smart and convert that work into some points.”
Of concern to Smith, though, was the team’s inability to score off of the offensive board.
To make matters worse, Oregon went to the free throw line just 13 times against Arizona, something Smith attributed to a lack of aggressiveness after the rebound.
“At times, we’re just working hard, but if you’re not ready to convert those by being aggressive, then something is missing,” she said.
Senior Ndidi Unaka and freshman Andrea Bills have been on fire recently. The two have provided solid play underneath, and combined with incumbents Kraayeveld and Fredrick, are beginning to be part of Oregon’s strength.

A New Duck?
There has been a new face at practice the last couple weeks, and it is one not all that uncommon to Oregon fans.
Freshman Nicole Garbin, a star for the women’s soccer team, has been seen working out with Smith’s squad in recent weeks.
It is extremely unlikely the soccer star will be on the bench for the Ducks the rest of the season, and she may be a force for Oregon in the future.
While at Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Hawaii, the 5-foot-8 striker in soccer earned the Maui League’s basketball Player of the Year award her senior season. In addition, she is ranked as the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Garbin finished second in goals for women’s soccer this season with five.