LAS VEGAS — It was early Thursday morning, and the Oregon women's basketball team was lounging around a room off a hallway at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The Ducks were awaiting their pregame shootaround for a Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal matchup against UCLA later in the day.
One by one, UO head coach Kelly Graves approached his players and offered the same exhortation: "You be ready to get into the fight tonight."
He repeated the mantra to the Ducks in their film session after breakfast: "Get into the fight." For good measure, it was written on a white board in their locker room when the Ducks arrived at the arena Thursday night.