Oregon Ducks Women’s Basketball: A Quick Look Before Conference Play

At this point last season the Ducks were 10-4 and lost to the only ranked team they faced, Baylor (ranked #13 at the end of the season). We’re all familiar with the collapse that happened during conference play and the exodus of two of their three top players.

As a team, Oregon shot 39.2% (29.4% from distance) and 67.8% from the line. They averaged 38.4 rebounds per game and 59.8 points per game.

Last year’s leading scorers were Grace VanSlooten (15.0 PPG), Chance Gray (13.9 PPG), and Philipina Kyei (12.6 PPG). They were the team’s only scorers averaging in double digits, and the dropoff from there was stark.

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This season, the Ducks are 9-3. Two of their three losses are to ranked teams: #15 Georgia Tech and #7 USC. They have a win over #18 Baylor (ranked #12 at the time, but still a good win).

As a team, Oregon is shooting 45.8% (29.1% from distance) and 66.5% from the line. They average 38.7 rebounds per game and 73.8 points per game.

The leading scorers (and the only ones averaging double digits) are Peyton Scott with 11.0 PPG, and Deja Kelly with 10.5 PPG. The difference as it stands now is that there is wide support from other starters and the bench, with eight players averaging 4.9 to 9.2 PPG.

We have some promising trends, but play gets far more challenging in the B1G. Oregon will face seven top-25 teams, which is about the same number that they faced in their last season with the Pac-12. The Ducks are currently ranked #37 and are in the bottom ¹⁄₃ of the conference. A month from now we’ll have a better feel for how Oregon is stacking up against the rest of the Big Ten.