GeotechDuck

MSU is a really, really good team. Their guards are elite and put so much pressure on the defense. It is difficult to stay in front of them, resulting in help defense, which led to Oregon being out of position on shots and a ton of offensive rebounds. Their hustle is insane. It seems like they got every 50/50 ball. They have a legit shot at a Final 4.

Wheels are coming off. Just feels like the talent gap is too large. Hopefully they can make some shots and get this back to single digits.

Yeah...agree that this is Oregon's major issue. At the guard/wing position especially, you have a bunch of players that are good in 1 to 2 areas, but have some limitations. Bamba is an elite defender and rebounds well, but for most of the season has been a liability on offense, shooting around 35% from the floor. Key is a solid shooter and can fill it up, but his size is an issue on defense. Moss is a good defender, but a liability on offense. Tracey is an average D1 player on both ends. Shelstad is giving up size and can be inconsistent on offense When Oregon runs into a team like MSU that has really good guards that can play both ends of the floor, they are going to struggle.

Wow. MSU is elite. Surprised Oregon stayed in this one as long as they did. MSU is so active on defense, can score at any position on the floor, and gets every 50/50 ball. They crash the glass and make good plays. The gap, especially at the guard position, between these two teams is massive and very apparent.

If Bamba can play like that going forward, they might have something. That was an outstanding game for him.

Oregon has 40 FGA, while Indiana has 54 FGA. Difficult to win games turning the ball over and giving the opposition 14 more shots. They need to start taking care of the ball. If they can do that, they should be okay.

While Oregon has won 7 in a row, I still think this team has a moderate ceiling. They work extremely hard, so they have that going for them. However, they have a bunch of players that are good a 1 or 2 things and not a lot of complete players on the roster, outside of Bittle. Shelstad and Evans should be on the list, but they need to be more consistent. I really believe this might be Dana's second best coaching year ever (behind winning 20 games in his first year at Oregon). I am amazed that he was able to get these guys to a point where they are consistently winning games. IIRC, Altman has never lost a first round of 64 game in the NCAA tournament, even as a double-digit seed, so you know they will be prepared for that game. However, I don't see a deep run in the tourney. You need great guard / wing play in March on both ends of the floor to advance. Who is that for Oregon? Shelstad is very inconsistent, but clutch. Key is awesome on offense, but a liability on defense because of his size. Bamba is the opposite - excellent on defense, but a subpar shooter. Moss is also a good defender, but not a someone that is going to fill it up. Tracey is average on both ends, but not elite. Unless Shelstad goes full "Tyler Dorsey March Mode", I don't see how this team gets past the Sweet 16. I think that is probably the ceiling.

Looks like we are playing the winner of the Indiana vs osu2 game

Well....I guess it is an improvement from the calling us the University of Oregon Beavers.

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The difference right now is defense and rebounding. What a huge improvement since the 5 game skid. Tonight they shot 39% from the floor and 24% from three and still won by 9. That translates to solid defense, dominating the glass, and making FTs. All the little things. If they can keep that up, they are going to win games in the tourney. Bamba almost shot 40% tonight. Almost. If they could just get him to be consistently at 40%, that might be good enough come tourney time. He is flat out shutting guys down on defense.

The best part about this win is that USC might be joining UW and watching the BIG tournament on TV. I hope they lose out and have to stay home with the Huskies.

How Angel is starting over Evans right now is one of the biggest mysteries in the entire Universe.

Did Oregon just secure a 1st round bye in the B1G tourney? I think they are 2 games ahead of OSU for the final bye spot, with two games to play, but hold the tiebreak?

Nice to have the lead at half. Would be nice to connect on a few of those deep balls, but overall good effort after sleeping through the first 5 minutes.

That would be awesome, especially since my wife is a diehard AZ Wildcat fan.

IMO, we have 3 pretty well rounded players in Bittle, Shelstad, and Evans that could likely earn starting rolls with several other BIG teams. Key and Tracey are on the fringe and maybe could find a starting spot somewhere, but are more 6th man type of players. The rest of the roster is filled with players that do 1 or 2 things well, but are liabilities in other areas. Altman has done an amazing job fitting those pieces together to create some balance and getting the most out of this team.

Altman is amazing. He once won 20 games when Joevan Catron was the best player on the roster. He should be in the Hall of Fame just for that.

💯. I’ve been pretty critical of Bamba’s shooting for months, but he was a lock down defender today. He did an excellent job.

I think it is amazing what Altman has done with this bunch. You essentially have a bunch of players that are good in one area of the game and not very many pieces that are “complete players”. Bittle and Shelstad are the closest things to “complete players” but can be streaky and inconsistent at times.

And they played defense like they wanted to win in the second half. They forced 17 turnovers and shut down their scorers. If they gave that kind of effort on the defensive end every game, they might be in the top 4 in the conference standings. Let’s hope they figure it out.

Evans has been a real bright spot the last month or so. He had a lot of Angel’s typical minutes in the second half today and I think the team played better with him on the floor. IMO, Oregon needs Evans to continue to play like that and take that spot on the floor in order to make a run in March. If Angel is not making 6-8 shots a game or consistently getting to the line, then he is not adding a ton of value when in the game. I think an announcer said it best about a week ago. Angel is not a great athlete, but he is a very good basketball player. That sums it up perfectly, and is the reason he struggles on the defensive end.

Wow. What a second half. Now if we can just play like that for an entire game, we might have something!!

So much better in the second half. Win or lose, nice job to hang in there.

This is hard to watch. Oregon is getting murdered inside. Bittle had ZERO rebounds and three fouls the first half? ZERO? As Randy Moss would say, “Com’on man!” Angel has no points, no rebounds and a turnover. Ouch. Bamba shooting around his typical game average at 1-4 from the floor, but at least he plays defense, I guess? Once again as a team, poor play on defense, losing responsibility, out of position, and giving up 50%+ shooting. On offense, settling for contested jumpers. The one bright spot is Evans. He missed a couple shots, but had 5 rebounds, an offensive rebound, a huge block and a couple of nice takes and buckets. Gotta get that kid into the starting lineup and get him 24+ minutes a game. Tracey playing well too. I would leave him on the floor right now. I can’t believe this is a 12 point game right now. Should be 20+, but Wisconsin can’t buy a three. Hopefully, Dana turns some tables and chairs over in the locker room at half and they decide to defend a little bit in the second half.