The Oregon Ducks will again face similarities to last season as they face Central Michigan in the Sweet 16.
Last season the Oregon Ducks were playing with nothing to lose making it to the Elite 8 and losing to Connecticut. This season, the team has taken that experience to help push them even further. Sophomore Sabrina Ionescu secured her tenth career triple-double in the Ducks win over Seattle last weekend at Matthew Knight Arena. She nearly had a double-double against Minnesota.
Teamwork has been a guiding principle for the Oregon Ducks since Kelly Graves arrived in Eugene. For every assist and consecutive shot made, the playmaker points back to the player that started the play – a move that is also seen in other high profile programs across the country, including Connecticut.
The Oregon Ducks have taken care of a 15 seed and a 10 seed and meet an 11 seed in Central Michigan on Saturday in Spokane. The Chippewas dispatched 5 seed Ohio State last weekend and are playing with house money and nothing to lose entering the Sweet 16. Central Michigan can also shoot three-pointers well.
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Against the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend Central Michigan shot as many free throws as three-point shots. 27. Over half went in. They shot 51 percent from beyond the arc. The Chippewas have four losses on the season and their bench is not nearly as deep as Oregon. Against OSU, their bench put up ten points.
The Oregon Ducks have prided themselves on playing solid three-point defense all season. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament vs Seattle, the Ducks allowed a single three-pointer late in the game.
In meeting with the team on Wednesday before they left for Spokane I will admit I have never seen a more relaxed group. Sabrina Ionescu finished speaking with the media as teammates were calling for her to start practice.
Central Michigan and Oregon meet with the Elite 8 on the line Saturday at 3 pm Pacific Time on ESPN.