Charles Fischer

Nope. You are helping some of us better rationalize our unfounded, unbridled, and uncontrolled enthusiasm for the future.

Ducks Knock Off No. 7 Arizona In OT EUGENE, Ore. — Down by 17 late in the third quarter, the Oregon women's basketball team stormed back to force overtime and then beat No. 7 Arizona on a last-second shot by Endyia Rogers for a 68-66 victory Saturday before 7,944 fans in Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks (9-5, 2-1 Pac-12) were playing their first game of the season with their full roster available, and they got contributions up and down the lineup. Te-Hina Paopao led Oregon with a career-high 24 points, Nyara Sabally had a 20-point night that included the basket to force overtime, and Sedona Prince returned from a two-game absence to jumpstart the Ducks' comeback in the fourth quarter. "I'm just really proud of the grit, the toughness," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "We got it done, and that's a huge win for us. "I think we showed some real character. We have it in us and when we were tested, they came through." How It Happened: Down 54-37 late in the third quarter, the Ducks salvaged the final two scoring possessions of the period to enter the fourth trailing 54-41. It was a different game from that point on. With Phillipina Kyei and Chanaya Pinto providing a spark on the defensive end, Prince went to work with two early buckets and Paopao hit a three-pointer to cap a 7-0 run that got Oregon within 54-48. After the Wildcats ended the run with a three, Prince hit two more jumpers and Sabally added a free throw, and it was 57-53. Arizona's Shaina Pellington hit a tough fadeaway jumper late in the shot clock for a 59-53 lead with 2:22 left, but the Wildcats didn't score again in regulation. Paopao got to the basket and Prince followed with two second-chance points to make it a one-possession game, and Sabally tied it with 11 seconds left, between two clutch defensive stops. "We came together and we focused on just getting one stop at a time, one bucket at a time, executing every play," Prince said. "And that's what we did." Sabally scored after the Ducks got another defensive stop to open overtime, and Oregon's 61-59 lead was its first since the opening quarter. Arizona rallied to lead by one, but Paopao got to the rim again for a 64-63 lead and Rogers put the Ducks up three with two free throws. Arizona's ninth three-pointer of the day was by Bendu Yeaney with 16 seconds left in overtime, tying it 66-66. Coming out of a timeout, Rogers inbounded from in front of the UO bench to Prince, got the ball back and drove the baseline. From there Rogers kicked to Sydney Parrish, and though her three-pointer was off, Prince tipped the ball to Rogers and the junior guard — who was 1-of-10 shooting on the day until that point — made a short baseline jumper with less than a second left. "I didn't lose any confidence or anything," Rogers said. "Today wasn't my day. But I made a big shot to win the game." As a team the Ducks were off the mark offensively early Saturday, missing their first six shots. They trailed 17-15 after the first quarter and 38-27 at halftime, and had just two assists on seven made field goals through two quarters. Arizona led 54-41 after the third quarter, at which point the Ducks were 11-of-35 shooting and 1-of-8 from three-point range; that the Ducks managed to go a perfect 18-of-18 from the free-throw line in the first three quarters played a huge part in keeping them within reach of a comeback bid. "We didn't want to lose the game," Rogers said. "And we showed that." Who Stood Out: Paopao overcame an illness that bothered her throughout the game to go 8-of-14 shooting on her way to 24 points, and Sabally added 20 points with 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Prince finished with 16 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Not to be overlooked was the energy of Pinto, who went scoreless in 17 minutes off the bench but with whom the Ducks were plus-15 on the scoreboard when she was on the court — nearly all of the fourth quarter and overtime. "We put it all together — we executed offensively, and then I thought the game was won at the defensive end — and she was a huge part of that," Graves said. What It Means: Having battled through injuries and other absences all season, the Ducks finally had their full roster Saturday. Playing one of last year's Final Four teams for the third time this season, they looked every bit up to that level of competition — and built momentum before facing the fourth of last year's Final Four teams, UConn, on Monday. "We needed this," Graves said. "We really needed this win." Notable: Former UO guard Sabrina Ionescu attended the game and sat courtside. ... Oregon transfer Taylor Chavez played six scoreless minutes for Arizona in the game. ... The comeback was Oregon's biggest in a victory since March 2016, against Texas El-Paso. Up Next: The Ducks host UConn on Monday (2 p.m., ESPN2).

