No. 9 OREGON DUCKS (13-16, 4-14 Pac-10)
Coach: Paul Westhead (second year)
Key wins: at California (Feb. 24)
Key losses: at Oregon State (Feb. 19); at Washington (Feb. 3)
Points per game: 75.9 (second in Pac-10)
Points allowed per game: 76.7 (last in Pac-10)
Leading scorer: Nia Jackson, 17.0 points per game (played in 21 games)
Leading rebounder: Amanda Johnson, 8.2 per game (fourth in Pac-10)
Leader in assists: Jackson, 5.7 per game
Leader in steals: Jackson, 2.6 per game
Last season: Finished tied for sixth in Pac-10; quarterfinal Pac-10 Tournament loss to USC
Oregon still has not figured out a way to consistently win without point guard Nia Jackson. The Ducks have just one win in their last eight tries and face an Arizona team that beat them four days ago. Head coach Paul Westhead recalibrated his starting lineup to include three freshmen among four new starters after Jackson’s injury. Freshman point guard Ariel Thomas has become a budding star, but the team still succumbs to inconsistency in the press defense. Oregon is shooting 36.9 percent from the field this season, ninth in the Pac-10 — the Ducks must better that to keep their season alive.
 
No. 4 ARIZONA WILDCATS (19-10, 10-8 Pac-10)
Coach: Niya Butts (third year)
Key wins: vs. USC (Feb. 26); vs. Arizona State (Feb. 13)
Key losses: vs. UCLA (Feb. 24); at Arizona State (Jan. 16)
Points per game: 72.6 (third in Pac-10)
Points allowed per game: 68.0 (eighth in Pac-10)
Leading scorer: Ify Ibekwe, 16.1 points per game (leads Pac-10)
Leading rebounder: Ibekwe, 10.0 rebounds per game (leads Pac-10)
Leader in assists: Shanita Arnold, five per game (leads Pac-10)
Leader in steals: Ibekwe, 2.4 per game (third in Pac-10)
Last season: Finished eighth in the Pac-10; quarterfinal Pac-10 Tournament loss to Stanford
Senior forward Ify Ibekwe, a native of Carson, Calif., has put together a stellar final campaign this season, with a 31-point, 15-rebound exclamation point against the Ducks on Wednesday. The Wildcats’ turnaround from an eighth-place performance in the conference last season could likely be completed with a Women’s National Invitational Tournament berth. Ibekwe cannot do it alone; sophomore guard Davellyn Whyte must keep defenses honest with her outside shooting ability.