BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The Ducks count on Oti Gildon to bring an edge to the court, whether that’s off the bench or in the pre-game huddle.

Coaches praise the 6-foot-1 sophmore for her ability to adapt to a variety of positions on the court. She’s averaged 13 minutes off the bench in Oregon’s last four games and is one of four reserves who have seen the court in NCAA Tournament play.

“She’s versatile,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “Oti is just a versatile player. She can guard guards. She can guard big kids. She’s excellent on the offensive boards.”

Gildon, who scored eight points and pulled down six boards in 18 minutes of play during the Pac-12 Tournament semifinal game against Stanford, had a season-high 16 points earlier this season against Clemson. She also had a season-high 23 minutes when the Ducks played at USC.

When Gildon comes in for Mallory McGwire, she shows the defense a different look. McGwire’s midrange jumper can sometimes catch defenders off guard. Gildon, meanwhile, often attacks the basket, switching things up.

Gildon — a Spokane, Washington, native — knows she can have an impact on both ends of the floor. She was a five-star recruit out of high school and ranked No. 37 by espnW HoopGurlz in the 2015 class.

“I try to go with the flow pretty much,” Gildon said. “I just try and make sure I do what I’m told to do when I’m in there, which is rebound, box out and play solid D.”

Teammates know Gildon’s ability to have fun on the bench and encourage teammates is just as important.

And in the third quarter of the Ducks’ takedown of Duke, ESPN cameras caught Gildon midway through a dance. That is, until she realized she was being filmed.

“She gives us a different look, just energy,” Graves said. “She’s a fun-loving kid. She kind of keeps the team loose and works her butt off. There are a lot of different areas she’s helping us.”

Do the Oti. 🙌@OregonWBB #ncaaW pic.twitter.com/blM7TZj6D9

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 20, 2017

McGwire likes the way Gildon attacks rebounding when she’s on the floor. McGwire said Gildon is aggressive and determined when she enters the game.

“She’s helping us so much on the defensive boards, grabbing the rebounds,” McGwire said. “It’s making a huge difference. Her offensive game — she’s so strong around the hoop. That is also a big impact.”

Gildon said she’s savoring every moment of Oregon’s first Sweet 16 berth in program history. The No. 10-seeded Ducks face No. 3 Maryland on Saturday morning (8:36 a.m. PT, ESPN).

“It’s a great experience,” she said. “I’m so excited to be here and excited for our team to be here. I can’t wait to play on Saturday. It’s going to be a big stage and big crowd.”

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Find all of the Emerald’s coverage leading up to the Sweet 16 here.

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Oregon’s historical run to the Sweet 16 has energized and connected the program’s former players.

On Facebook, Snapchat and other social media platforms, Duck greats like Jillian Alleyne and Bev Smith have seen positive messages of support and enthusiasm. It makes sense — the Ducks are Sweet 16-bound for the first time in program history. They took down Duke on Monday and will play Maryland on Saturday in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The support dates as far back as Smith’s days in 1978-82 to Alleyne’s recent time 2012-16.

“All these players, even those who haven’t been coached by Coach Kelly [Graves] but have been a part of the program, are so excited for this team,” Alleyne said. “It’s that, ‘Once a Duck, Always a Duck.’ It’s cool to see how excited everyone is about that they’re doing.”

Alleyne has even connected players she didn’t personally play alongside, like Amanda Johnson, a 2012 graduate. Alleyne said looking back on her time at Oregon, she’s proud that each year’s team built the foundation for the next team’s success.

For Smith, Oregon’s postseason run is gratifying. As a former player and coach, she’s been called the Larry Bird of Oregon women’s hoops. She was also the last coach to take the Ducks to March Madness in 2005.

“People back to the day when I played are re-connecting,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of things happening on social media. It feels great to see your university achieve things that, I think we always thought were possible, just not able to make them happen.”

Smith added she thinks alumni are energized in part because Graves has been inclusive in his outreach.

Former Duck Katie Gruys, who was at Cameron Indoor Stadium over the weekend to see the Ducks in-person, said the Sweet 16 is exactly what she saw coming.

“It’s amazing to see it come together,” Gruys said in a text message. “As an upperclassman, we knew we weren’t necessarily see the results right away. But it’s nice looking back and being able to say I helped set the standard and building blocks for the Ducks moving forward.”

