No American team was able to match Oregon's 3-on-3 team a year ago at the USA Basketball Women's 3-on-3 National Championships. The Ducks ran unbeaten through the field to earn the national champion distinction, concluding with a victory over a team full of former NCAA stars. Star Sabrina Ionescu was named the event's MVP.
Oregon will once again send a squad to this year's national 3-on-3 championships. This year the event will be held in Las Vegas at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. Last year's event took place at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It will begin this Friday and run through Saturday.
The Ducks' defending champion squad will look a bit different than a year ago. Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard, and Oti Gildon will each return to take part this year, but sharpshooter Erin Boley will not take part, instead replaced by post player Lady Giomi.
Last year's team advanced all the way to the FIBA 3-on-3 World Cup, before falling to eventual champion Italy in the tournament quarterfinals.
Oregon is one of 18 teams set to compete in the event. Thirteen of those teams, including Oregon's squad, are made up of top NCAA teams, per USA Basketball's release, while three others are made up of former collegiate stars who won qualifying tournaments. The final two teams will be comprised of collegiate players invited to take part in a two-day minicamp prior to the event. Those teams will not be set until the day before the event.
Pac-12 rivals Arizona State and Stanford each have teams, as do powerhouse programs like UCONN, Mississippi State, and Louisville.
Preliminary action will be held on Friday from 3-10:30
The Ducks are widely considered the favorite to win the NCAA championship next year. They can build momentum with a repeat victory this Saturday in Vegas.