How to Watch Oregon Ducks Women’s Basketball vs. No. 1 UCLA Bruins: Preview, Prediction

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team is gearing up for a huge challenge as the Ducks prepare to take on the No. 1 UCLA Bruins.

After getting off to a successful start, the Ducks have struggled in recent games, dropping two consecutive contests for the first time since November following their 79-61 loss to No. 16 Maryland on Thursday. The Ducks had won their previous four games and had won seven of their last 10 overall.

The Oregon women celebrated their win over Iowa at Matthew Knight Arena Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks will look to end their losing streak with what could be the biggest upset of the season as Oregon hosts No. 1 UCLA at home in Matthew Knight Arena. However, this feat will not come easily.

UCLA is the nation's only undefeated team. The Bruins have spent the last 11 weeks at No. 1 in the AP Top-25 Poll, most recently defeating No. 8 Ohio State 65-52 at home on Wednesday. UCLA has won every game this season by double digits.

How To Watch:

The Oregon Ducks (16-7, 7-5) will host the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (16-7, 7-5) at home in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday, Feb. 9.

Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT, and the game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus (B1G+).

Preview

The Oregon Ducks enter Sunday’s game looking to bounce back from two consecutive losses. After upsetting No. 20 Michigan State on the road 63-59, the Oregon Ducks have struggled to find their rhythm, dropping games to both Michigan (80-48) and No. 16 Maryland (79-61) at home.

Oregon guard Deja Kelly presses toward the basket as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Prior to playing Maryland, the Ducks were nearly undefeated while playing at home, posting a -1 record at Matthew Knight Arena. The Maryland Terrapins managed to hand the Ducks their second consecutive loss of the season as well as the program’s second loss at home.

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Although Oregon got season highs from both Ehis Etute and Ari Long, the Ducks went just 3-for-16 from the field, scoring only nine points in the first quarter. Oregon’s offensive struggles continued as the Ducks finished the half with just 22 points. On the other hand, Maryland's offense hummed at a 57 percent clip in the opening half, helping create a 17-point halftime lead—a lead the Ducks were not able to overcome.

"We rely on our defense so much that we feel like if we can't score, that's okay, the defense will keep us in it," Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. "We've come back from big deficits here this season, but these guys were too good. This was a big one we let slip away. We can't let any more slip away like this."

Oregon guard Peyton Scott riles up the crowd after the Ducks’ win as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon has been a dominant defensive team throughout the season. The Ducks are allowing teams to score just 62 points per game in Big Ten play, the third-lowest mark in the league. Additionally, the Ducks have registered double-digit steals in 10 of their last 16 games and in 12 of their last 20 games overall, including 11 steals against Maryland on Thursday. Oregon is allowing opponents to shoot just 29.9 percent from beyond the arc and has allowed only eight teams to shoot over 30.0 percent.

In order to pull off an upset on Sunday, the Ducks need to show up on both offense and defense, finding ways to shut down UCLA’s efficient offense.

The undefeated UCLA Bruins are powered by a dominant force in the Big Ten in Lauren Betts, who ranks second in the conference with 20.2 points per game while leading her squad with 9.9 rebounds a night. She’s been a double-double machine, racking up 12 this season, which ranks eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten. Betts is also a defensive anchor, leading the league in blocks per game (2.9) and crashing the boards with a conference-best 4.4 offensive rebounds per game.

Feb 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) shoots over Ohio State Buckeyes forward Ajae Petty (1) during the fourth quarter at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Backing her up, Kiki Rice is putting up 13.1 points per game, while Gabriela Jaquez rounds out UCLA’s trio of double-figure scorers with 10.5 per night. Rice has also been a steady playmaker, leading the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.52.

As a team, the Bruins are setting the standard, leading the conference and ranking in the nation’s top five in key categories like assists per game (21.3), field goal percentage (49.4), field goal defense (33.5), total rebounds (45.1), and rebounding margin (+15.8).

Prediction:

Oregon coach Kelly Graves brings his team together before their game against the USC Trojans at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon has already proven they can take down ranked opponents, posting multiple upsets. With back-to-back losses, the Ducks are hungry for a statement win. If UCLA underestimates them, Oregon has the potential to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the year.

However, UCLA remains the nation’s only undefeated team for a reason. The Bruins have been dominant on both ends of the floor with very few weaknesses to exploit. If Oregon isn’t at its absolute best, UCLA’s depth and efficiency will be too much to handle, and the Ducks will drop their third straight game.

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