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There were 11,538 spectators at Moda Center in Portland for the Sunday's Elite Eight clash between the Oregon Ducks and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Much of the match was accompanied by a resounding racket, but the crowd's enthusiasm was shocking as the match clock crumbled and the Ducks refused to give up the command.
In Oregon, Oregon had three points when, with 1.14 minutes remaining and four seconds for shooting, Sabrina Ionescu took a half-step with Jordan Danberry's hand in the face.
The result was more or less announced, at least according to Ionescu herself. "Well, that was all right," she says later. But when the ball went through the net, it suddenly seemed that at least 11,000 of these 11,538 fans screamed loudly (like all of Ionescu's teammates of course). The name of Ionescu started to be a trend on Twitter, thanks in part to TV stars – like Rebecca Lobo, who simply tweeted"Sabrina."
"I hope she talks about me," joked Ionescu when asked about the tweet of the post-game press conference. "I'm glad she expresses her opinion. As the coach said, this is one of the best games we have ever played, and I think women's basketball is one of them. "
What might have seemed like pride in any other situation seemed entirely appropriate under the circumstances: the game, which featured 15 head changes and a margin of points never greater than seven, had been spectacular, and Ionescu had been a big part thanks to her. Line 31-7-8, almost his triple-double signature.
The most important detail was not found in the table: neither team had gone to an Elite Eight before 2017, and both have been there every year since. "We started from scratch, so to speak," Kelly Graves, the Oregon coach, told reporters after the match. He had turned the Ducks into contenders in just five seasons. "There were excellent children on the program, very good players. But we were not quite at the championship level yet. "
When it comes to their first final in the category of the most animated teams of the event, there is no doubt that Oregon women's basketball can be counted among the most recent programs, proving that parity is higher than ever before. But just as importantly, they showed how the sport could reach the goal when a catchy star power on the pitch is associated with heavyweight coigns and hardcore supporters. The success of Oregon is an anomaly, not because it is winning, but because it captures an almost unprecedented amount of national projectors, which is a feat for women's football at any what level.
Until very recently, women's basketball was best known for its most dominant programs: UConn and Tennessee. Even though they are heading to their 12th consecutive final (after "defeating" their No. 2 ranking), UConn did not compete in the NCAA Tournament Championship in three years. In 2017, South Carolina won its first title and in 2018, Notre Dame, his second, both against the besieged Bulldogs.
Although Oregon is the only team in the Final Four for the first time in 2019, the field seems more open than it has been for years. The success of Baylor, Notre Dame, UConn and Oregon can not easily be described as a stroke of luck, nor even as the product of a March fairy tale. More and more programs seem designed to last and articulate around distinct identities, unrelated to attempting to be or beat UConn.
When Graves left Gonzaga to settle in Oregon in 2014, for example, the Pac-12 was known for his talent in women's basketball. "When I watched this from a distance at the CMC, it was Stanford and all the others," he said at the tournament, citing regular contenders led by longtime coach Tara VanDerveer. "All the others were good, but they were not at that level. They are always the norm that we are all judged. "
In the five years since he began coaching the Ducks, the conference has become one of the most competitive in the country. The states of Oregon, Washington and Cal (in 2013) also participated in the Final Fours. Five Pac-12 programs participated in this year's Sweet 16 program, which is the number assigned to them by the more established ACC. This is proof of what the Pac-12 fans have been saying throughout the season: teams that can compete with everyone, challenged by tough conference games.
As the Pac-12 group reaches a new high as a group, Oregon always has something different. LeBron James, no other women's college basketball team Twitteror Steph Curry shares a photo shoot with her star his Instagram. Sue Bird was on the sidelines when they played at the University of Washington. The writer Shea Serrano, closely followed by Twitter, adopted the team in early 2018 and went to training early in the season.
The recipe for their success is, of course, partly lucky. Ionescu, with her NCAA double triple record (she currently has 18) and celebrity cosigns, which include Dwyane Wade as well as Curry, is certainly a renowned attraction by itself. However, the team's casual, fluid and offensive style has attracted more fans – and, like other Oregon teams, they are still equipped to impress because of the close relationships between the team. school and Nike.
"I know we attract a lot of attention and it's really fun. "Oh hi LeBron!" Said star striker Ruthy Hebard before the Eight Elite game, the Ducks. "I think it's a good thing and our team deserved it. It's something special.
This call, as well as the investment in the school's program with the hiring of Graves and Nike, whose equipment for the team inspired a petition to make Duck jerseys available for sale, were translated by hardcore people.
"It's like traveling with rock stars, seriously," said Graves at the tournament. "If you look at the nine Pac-12 teams we played, their average attendance was 2,700 over the year. When we played them, it was 5,200. It almost doubled. A: We get a lot of ducks lovers traveling. B: many people are interested in this group. There is some star power there. We play a fun style. We have attracted a lot of national attention and at this point I think they are a bit used to that. "
In record time, the program brought women's basketball a distinct style of play and undeniable star power (on the field and in the crowd). But they are best understood as part of the collegiate talent explosion: The State of Mississippi and South Carolina have both revitalized their women's basketball programs with tremendous success in recent years, getting similar fans .
The rise of Oregon has been a little more glamorous than most others, but the team naturally has every interest in aiming higher than the approval of an NBA player.
"We will not be – of course, we will be happy, but we will not be satisfied with the road traveled," said Ionescu after his decisive blow. "All I have to say is that we have not finished yet."
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