Sandy Rocks

I wish Mookie Cook, from Portland, could break into the rotation. I haven't got to see him enough to know how he plays. I hope he doesn't transfer out.

What an ending. How many teams have a 7 foot center who shoots threes and free throws not to mention all the other things he does. He had several big plays in this game. I loved the block he did where he blocked and bounced it off the opponent. If the ducks play like they did in this game the sky's the limit. Good effort by all and the defense was stellar.

The defense seems good in this game, especially the three pointers. The shooting has imported in the second half and they got it down to two but Ohio State is getting everything in but Biddle has hit some threes. I really like their effort, it may not pay off in this game but if they keep it.they will steal some.

When the ducks won the early season tournament where they beat Alabama, it was because of Bamba. He actually was the MVP for the tournament. It's perplexing why he stopped playing that way, like someone said, it appears to be more than a slump. The team does appear to be more focused on the road which sure not typical of most teams.

The ducks almost seem more focused away from home then in Eugene. If they can consistently hit shots the skys the limit. They alway play good defense. You can go far in the tournament with a two or three seed.

I respectfully disagree about the comment regarding Pritchard and Shelstad. This is only the second year for Shelstad. Pritchard needed all four years to get as good as he was. I believe that Shelstad is equally good as Pritchard at this point. He gets a lot of assists and he is playing with a much deeper team than Pritchard ever had. It hasn't been easy with all this depth to figure out each player's roles and rotation. Shelstad has to manage all that. I am so pleased that Biddle is getting the attention he deserves, I always felt people were way too harsh with him in the past.

Good game, they really balanced back and played hard in the second half. Shelstad had an excellent game, the announcers said that he had a look in his eye that he wasn't going to lose. I wish I could have watched it but at least hopefully I can watch the replay on the BIG channel. I think it is criminal that the BIG didn't have the conference game on their channel. It's okay with preseason games, they don't matter as much. It's all about the money. You can't pay to see all these games. It's hard to keep track of the game when you can't watch what is happening. There was a first for me in this game, a technical when Maryland asked for a time out when they didn't have one, they stupidly took one earlier when they really didn't need it. That's on the coach.

The ducks are really playing well in the second half. Finally getting the shots to fall but that is result of their excellent defense. I wish I could watch it. At least with the old PAC-12 station you could watch all the conference games. It's disgusting that I can't watch it since it is such a good game. This is the way the ducks have to play each game. They can't let up. It's going to be tough but at the end of the season they will be battle-hardened.

That virus is out there making people really sick. I first heard about it from family down in California and now it's moved up this way. I haven't had it but I understand it much worse than the typical flu.

Fans can get so spoiled having high caliber players each season that they can become like the SEC and Ohio State and want to can their coach just because they have a bad game or they don't reaching the finals. Fans forget that one of the key jobs of a "coach" is to coach. A good coach is like a good teacher, The students/players should grow in their skills over time, becoming ready for the next level in their journey. The best players want to improve their skills and know they need that help especially if they want to play professionally. I like being able to get to know the players and watch them grow both as person and an athlete. When they only play one year it's hard to see that. As fans and the university we serve them best when they have more time. The teams that do well in the playoffs especially in basketball are the ones with older, more mature players. Wanting your team to always be on top is probably not a sustainable goal.

Sometimes you need a butt whipping to get your head on straight. I really thought they had the experience on this team that they wouldn't have these kinds of games, I guess I was wrong. Irregardless, I will support all duck teams whatever may come like I have done for many years. The bb team will bounce back, I have faith in them.

Something needs to happen. Teams that won their conference were punished by this system. It's like rolling a boulder from one hill to the next. The momentum of the boulder coming down the hill allows it to partially get up the next hill. Under this system the boulder sits at the bottom of the hill and it takes a lot of effort to push it up the next hill. Highly seeded teams need to play against the lower seeds, they have earned that right. They have also earned the right to play in front of their fans. Oregon got neither. They should have lost the championship, it would have benefited them more. You know something is really screwed up when you realize that.

Tez is a really special person. He gained a lot from his brother, Bo who is also a class act.

Shelstad hit some threes in the last game, one from NBA range. He and Bamba, and Bathalamy can hit the threes when they are hot. Tracy also is good with threes. They don't even need to shoot threes because they are so good at getting to the basket. The ball handling is getting really good, wonderful passing and the turnovers are decreasing. They are really fun to watch.

Yes this team is really good and more pieces keep falling into place. Shelstad is starting to score consistently, Moss had a good game, Bamba is coming out of his slump. It must be hard to manage all this talent but Altman appears to have found the way. He has so many combinations of players. No one appears to be playing more than twenty minutes so it keeps the players fresh. So many of the problems like penalties, free throws or turnovers are not a problem for this team. They are playing loose, fast and efficient ball. They are well worth watching.

Changing coaches does not accomplish anything. Oregon is as good as they are because they don't change coaches each time things go sour. Lanning is a young coach. He will learn and adapt.

Byes are no reward. Due to the holidays the ducks had almost a month off, it's too long. It was heartwarming to see ASU play so well. They did the old PAC proud and showed that they can play with the big boys. Although Texas is not that good. They will lose badly to OSU. The ducks are going to have to do some major soul searching. They need to evaluate what went wrong and fix those problems. Not an easy thing to do. On a positive note, our basketball team is playing a ranked team tonight at home. They are playing really well and fun to watch.

Years ago the NCAA tournament had byes for the top teams. During the early 80's Oregon State was the number one seed, they then had to play in the second round. They were also undefeated. They lost. Byes are no reward. Teams lose momentum. The engine goes cold and it's hard to get back to that peak performance that you attained during the season. I think that is why the tournaments eliminated the byes. Not that the bye was the main reason for this loss, I am sure there are many other factors the ducks need to address.

Thanks for the great games. You played well and I hate to see it end this way.

Those receivers that have not been respected need to feed on that disrespect and show they also can play big boy football. There was a reason that Oregon won before, there is a reason why they will win again.

I worry about the rust too. The ducks play best when they go out and score immediately, They don't want to get behind Ohio State. I agree about being number one. What advantage did Oregon gain? They didn't get to play at home, they have had to wait an eternity for this game and they get to play in a championship quality game in their first time out of the chute. It would have been better to lose. Would a top seeded SEC team have to chart a similar course? I wonder.

I liken the ducks this year to the age old story of "The Tortoise and The Hare." Most of the teams like Ohio State are running around this year thinking they are the best, making all kinds of arrogant statements and actions. Seeking the attention, rankings and awards. What are the ducks doing? They are methodical and steady. They haven't been caught up in any of the controversies. They don't complain, even though they have lots to complain about this year. They just put their hard hat on and grab their lunch pail and go to work just like the Tortoise of old. The eight games playing with no bye and all that travel, they made this team tough, resilient and focused. I believe they will win the race because of that but I guess we will see.

That is a really great article, I didn't think ESPN had it in them. Going from Bo Nix to Dillion Gabriel was completely seamless. We have been so fortunate to have two such outstanding quarterbacks over the last three seasons. You could get really spoiled. They both are so mature and focused.

This team just wears their opponents down with their depth and defense. The swarming defense never ends.

This team gained a huge amount of confidence from beating Ohio State before. They are not the same team that played last October. They have become a poised, confident, methodical machine. I am concerned about the long break. It's great that they are healthy but my greatest worry is that they will come out sluggish. They need to score right away and maintain the lead. No one can catch them in that situation. I think I saw a statistic that Lanning is 25-0 when the team scores first. They need to be ready and aggressive, keep the pedal to the medal all four quarters if they do that and they still lose they will have given everything. No shame in that.