Alleyne, who has been around the team this season as she’s rehabbed her knee, said she foresaw a win over Duke — even though the Blue Devils hadn’t lost at home all season.

“I just saw it,” Alleyne said. “After that first quarter, I’m like, ‘Oh. They’re going to win this game.’ I had no doubt that they were going to pull it out. It’s so unreal to see that they’re going to the Sweet 16.”

The Ducks — the only team in the NCAA Tournmanet which starts three freshmen — face their toughest task to date in Maryland. The Terps won the Big 10 title and sport a 32-2 overall record.

But Smith said from her perspective, the Ducks have a special thing going.

“They’re so fun to watch,” Smith said. “It looks like they have fun playing with each other. They’re fearless because they don’t know any better. And they’re fundamental. I think anytime you get those three things happening, you have a chance for success. The coaches have really shaped and sharpened them.”

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Find all of the Emerald’s coverage leading up to the Sweet 16 here.

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Oregon associate head coach Mark Campbell has started a new March tradition.

After Oregon’s upset wins over Temple and Duke in Durham over the weekend, Campbell celebrated in a unique way in the locker room.

The two subsequent videos have gotten plenty of traction on social media as well. Over 310,000 people have seen the celebration video on Instagram after Saturday’s win.

“I’ve got two words,” Campbell said as he pull off his coaching polo shirt to reveal his undershirt. “Winner stays.”

Campbell later said the moment was purely spontaneous — not even his wife or kids, who were also there, knew how he’d address the team after head coach Kelly Graves gave him the floor.

“It’s one of those things that if you’re going to do, do it with passion or don’t do it,” said Campbell, who was instrumental in bringing the No. 3-ranked recruiting class to campus last summer. “I never envisioned that it would go viral like it has.

“You’re in the moment. You’re competitive. You get pretty excited when you survive during March Madness.”

.@OregonWBB Winner Stays pic.twitter.com/PdSeuLim1B

— Oregon Video (@QuackVideo) March 19, 2017

Between games, Campbell had the shirt washed. And after the Ducks took down the Duke Blue Devils on their home floor, it was more of the same from Campbell.

“The second time around, I didn’t know what to do,” Campbell said. “I was on the spot. Then I had to come up with something. Winning that game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke is incredible. Punching your ticket to the Sweet 16 with six freshmen — and no seniors in the starting lineup — is not supposed to happen.

“Those were the points I made before I pulled out the ‘Winner Stays’ shirt again.”

#WinnerStays Congrats to @OregonWBB making their first trip ever to the Sweet Sixteen #MarchMadness #TheScoop pic.twitter.com/PyEaWh46F8

— Oregon Video (@QuackVideo) March 21, 2017

The shirts are part of Nike’s line for men’s and women’s teams in the NCAA Tournament. Oregon players have posted the saying again and again on their social media channels. Long-time play-by-play man Terry Jonz used the slogan during the final minutes of his call of the Temple game.

“The Ducks have won it. Winners stay, baby. It’s the Ducks who are staying in Durham, North Carolina,” Jonz said on his call.

Campbell said Oregon knew it was a good sign when they found a coffee shop near Duke’s campus named The Groovy Duck.

“Going into Cameron Indoor Stadium and playing Duke? We’d already been there and done that when you play UW in Seattle in front of sold out KeyArena,” Campbell said. “It’s not like this was a venue the kids were nervous to play in. We were ready.”

The Ducks head to Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Thursday to play against No. 3-seeded Maryland in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. You can be sure Campbell will pack his now-famous shirt.

“If these guys keep winning,” Campbell said, “we’ll keep pulling out [the shirt]. … They believe in themselves. They just keep going. It’s so fun. They’re fearless and we’re excited for the next challenge.”

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Find all of the Emerald’s coverage leading up to the Sweet 16 here.

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Before Oregon squared off against Duke, Oregon head coach Kelly Graves told his team they could be dangerous — given that they have nothing to lose.

His young squad proved him right.

“We just came out and played our hearts out,” Lexi Bando said. “We said we have nothing to lose. Let’s just give it our all.”

And just like that, Oregon is off to the program’s first Sweet 16 after a 74-65 upset of No. 2 Duke on Monday in Durham, North Carolina.

Before Monday, the Devils, ranked No. 9 nationally, hadn’t lost on their home court all season.

