Next up, Ducks & Beavers

University of Oregon Ducks

The Ducks had a tough non-conference schedule and won just three of their first ten games. But they are doing better in conference play — defeated UCLA, Arizona, Washington and WSU; lost to ASU and USC.

The improvement is largely due to the return of junior guard Taylor Lilley, who missed the first five games with shin problems. Lilley has not yet fully regained her three-point touch, for which she was known in her freshman and sophomore seasons, but she has worked her way back to being the Duck's second-best scorer with 12 points per game. She is also leading the team in assists (3.7 per game).

The Ducks' most productive player is junior guard Micaela Cocks. She leads the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game (#4 in the Pac-10 ) and is their best three-point shooter (38.9% and 2.3 per game).

The Ducks are weak on defense. They average just 33.6 rebounds/game (the fewest in the Pac-10) against their opponents' 35.6. They are 8th in blocks and 9th in steals. Their best defenders are freshman forward Amanda Johnson and sophomore forward Ellie Manou who each average 5.1 rebounds per game.

The Ducks' win-loss record (7-9 overall, 4-2 conference) places them 4th in the Pac-10, their RPI (106) places them 7th, and their strength of schedule (20) places them 4th.

Here are their 2008-09 player statistics and their roster

Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers are a different story. They had an easy non-conference schedule and won nine of their first ten games, losing only to North Carolina. But they are not doing so well in conference play — defeated Arizona and Washington; lost to ASU, UCLA, USC and WSU.

Sophomore guard Talisa Rhea is their leading scorer with 14.9 points per game (#3 in the Pac-10) and their best three-point shooter (36.3%, 2.56 per game).

Senior guard Mercedes Fox-Griffin runs the point. One of the best distributers in the conference, she averages 4.25 assists per game (#2 in the Pac-10) and has an assist/turnover ratio of 1.26 (#5 in the Pac-10)

The Beavers have two strong post players: 6-4 sophomore center Alex Mitchell averages 5.4 rebounds per game and 11.8 points per game, with a .571 field goal percentage (#4 in the Pac-10); 6-2 senior center Tiffany Ducker averages 6.9 rebounds per game (#8 in the Pac-10) and 1.63 steals per game (#5 in the Pac-10)

The Beavers sink 73.6% of their free throws, the best in the conference. Three of their players are in the top 10: Mercedes Fox-Griffin (85.7%), Brittney Davis 80.3%, Talisa Rhea (78.7%).

The Beavers' win-loss record (11-5 overall, 2-4 conference) places them 7th in the Pac-10, their RPI (64) places them 5th, and their strength of schedule (84) places them 10th.

Here are their 2008-09 player statistics and their roster