With the rapid changes in college football and life....so am I!

Could both basketball teams be jelling? Pretty big wins! UConn next? Routine.

Absolutely. When Mario does it--it is sleazy. When Lanning does it--it is smart recruiting. Tough to shave in the morning when I have two-faces.... 🙂

The article makes a good point...we lost some when Mario left, and these would be sweet. Which one would YOU want? Dan Lanning Takes Aim at Pair of Georgia Recruits, Attempting Flip to Oregon by Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire Jordan James is actually a verbal commitment to the Bulldogs! (He's a Rivals 4-Star!)

I do hope they check out Texas, ATM, and the others as well! Ducks Probed by NCAA for Relationship With Third-Party NIL Program by Jared Mack of 247

Look at the long background of coaching by this fellow they are bringing into the background staff at Oregon. A ton of acquired knowledge is what strikes me about this resume'... REPORT: Lanning Adding Central Washington OC Zach Tinker in Off-Field Role by Erik Skopil of 247

If Brown makes it in the NFL...I will eat one of the 30 Duck hats I have. He cannot see the entire field, does not go through progressions and panics under pressure. Very poor pocket presence and got sacked too often when he should not have. I do not see it...

You are right Grandpa Duck, as he is not yet on the team. We can speak ill of their performance, but cannot get personal on a current player--and he is not one. I agree with you, that he could hurt the team chemistry if he joined us. Or he could reject the new culture and just be another stop on his long college tour.

I LOVE this! Can't smile enough at Husky troubles...especially when other people describe them better than I!

I was wondering if any of you think that any of the assistant coaches at Oregon might want the HC job at Hawaii? Hawaii Coach Todd Graham Resigns Amid Claims of 'Verbal Abuse' by Players; Cites Family and Health Reasons by David Cobb of CBS Sports

This will make you want to hurl, but it is a short article. More talk and it won't actually be implemented...meanwhile the culture at Oregon was deteriorating, IMHO. Thoughts? Miami's Mario Cristobal Details Challenge of Rebuilding Hurricanes by Austin Nivison of 247 Sports

Ha! I heard the joke a different way....that people in Alabama say, "well at least we are not Mississippi!"

Another component in all of this is Verdell's injury; when he went down...Dye had accepted a "No. 2" role in the offense. Not now. He feels he has earned the "featured back" title, and if Verdell stays... And since I doubt he is NFL material--this last year is it for him and he has to make the most of NIL and his college experience. And that might not be at Oregon. But I will love him for what he did this last year!

I imagine we will know the real reason eventually, but I cannot help but wonder if he did not mesh with the new RB coach, or perhaps did not like hearing how, "every job is open" and he has to win the spot back again? Or with Verdell returning--he doesn't want to split time? Maybe he is showing his hand to allow other RBs to make a better decision? I agree with David Marsh; it makes my heart hurt. Nobody exemplifies "Ducks" like Travis, so I guess the legacy will Dye after all.

He is leaving a 10 win team that has superb upside for next year; where is he going to go and "be-the-man" where the same opportunity exists? I am running out of players I can put in my background photo for the forum that shows up on Desktops. Can't use Brown, or Devon Williams, or Mykael Wright and now not Dye?

I can't get into it, so if anyone wanted to summarize...that would be nice. Thanks. (Don't copy and paste it!)

Kayvon Thibodeaux Shares His Big Problem with Nick Saban’s Recruiting Pitch by Larry Brown of Larry Brown Sports OK...first there was this article above that 30Duck posted with Thibs thoughts about Saban and Alabama Greg McElroy Fires Back at Kayvon Thibodeaux over Alabama Education Remarks by Erin Walsh of Bleacher Report Then former Alabama QB Greg McElroy fires back? (Above) But it gets worse....(below) And more tweets and 'disses!

