Written by Maddie Lang

The Oregon Ducks Women’s Basketball team takes on the University of Utah Utes this Sunday afternoon. The Ducks are coming back from a loss Friday night against the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Oregon is currently sitting at number eight in the PAC-12 while the Utes are number two in the conference and number seven in the nation. This will be the first and only regular season matchup for these two teams. 

Oregon’s Offense 

Oregon has lost five of its last seven games. Their most recent loss against the Buffalo was their lowest scoring game all season with just 53 points. The Ducks were unfortunate enough to go the whole game without a three-point basket. Oregon is going up against one of the top teams in the nation, and a performance like this won’t pull off the win. They will need players like Endiya Rogers and Te-Hina Paopao to step up and put up some big numbers in order to upset the Utes. In the past Rogers has lead the team in 3-point shooting and a lights out performance by her might be what the Ducks need to end up on top.

Oregon’s Defense

The Ducks defense has been performing very well in their past few matchups. They’ve held their past two opponents, one of them being Stanford, the number three team in the nation, under 65 points. However, Utah has the top scoring percentage in the division, so it will be no easy task for the Ducks. We’ll need to see big defensive plays from players like Pao Pao and Rogers, who lead the team in defensive steals. One of the biggest battles will be rebounding the ball. Both teams have similar rebounding performances, so fighting for those second chance balls is going to be key for the Ducks in slowing down Utah’s offense. 

Utah

Utah is coming off a close, nail-biting win against the Oregon State Beavers in overtime on Friday night. Alissa Pili, a 6-2 forward, had the team’s high of 23 points in that game. Along with Pili, Oregon is going to have to look out for Gianna Kneepkens who has also been putting up large numbers for the Utes in their past few games. Both Pili and Kneepkens have been essential to Utah’s success this season. If Oregon can find a way to shut down these two players, they will have a greater chance of leaving this weekend with a win.

Prediction

While Oregon is clearly the underdog in this matchup, I think they will put up a good fight. Their high intensity defense will cause the Utes to have to fight even harder on offense. I think we’ll see a big performance from either Te-Hina Paopao or Endiya Rogers as both players have been rather quiet in their past few games. While I do think the Ducks will put up a fight, I think Utah will eventually end up on top 71-65. Tip off for this PAC-12 matchup is at 2:00 PM PST in Matthew Knight Arena.