Just got back from the game. I realize that 8,900 or so in attendance is not a big number to some, but the atmosphere was electric and, over the past three years, Oregon has moved from averaging somewhere around 2500 fans to slightly over 4000 to, so far this year, nearly a couple thousand more than that. I think that a makes the Oregon schools the best drawing teams in the Pac 12.
This team was a lot closer to the team many Oregon fans expected to see this year: Cazorla was at her best and Hebard was a warrior throughout. Last year, Oregon got killed on the boards; this year they actually out-rebounded MST by a couple. And, if Ionescu couldn't buy a bucket, she did her job--James Harden like--at the free throw line. To me, the key to the win was the play of Gildon and the freshman Chavez. To my eyes, they made a major difference defensively and kudos to Graves for leaving Boley and Sabally on the bench when he obviously had the option of putting them back in the game throughout the fourth quarter. Hoopgulz seems to have really missed the boat on Chavez, who surely seems much much better than a ranking in the 60s. She's quick, smart (for a freshman), and fearless. Graves said he recruited her because he saw her go toe-to-toe with Ionescu (and hold her own) in (I imagine) AAU play. In any case, she's a keeper.