Kelly Graves has coached many great teams during his 28-year career but he feels like this year's Oregon team is one of the best he has ever had. After the Ducks, currently placed at 18th in the Associated Press' top-25 rankings, couldn't pull off an upset against No. 8 North Carolina, Graves was optimistic about where his team is at.

“I thought at times tonight we played really good basketball,” Graves said after the loss. “There were times tonight we played as good as I’ve ever had a team play here at the University of Oregon. We just didn’t sustain it for 40 minutes unfortunately, we had some lulls.

“I love coaching these guys. I already gave them a hard time, I said ‘you guys are killing my sleep because I don’t sleep at night, I’m excited to get up and have practice,’” Graves continued, noting that previous years haven’t held similar excitement.

Oregon took a hit before the season when senior Sedona Price hurt her elbow and was declared out for her final year with the Ducks. However, they have come together despite losing multiple key pieces to the WNBA draft and graduation. Their 85-79 loss to UNC was their first off the season.

“I am having a lot more fun than I think I’ve ever had, at least for a while anyway, with this team,” Graves said.

A part of some of the greatest teams he has ever had was when Sabrina Ionescu, who was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by New York Liberty in 2020, led the charge for the Ducks. She agreed to become an assistant for Graves earlier this year while she awaits the 2023 WNBA season's start next May.