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Oregon's Lead in
National Contest
Narrows
BY VICTORIA McDOUGAL
So far this RecycleMania
season, Oregon has held first
place in this very close race,
but the margin has narrowed.
Oregon’s toughest competi
tion has come from the
defending national cham
pion, Miami University of
Ohio. Miami is now behind
by only 0.01 pounds per resi
dent.
Rival school Oregon State
has given some tough com
petition, and maintained a
spot in the top five schools,
showing their recycling pro
gram’s offensive power.
“It’s time for Oregon to
step up to the recycling bin
and go the extra mile for the
team. Individual efforts are
key,” says Robyn Hathcock,
Housing Recycling
Coordinator.
“It is up to each UO resi
dent to pitch in. Right now
we’re ahead by 1 newspaper
per resident per week. We
can out-recycle the competi
tion,” Hathcock says.
In order to maintain the
first place lead, residents
need to get off the bench and
contribute to the team’s
effort.
GO DUCKS!
We've got sports 24/7
www.dailyemerald.com
■ Women's basketball
Ducks secure No. 10 seed in NCAAs
Oregon will take on TCU
in Seattle for the first round
of the NCAA Tournament
BY STEPHEN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
There were far more cheers and
sighs of relief than gasps when the
Oregon women’s basketball team
was chosen as the No. 10 seed of the
Tempe region for the 2005 NCAA
Tournament on Sunday afternoon.
The NCAA selection committee’s
decisions were presented at a
Pairings Party at McArthur Court that
featured two large projection screens
for a congregation of about 300 faith
ful Duck fans to view as they enjoyed
free popcorn and soda.
The team had a front-row seat for
all the action, and each player held
her breath while ESPN announced
the bracket placements for the Chat
tanooga and Philadelphia regions be
fore calling out Oregon’s name.
Oregon had to sacrifice a possibly
higher seed than it received in order
to be rewarded with the comfort of
staying close to home at Bank of
America Arena in Seattle, Wash.
“A lot of us thought we were going
to be a six or seven (seed), but I think
we’re just excited that we got
picked,” said Oregon’s Cathrine
Kraayeveld, who is a native of Kirk
land, Wash. “We’re really excited to
be in Seattle. We feel like it can be po
tentially a home court for us because
it’s so close, and hopefully we’re go
ing to get a lot of fans up there.”
While the players were just glad to
end a three-year absence from the Big
Dance by being selected, the coach
ing staff was more thrilled about the
traveling situation.
“I think the NCAA and their wis
dom was very appropriate this year,”
said Oregon head coach Bev Smith,
who has never appeared in an NCAA
Tournament as a coach. “There will
be a lot of interest in going to Seattle
because we know the gym, and we
know the area.”
The Ducks (20-9 overall, 12-6 Pa
cific-10 Conference) learned that their
first round opponent will be Texas
Christian, which earned a seventh
seed after finishing its season with a
23-9 record. The Horned Frogs were
ranked No. 25 in the latest Associated
Press poll once they claimed the Con
ference USA Tournament champi
onship. They finished the regular sea
son tied for third in the conference
(10-4 C-USA) and entered the show
down as a No. 4 seed.
“A couple of us have played TCU,
so that will be fun, and it gives us a
chance to play them again,” said
Wi‘
Danielle Hickey | Photo editor
Cathrine Kraayeveld led Oregon to a berth in the NCAA Tournament this season.
The Ducks will take on Texas Christian in their first-round matchup in Seattle on Saturday.
Tim Bobosky | Photographer
Point guard Corrie Mizusawa led Oregon with 6.9 assists per game and helped the
Ducks finish in a tie for second place in the Pac-10.
Kraayeveld, who led Oregon in scor
ing and rebounding this season. She
reached the NCAA Tournament her
freshman year but did not play.
Kraayeveld is the only Oregon
player to have prior experience in the
tournament other than senior point
guard Corrie Mizusawa, who attend
ed with St. Mary’s.
The work will be cut out for
Kraayeveld and her front-court team
mates as TCU’s Sandora Irvin will be
battling them in the paint.
“(We) don’t know much about
them, but they have Sandora Irvin,”
Mizusawa said. “She’s the leading
shot blocker NCAA history, so that’s
going to be a tough matchup for us,
especially our post players and our
strong inside game. ”
Irvin became the NCAA record
holder for blocked shots in a game
with 16 against UAB on Jan. 16. The
senior forward has accumulated 474
blocked shots throughout her career;
the previous mark was 428.
This season, Irvin earned C-USA
Player of the Year honors by averag
ing 20 points, 12 rebounds and 4.5
blocked shots per game. The Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., native averaged 21
points and 13 rebounds in the two
games of the C-USA Tournament. Her
average of 3.5 blocked shots per
game was two blocks better than any
other player in the tournament.
Oregon’s Andrea Bills has a
hunch about what she is in store for
with Irvin.
“I have my work cut out for
me down low,” the senior center
said, though she is still looking
forward to her first NCAA
Tournament appearance.
“It’s something I’ve waited for over
the past four years,” Bills said. “Finally
it’s happening, and I can’t even speak
on it right now, but I’m just glad to ac
complish something like this. ”
The Ducks are 1-1 all-time against
the Lady Frogs. TCU is 6-0 this sea
son at neutral locations.
“We played them two years ago at
the Pape Jam, and then we were
down there last year to play them on
their home floor,” Smith said. “So
while we have some familiarity with
them, we still have to get down and
study some tape.”
Of all C-USA teams, TCU kept op
ponents to the lowest field goal per
centage at .351. They also had the
conference’s best rebounding mark,
averaging 44.8 per game.
For Oregon’s seniors, reaching the
NCAA Tournament selection provides
closure for their long careers and espe
cially this hard-fought season.
“We led our team this whole sea
son, and we led them to this point at
the NCAA Tournament,” Bills said.
“Our hope is to make a mark and
leave some tradition here at Oregon.”
Smith can now relax a little and fo
cus on this week’s practice.
“I’m just so excited and proud for
our team and how they played this
year,” Smith said. “They weathered a
lot of stuff over the last couple of
years. It has not been easy, but it sure
makes it feel so much greater when
you’ve gone through that.
“To see our ‘O’ up there — going to
Seattle — just relieved that tension
(of waiting). Now we’re back into
preparation tension, which is the best
tension to have.”
stephenmiller@ dailyemerald, com
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