Women’s NCAA Tournament: Oregon Ducks Hold Court vs Portland State
The 2 seed Oregon Ducks will host 15 Seed Portland State, along with 7 seed Texas and 10 seed Indiana.
According to Head Coach Kelly Graves, the Oregon Ducks are looking to get their mojo back in the NCAA Tournament. Oregon lost in the Pac-12 Tournament nearly two weeks ago against the Stanford Cardinal. The team has had a chance to rest after a three-day gauntlet and to prepare for a homecoming of sorts that could take them all the way to the Elite 8.
Oregon opens the 2019 Women’s NCAA Tournament as a 2 seed in the Portland Regional. They host Portland State on Friday night. The Vikings are the 15 seed and playing in just their second ever NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season at 25-7. PSU set a Big Sky Conference record with 25 wins this season and have some momentum with the Conference Defensive Player of the Year Courtney West.
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The Oregon Ducks are riding momentum of their
own finishing the regular season with just four losses and a 16-2 mark in the Pac-12 Conference. The Ducks and Vikings have faced each other in recent years but did not play each other this season.
Kelly Graves, fresh off a new extension has an Offense putting up over 85 points per game, good enough for third in the NCAA entering the NCAA Tournament. Sabrina Ionescu is primed to break out in the postseason. She currently holds the mark for triple-doubles for both the Men’s and Women’s game at 17. She could put on a show on Friday night against Portland State.
For the Oregon Ducks, injuries hit late in the season. Ruthy Hebard missed limited time with a knee injury but returned. Taylor Chavez missed all three games of the Pac-12 Tournament with a foot injury. Graves said earlier this week that he expects Chavez to play but is not sure when she will see the floor in the NCAA Tournament.
Up first on Friday, Indiana and Texas open the NCAA Tournament at 4 pm Pacific Time. Ionescu, Hebard and the Oregon Ducks host Portland State Friday night at 6 pm at Matthew Knight Arena. (The Ducks and Pilots will play 30 minutes after the conclusion of Texas and Indiana if Game 1 runs long.)