Kelly Graves doesn’t beat around the bush.
He understands this weekend’s games at Utah and Colorado are crucial for his team’s chances of earning a WNIT berth and setting itself up for an improved Pac-12 tournament seed.
The Ducks (12-13, 5-9 Pac-12) will play two of the three teams below them in the Pac-12 standings this weekend in Utah (tied 11th) and Colorado (10th).
“This is a big weekend,” Graves said after practice Wednesday. “In a lot of ways, this weekend might define the rest of the season, certainly. But will define our season in a lot of ways. If we can somehow get two this weekend, then we’ve got potential to play in a postseason tournament somewhere.”
The Ducks tipoff against Utah (8-17, 2-12) tonight at the Huntsman Center, 6 p.m. The game will be available via live stream.
Oregon is coming off a split to the Arizona schools, taking down Arizona last Friday and losing to No. 12 Arizona State on Sunday.
The Ducks hung with the Sun Devils for a stretch of the second half, pulling to within seven points with 12:36 remaining, but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Though Graves has repeatedly said he doesn’t believe in moral victories, forward Jillian Alleyne said the team has used the game to improve.
“I think that shows a lot of growth for us as a team,” Alleyne said. “To be able to stick with the No. 12 team in the nation is a big deal. We can definitely build on that.”
Utah is 8-6 at home this season, but has not yet won on the road, posting an 0-11 record. The Utes’ two Pac-12 wins are over Arizona (62-48) and Washington (69-61).
“Utah and Colorado have gotten a lot better in the past couple of games,” Alleyne said. “I think it’s games we can compete in. It could go either way. … There’s a lot riding on the line. These games are definitely important.”
Taryn Wicijowski leads Utah in points (15.2 per game) and rebounds (9.3). She has seven double-doubles this season and posted 20 points in Utah’s 61-52 loss to Washington State last time out.
Tanaeya Boclair (9.5 points per game) and Danielle Rodriguez (8.5) rank second and third in team scoring per game.
Oregon’s Katelyn Loper is five three-pointers away from tying Chelsea Wagner for eighth in UO career three-pointers.
There are four regular season games remaining before the Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle, and this weekend is the final Pac-12 regular season road trip for the seniors.
“I’ve always always wanted to make this year memorable for Katelyn [Loper], Megan [Carpenter] and Amanda [Delgado],” Alleyne said. “They of all people have been through the most, especially being seniors with the new coach. … It’s really all about them this year.”
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