“We had some very composed, patient freshmen tonight,” assistant coach Jodie Berry said on the postgame radio show. “The play of our kids down the stretch when things started to get tight — we just did a great job of relaxing and making them work. … An all-around solid effort. We’re a tough team to beat when we have four kids scoring the basketball.”

Duke, which entered the game ranked second nationally in 3-point defense, allowed the Ducks to drain nine 3s.

Ruthy Hebard paced the Ducks with 20 points and hauled in 15 of Oregon’s 33 rebounds. Maite Cazorla had 17 points and six assists.

Bando had 14 points and drained four 3-pointers while Ionescu scored 13 points for the Ducks, which advance to play No. 3-seeded Maryland on Saturday in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Here’s some locker room video of the postgame celebration:

#WinnerStays Congrats to @OregonWBB making their first trip ever to the Sweet Sixteen #MarchMadness #TheScoop pic.twitter.com/PyEaWh46F8

— Oregon Video (@QuackVideo) March 21, 2017

The Ducks had their largest lead of the game, 15 points, after Cazorla drained a 3-pointer. That was part of a larger 13-2 run.

“Anytime you get momentum going into the last quarter — that’s critical,” Graves said. “It just kind of worked out. We kind took off from there, but give them credit. They came back.”

Duke, playing two days after its starting point guard Kyra Lambert tore her ACL, cut the Oregon lead to seven points with 4:08 left. But the Ducks were able to go bucket-for-bucket with Duke for the win.

Ionescu drained six free throws in the final 25 seconds to keep Duke at bay.

The Ducks will fly back to Eugene on Monday night. Some players have early-morning finals on Tuesday.

“We’re just super excited to be going to the Sweet 16,” Bando said. “What an awesome experience and we’re going to go give it our all.”

Added Graves: “This is a loose group. We have fun. They don’t take themselves too seriously and they just go out and play. I anticipate the next step will kind of be the same. They’ll be goofballs. Their coaches will be knuckleheads and we’ll find a way to get it done.”

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Ruthy Hebard has made high-percentage shots her trademark. And she did it again on Saturday — on the biggest stage of the season, no less.

Hebard drained a jumper with 5.5 seconds left then got a hand on Temple’s final shot of the game to power the Ducks to a 71-70 win over No. 7-seeded Temple in the NCAA Tournament first round on Saturday at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

“What a win,” head coach Kelly Graves told the team in the locker room. “You guys showed toughness and grit. … Just an awesome team effort. I thought defensively we played against two elite guards that were on fire.”

Hebard finished with 23 points (on 9 of 17 shooting) and pulled down seven rebounds for No. 10 Oregon. Sabrina Ionescu had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while fellow freshman Mallory McGwire tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Ducks advance to face the winner of No. 2 Duke and No. 15 Hampton on Monday. The two teams play later in the afternoon on ESPN2. Duke hasn’t yet lost a game at home this season.

Here were the final minutes of the game:

Ionescu made a jumper to give the Ducks a 69-68 lead with 27 seconds left but Temple’s Feyona Fitzgerald, who had 16 points, made a bucket with 17 seconds left to give the Owls the lead again. Oregon took a timeout and drew up a play that allowed Hebard to lift the Ducks to their third win in four games.

The Ducks were able to win despite allowing Temple guard Alliya Butts to score 28 points. Butts had 13 of her 28 points during the third quarter.

Oregon ended the game shooting 44.8 percent while Temple shot 40.8 percent. Neither team shot well from 3-point range. Both made 25 percent of their tries. And both teams committed 10 turnovers.

Temple led 62-57 with 8:00 left in the game before Ionescu hit a jumper then Lexi Bando drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 62-62 with 4:59 left.

Oregon had seven blocks while Temple had none. The Owls narrowly outrebounded the Ducks, 41-40.

The Ducks trailed 20-18 after the first quarter and 58-52 entering the fourth quarter.

Oregon, making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005, will have a chance to reach the Sweet 16 of the Bridgeport region on Monday. Game time has not yet been announced.

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Oregon’s first taste of March Madness since 2005 is finally hours — not days — away.

The Ducks, seeded No. 10 in the NCAA Tournament, square off against No. 7 Temple in Durham, North Carolina, later this afternoon (3:30 p.m., ESPN2). Oregon departed Eugene on Thursday and has had time to readjust from the cross-country trip.

