Next: Ducks, Beavers and Dogs at Maples

The Cardinal begins its conference season at Maples this weekend with games against:

• The Oregon Ducks on Friday evening at 6:00
• The Oregon State Beavers on Sunday afternoon at 2:00

Both games will be televised by Pac-12 Networks with Ros Gold-Onwude as the analyst, streamed online by Pac-12 Networks, and broadcast by KZSU.  Live Stats here.

Stanford does not travel to Oregon this season, so this is the only time these teams will play during the regular season.

The dogs? It's Dog Lovers Day at Maples on Sunday. There'll be an adoption unit (puppies!) just outside Maples before the game, and the Agility Dogs will perform at halftime.

  University of Oregon Ducks

This is going to be a fast, high-scoring, entertaining game!

In his fifth season at Oregon, head coach Paul Westhead finally has the team that fits his uptempo style — they're creating more possessions, more shots and more points.

The Ducks lead the nation in scoring with an average of 105.3 points per game and rank second in 3-pointers made with 11.7 per game. However, while the Ducks are running and scoring, their opponents are too — at an average of 88.5 points per game (that's the fourth worst (rank #340) scoring defense in the nation).

The Ducks' success in the nonconference games has come against a fairly weak schedule. They've played just one ranked team — UConn, who defeated them 114-68. Their only other loss was to Sacramento State 85-97.

Oregon's starting five all season has been:

• #21, 5'10" freshman guard Chrishae Rowe has already been named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week four times, with good reason. She's the Ducks' leading scorer with an average of 24.5 points per game, which ranks #7 in the nation. She's especially deadly from beyond the arc. 38% of her shots are 3-pointers, and she makes 40% of them — 3.3 per game. She also has the most steals (2.8 spg) and is the second-best rebounder (7.5 rpg).


• #14, 6'3" sophomore forward Jillian Alleyne was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year last season and has raised her game as a sophomore. She's the Ducks' strongest defender. She's the leading rebounder with 14.3 per game, which ranks #2 in the nation. She's also the second-best scorer with 20.4 points per game and about the only one that blocks shots (1.3 bpg). She has tallied nine double-doubles this season, which ranks #5 in the nation.


• #31, 5'11" redshirt junior guard Katelan Loper is a Duck newcomer who transferred from Hofstra and sat out last season. She's their leading 3-point shooter with an average of 3.6 per game, which ranks #4 in the nation. She's the Ducks' third double-digit scorer with an average of 16.3 points per game


• #22, 5'6" senior guard Ariel Thomas runs the point for the Ducks. She averages 4.8 assists and 1.6 turnovers per game for a very good ratio of 2.94. She also tallies 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.


• #2, 6'2" senior forward Danielle Love averages 8.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Oregon's bench accounts for almost 1/3 of the playing time and scores an average of 26 points per game (about 1/4 of the total). Those who play more than 10 minute per game are sophomore guard Lexi Petersen (9.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg), redshirt senior guard Laura Stanulis (2.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.4 apg), freshman guard Drea Toler (4.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.8 apg) and junior forward and volleyball player Liz Brenner (5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), who re-joined the team two games ago.

Oregon's win-loss record (0-0 conference, 9-2 overall) places it 5th in the Pac-12, its RPI (52) places it 6th, and its strength of schedule rank (142) places it 10th.

Here are Oregon's statistics and roster.

  Oregon State Beavers

Now in their fourth season under head coach Scott Rueck, the Beavers have begun well with good non-conference play.

Two of their four losses were to ranked teams. Early in the season, they lost to #13/14 Penn State by just five points. Last week, they lost to #2 Notre Dame 70-58, but the game was close until the last two minutes.

The Beavers are again a strong defensive team and they've improved their offense. They're ranked #4 in the nation in blocked shots with an average of 6.3 per game and #9 in 3-pointers with 9.1 per game.

The Beaver starters all season have been:

• #15, 5'10" sophomore guard Jamie Weisner was a standout freshman last season and now leads the team in scoring with an average of 15.2 points per game. She takes half her shots from beyond the arc and makes 2.7 3-pointers per game. She also tallies 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.


• #21, 6'0" freshman guard Sydney Wiese is the Beavers' standout freshman this season. She takes almost 3/4 of her shots from beyond the arc and makes 2.9 3-pointers per game. She leads the team in assists (4.1 apg) and steals (1.8 spg) and is the second-best scorer (12.2 ppg).


• #14, 5'11" junior guard Ali Gibson is the Beavers' third double-digit scorer with an average of 10.1 points per game.


• #32, 6'3" sophomore forward Deven Hunter is the Beavers' leading rebounder with an average of 8.0 per game. She also scores 8.3 points per game.


• #44, 6'6" sophomore center Ruth Hamblin blocks 3.3 shots per game, which ranks #9 in the nation. She also grab 7.3 rebounds and scores 6.2 points.

The Beavers have a solid bench with six players who all get significant time on the court. They account for 37% of the playing time and contribute 32% of the points and 36% of the rebounds.

Oregon State's win-loss record (0-0 conference, 8-4 overall) places it 7th in the Pac-12, its RPI (53) places it 7th, and its strength of schedule rank (35) places it 5th.

Here are Oregon State's statistics and roster.