DURHAM, N.C. — Had the ball bounced a few times in a more favorable way, a knee hadn’t buckled, or a couple more shots fallen down the stretch, perhaps history would have repeated itself at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
The Oregon Ducks would have advanced to the Sweet 16 as a 10-seed out of Durham for the second time since Sabrina Ionescu and company did it in 2017. But in reality, they suffered a 59-53 loss to Duke that marked one more step for Kara Lawson’s Blue Devil program on its ascent to contention.
Oregon’s remarkable turnaround season, after two consecutive years missing the tournament, is over. But it doesn’t appear the Ducks will go gentle into that good night.
“I think we’re in a good place,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “We gave it everything we had. I think we emptied the tank this year, and I think we’re in a good spot. We’ve got a great returning group, and we’re going to miss these seniors, but I think we’ve got the program in a really good place right now. I can’t wait for the future. It’s going to be fun.”
With his colleague, 66-year-old Oregon men’s coach Dana Altman, brushing off the idea of retirement, the 62-year-old Graves has described himself and his program as re-energized after weathering two down years that included 14 straight losses to end 2023-24.
Each NCAA Tournament appearance is more exposure, and the Ducks were able to form a clear identity around defense, discipline and togetherness in their first Big Ten season, going 20-12.
“At the start of the year, you always look maybe best case what you think your team can do,” Graves said. “And at the start of the year, I thought if we play really well at the right time, this is a team capable of getting to the second weekend, and we almost got there. We just came up a little short today.”
Graves’ willingness to attack the transfer portal and recruiting trail with renewed vigor paid off, as Deja Kelly helped lead the new-look Ducks back to the postseason in her final year of eligibility. Elisa Mevius emerged as a major two-way contributor before her injury. Role players like Nani Falatea and Amina Muhammad found their niche. And freshman Katie Fiso developed into a reliable rotation piece by tournament time.
Kelly, with a robust NIL portfolio, is proof of the program’s willingness to invest. What that will look like for Oregon as the college sports landscape continues to rapidly evolve remains to be seen, but Graves seems determined to seek more high-level talent in the portal this offseason.
Kelly’s success and admiration for her time in Eugene can help Oregon sell the vision, too.
“This has been truly one of the best years of my career,” Kelly said. “I could not be more thankful for this group, for the staff, for the program, not only for welcoming me with open arms, but KG said I re-energized the program, they re-energized me.
“That’s one of the main things I was looking for in my last year, and like I said in multiple press interviews, I just wanted to get back to having fun playing the game again, playing with joy. The minute I stepped on campus, that’s what it was.”
The heart of this year’s team stood out to Graves, too, who has experienced swings in both talent and experience many times over in nearly four decades of coaching. That certainly helped pull the veteran coach out of a funk, and could set up a bright future.
“I’m really grateful to the whole team,” Graves said. “This was as professional and fun a group as I’ve ever coached, and this is my 38th year of coaching. I really, really have enjoyed these guys. We’ve had no drama. That’s crazy. Because it’s life; when you’re with this many people this much, sometimes you get that. It’s been just an absolute pleasure, a joy to be with them each and every day.”
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