Far away from home, the Ducks know they’ll have their hands full with Temple, which competes in the same conference as top-ranked UConn.

“They are just tenacious, they never quit on a play,” head coach Kelly Graves told The Register-Guard. “They are very consistent in how they crash the boards. (Tanaya) Atkinson is one of the best offensive rebounders I’ve seen, and we’ve played against some really good ones in (UCLA’s) Monique Billings and (Stanford’s) Erica McCall. … They play really hard and they can make plays on the glass. That’s obviously one of our keys.”

The Ducks, coming off an impressive showing in the Pac-12 Tournament, are hoping to win and advance. They would play the winner of No. 2 Duke and No. 15 Hampton on Monday with a win over the Owls. Ironically, the last time the Ducks were NCAA Tournament participants, in 2005, they were also the No. 10 seed. That year, they upended the No. 7 seed to advance to the second round.

“I’m excited more than anything. I didn’t sleep well the last couple of nights, but not because of stress or anything like that,” Graves said. “I’m just really excited to get going. I know the staff’s put in tireless amount of work. … I think we’re going to be ready.”

The Owls, led by dynamic backcourt play, finished the season 24-7, second in their league (behind UConn).

The Owls have four players who average double-digits scoring. Feyonda Fitzgerald (17.3 points and 7.3 assists), Alliysa Butts (15.1 points) Donnaizha Fountain (14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds) and Tanaya Atkinson (13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds) will challenge the Ducks this afternoon.

“They have a guard that we liken to Jordin Canada (UCLA),” Graves said. “She is phenomenal. We’ve just got slow them up in transition. If they get going, they can turn us over … They’re like jet planes — they’ll take off on us.”

Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu said it’ll be nice to play a non-Pac-12 team after wrapping up conference play.

“They don’t know our personnel, and we don’t know there’s,” Ionescu. “I think we’re just excited to start fresh with a team that we haven’t played against and see where that takes us.”

Graves said he will treat the trip as business as usual.

“Obviously they know what’s at stake,” Graves said. “It’s a bigger deal. But the reality is that it’s still a game, 40 minutes.”

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Oregon head volleyball coach Jim Moore is stepping down and retiring from the university on May 15, 2017, the school announced through a news release on Wednesday evening.

Stacy Metro – GoDucks.com

His wife, assistant Stacy Metro, will no longer coach women’s volleyball, but remains an Oregon employee.

The release said Moore and Oregon “have come to realize that his coaching style is mismatched with the standards of the University of Oregon athletic department.”

Moore, through the release, acknowledged that his coaching style “may have been viewed negatively by some student-athletes and for that he is sorry.”

The Ducks named Matt Ulmer, the team’s associate head coach, as the interim coach. Ulmer will serve as the head beach volleyball coach as well, Oregon spokesman Nate Krueger said.

The release added that Moore will work remotely to craft a transition plan to ensure the the program’s success going forward.

Nick Meeker, the couple’s agent of Coaches, Inc., said neither Moore nor Metro are able to comment further.

Moore and Metro were promptly removed from the Oregon athletic department website.

The Emerald on Monday was first to report Moore and Metro’s departure from the school. Athletic spokespeople declined to comment on Monday and didn’t return text messages or calls for comment on Wednesday evening before the release was distributed.

Oregon later told the Emerald the beach volleyball’s scheduled trip later this month to Australia is no longer happening.

Moore told The Oregonian on Monday that they were negotiating with the university “and are trying to come to a settlement.”

During his tenure, Moore led the Ducks to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 12 years. Moore and the Ducks advanced to the 2012 NCAA National Championship game after a 30-5 season. In 2014, Moore became the winningest coach in Oregon history when he notched 197 wins as a Duck.

Moore wrapped up his 28th season as a head volleyball coach last year and finished his Oregon career with a 186-98 record.

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— Oregon men’s basketball drew a No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament during Selection Sunday. The Ducks head to Sacramento to face No. 14 Iona in the opening round.

— The Ducks will have to rely on Kavell Bigby-Williams for more minutes in the NCAA Tournament, writes The Register-Guard’s Steve Mims.

— Women’s basketball earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005 when the Ducks heard their name called on Monday night. Oregon earned a No. 10 seed and will head to Durham, North Carolina, to play No. 7 Temple on Saturday.

