Oregon Women’s Basketball: Ducks Get Respect In Preseason Coaches Poll

The Oregon Women’s Basketball team made a big leap last season and the Pac-12 Conference has taken notice of what Kelly Graves has done.

Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard enter their second season with Oregon Both are coming off a stellar 2016-17 that saw the Ducks work their way through the NCAA Tournament, but get shutdown by Connecticut. That is a game that everyone should remember, but the loss will fuel this team to get back there again this season.

On Wednesday, the Preseason Coaches Poll was released at Pac-12 Media Day and Oregon comes in second, tied with Stanford and just behind front runner UCLA. The Ducks have all their firepower returning with all five starters after last season’s Elite 8 run in the NCAA Tournament.

Lexi Bando, who seems like she has been with Oregon forever, is a Senior and will look to lead the Ducks through a challenging schedule, including some early season tournaments against Top 25 opponents before heading into Pac-12 play at the end of December.

The favorite in the Conference over the last 15 seasons, Oregon State, has dropped behind Oregon to 4th. It is the first time Oregon has been 2nd or higher since the 2000 season. The Ducks bring talent and a fast pace along with a good schedule for the upcoming season.

The Pac-12 season begins on December 29th with Washington State. The Non-Conference slate begins with an appearance in the Preseason WNIT at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon will play two homes games followed by two games on the road.

Next: Oregon Football Practice: Key Offensive Players Return

The season begins with the Cal State Northridge Matadors on Friday, November 10th (5pm PT)