OK...I am not a big fan of his ramblings about his travels while a game is going on. But this is funny... Bill Walton Explains the Tinder Portal on Oregon-UCLA ESPN Broadcast by Matt Clapp of Awful Announcing

I plan to do some study of his prior performances in the off-season, but this did surprise me. (And he has two years of eligibility?) ESPN tabs Oregon QB Bo Nix as Ducks' Top 'Instant-Impact Newcomer' by Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire

THAT is the perfect question that I am going to copy and see what I can do with.... 🙂

Dillon Brooks willed the team to victory so many times, and the current Ducks need someone to do the same. Is that going to be Richardson?

(Press Release to Credentialed Media from Oregon Athletics) LOS ANGELES — A momentous night in the career of Dana Altman was made all the more so by the circumstances of the game. Altman coached his 700th career Division-I victory Thursday, and it came in an 84-81 overtime upset for the Oregon men's basketball team over No. 3 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. The Ducks squandered a six-point lead in the final 44 seconds of regulation but got six points from Jacob Young and five from Will Richardson in overtime to hand the Bruins their second loss of the season. The Ducks (10-6, 3-2 Pac-12) won their fourth straight game, behind 23 points from Young to lead six scorers in double figures. His turnover led to the game-tying basket late in regulation, but he atoned with two tiebreaking buckets in overtime and a third that put Oregon up 83-79 with 24 seconds left. "I'm really proud of the way they fought back," said Altman, whose first career D-I win was with Marshall in 1989-90. "They fought through it. We haven't fought through adversity throughout the year. But we sure showed some growth tonight. How It Happened: Down 35-30 at halftime, the Ducks found their stroke from three-point range and used an 11-0 run to go ahead 46-37 in the opening minutes of the second half. UCLA fought back into a tie with 9:16 to go, but a three-point play by De'Vion Harmon gave Oregon a 64-58 advantage with 6:49 left, and the lead remained six inside the final minute. That's when things turned sour for the Ducks. The Bruins closed within four on two free throws, then used a UO turnover and two offensive rebounds to set up two more free throws and close within 73-71. Oregon inbounded with 21 seconds left and Young tried to throw a pass from his own baseline to a teammate underneath the basket, where Jaylen Clark made a steal and sunk the game-tying hoop. For a UO men's team whose losses this season included an overtime defeat to Arizona State and a three-point loss at Stanford, the script was starting to feel familiar. "We had a couple games where we hit a hump in the game, and we didn't really get over that hump," Richardson said. "We're a new team, and we weren't used to that yet. Last game (at Oregon State on Monday), winning that tough game on the road, it gave us confidence we could fight adversity. And we did that tonight." The Ducks never trailed in overtime. The two teams went back-and-forth in the opening minutes, with Richardson hitting two go-ahead baskets and Young adding two more. But after UCLA had managed to tie the game after each of the first three, the Ducks got two stops on defense and then the Bruins missed two potential game-tying free throws before Young's third basket in overtime made it 83-79. The Bruins did manage to answer that one, getting within 83-81 with 11 seconds left. Richardson made the second of two free throws at the other end for an 84-81 lead, and that held up as the final score when two desperation three-point attempts by UCLA were off the mark. "Really happy for the team," said Altman, the stoic UO coach who allowed himself a smile on the court postgame. "It's been a frustrating period for all of us. As a coach, a teacher, you want your guys to perform well. We've been doing C and D work, and we should be doing A and B work. As a coach, a teach, that's frustrating; for players it's frustrating. (But) they really responded tonight. Who Stood Out: Young had 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting, and Richardson added 16 points with three rebounds. N'Faly Dante was solid in the post with 12 points and seven rebounds, and Eric Williams Jr. finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Quincy Guerrier added 11 points with six boards, and Harmon also reached double figures with 10 points. What It Means: Not only did the Ducks get Altman his 700th win, but they continued to show signs of what has been a trend for Oregon men's basketball under Altman, that being steady improvement throughout the season — and particularly once Pac-12 play begins. "The whole team's just coming along," Richardson said. "It's just fun, exciting." Richardson said the Ducks' team chemistry has improved through recent COVID disruptions, and said he wasn't certain why that was the case. But Altman said he had an idea. "We've been getting some great leadership from Will," Altman said. "He's keeping the guys together, and really talking to them." Up Next: The Ducks play at No. 5 USC on Saturday (8 p.m., FS1).

Or..."what is the upside, the potential of the trenches?" We don't want to chase him off!