The Ducks are one of only two Pac-12 teams (UCLA is the other) to have both their men’s and women’s teams reach March Madness.

— Ducks softball wrapped up another undefeated weekend. Oregon sits at 24-0 and is the lone undefeated team remaining in the nation.

— Emerald reporter Shawn Medow profiled Alexis Mack, who joined the Ducks after transferring to South Carolina over the summer.

— Oregon volleyball head coach Jim Moore and assistant Stacy Metro will not return to coach the Ducks next year, the Emerald reported on Monday.

— Baseball swept Santa Clara over the weekend to improve to 11-4. Junior David Peterson earned Collegiate Baseball national player of the week honors on Monday for the second consecutive week.

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The Ducks are once again dancing in the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon earned a No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 Temple (24-7) in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday. The winner goes against either No. 2 Duke or No. 15 Hampton in the Round of 32.

“It’s such a big deal,” freshman Sierra Campisano said. “It’s crazy. March Madness is my favorite thing in the entire world. My mom used to take me out of school to watch it. My freshman year, we’re in it. It’s very surreal.”

UConn (No. 1), Duke (No. 2) and Maryland (No. 3) are the top three teams in Bridgeport. Fellow Pac-12 team UCLA, a No. 4 seed, also landed the Bridgeport regional.

Graves called the moment special for the team. Monday marked the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005. And the last coach to guide the Ducks to March Madness, Bev Smith, was among those in the crowd.

“It’s amazing what this young team has done,” Graves said. “The staff — they’re the ones who really put this thing together. They’re making these players better … It’s gratifying because I really, truly believe in my heart that this is a program that’s going to continue to get better and better.”

The Ducks are going dancing! They earn a No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 Temple in Durham NC pic.twitter.com/YktmCOe3Ni

— Jonathan Hawthorne (@Jon_Hawthorne) March 13, 2017

Graves said the Ducks will take Tuesday off before likely departing Eugene on Wednesday or Thursday. Tipoff on Saturday is set for 3:30 PST on ESPN2.

“I don’t know much about Temple, but I know they’re in UConn’s league,” Graves said. “They have tradition and history. They’ll play great defense.”

Cal earned a No. 9 seed, giving the Pac-12 seven teams in the NCAA Tournament.

“That’s awesome,” Graves said. “It’s great for the league. It shows that we’re the toughest league in the country.”

Campisano said the rigors of Pac-12 play will give the Ducks an edge in March Madness.

“It prepared us really, really well,” Campisano said. “They just announced Oregon State as a No. 2 seed. UCLA is a four. We hung with these teams, and we beat a lot of them too. We’re definitely well-prepared.”

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Update (6:38 p.m): Moore and Metro’s agent Nick Meeker said as of Monday night they’re still on staff at Oregon. 

Oregon head volleyball coach Jim Moore and assistant coach Stacy Metro have been fired after 12 seasons in Eugene, multiple sources familiar with the team told the Emerald on Monday morning.

Stacy Metro – GoDucks.com

Sources indicated that Moore and Metro, husband and wife, were fired for cause last week. Moore told The Oregonian on Monday that they are negotiating with the university “and are trying to come to a settlement.”

Oregon spokesman Nate Krueger declined to elaborate, telling the Emerald that there’s “no news at this time.” When reached by phone, Moore declined to answer questions. He responded to a text message for comment saying: “In time. I’ll let you know.”

Metro didn’t return text messages or calls for comment.

Spokesman Joe Waltasti told the Emerald at 11:30 a.m. that the school has no comment.

Moore answered his phone at 2:20 p.m. on Monday: “I have no comment. I’m not going to talk.”

Moore’s contract says Oregon isn’t responsible for future payments if fired for cause.

Moore has had a successful tenure at Oregon, leading the Ducks to 1o NCAA Tournament appearances in his 12 years with the program. Moore and the Ducks advanced to the 2012 NCAA National Championship game after a 30-5 season. In 2014, Moore became the winningest coach in Oregon history when he notched 197 wins as a Duck. Moore wrapped up his 28th season as a head volleyball coach last year.

Metro has spent 12 years in Eugene on the coaching staff. She began at Oregon as a volunteer coach in 2005. She has also served as Oregon’s beach volleyball head coach.

Moore and Metro currently remain listed as coaches on Oregon’s website.

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