Oregon women’s basketball opens PKI against No. 8 North Carolina

Competitors takes a meteoric soar for No. 18 Oregon this weekend on the PKI, the place the Geese open in opposition to No. 8 North Carolina.

Oregon (4-0) is coming off its least spectacular outing of the season up to now, a 66-54 win over Southern Utah on Tuesday, and something resembling that efficiency received’t achieve success in opposition to the Tar Heels this afternoon (2 p.m., ESPNU) on the Chiles Middle.

“We’re going to need to play loads higher, there’s no query about it,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves mentioned. “Much more depth. These had been good tuneups I assume going into that event, however now it will get actual. Hopefully our youngsters perhaps discovered a lesson (Tuesday) evening. I as a coach did, that we’ve obtained a whole lot of work to do.

“North Carolina, I’ve seen them a few instances and so they’re actually, actually good. They’re lengthy. They’re athletic. They’ve obtained play-makers. They’ve obtained dimension. They’re actually the entire bundle. They’re a authentic prime 10 crew.”

Alyssa Ustby (15.0 factors, 8.3 rebounds) leads 5 gamers averaging in double-figures for North Carolina (4-0), which can also be coming off an uninspired efficiency in opposition to James Madison, which led at halftime.

Oregon is seeking to acquire an early prime 10 win, its first since defeating Arizona and UConn in back-to-back video games final January.

“I’m tremendous excited to see what our crew can do versus a prime 10 crew,” guard Te-Hina Paopao mentioned. “We obtained to place a complete recreation collectively and I do know we’re going to be nice.”

The Geese are constructed to run by way of Paopao and Endyia Rogers and are getting vital contributions from freshmen Grace VanSlooten and Probability Grey in addition to sophomore heart Phillipina Kyei. It’s by far the largest check but for UO’s youthful gamers.

“To show ourselves on an enormous stage goes to be nice for us,” Grey mentioned. “We’ve been taking it one recreation at a time. Now we’re right here so we’re able to go and hoop.”

No. 5 Iowa State faces Michigan State within the different half of the bracket. The winners and losers of every of at this time’s video games will play on Sunday.

“I believe we’re prepared for it,” Graves mentioned. “I believe it’s going to be good for us. It’s troublesome — as a lot as everyone thinks that it’s enjoyable to sort of blow groups out, it’s actually not. While you get rivals they need to play in opposition to the most effective and beginning on Thursday after which persevering with after that and for the subsequent month we would have the hardest one-month stretch of any crew within the nation.

“We’ve obtained our work lower out for us. I’m OK. I believe we’re going to be high-quality. I believe our freshmen will step as much as the problem and we’ve got good skilled guards which are already used to that sort of competitors.”