Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted January 14 More coming later, but Oregon Mens Basketball was down 18 points at one point to Cal, and came back to win 80-73? Wow. 13-3 on the season, Baby! Jermaine Cousinard was the senior stud again making big shots and was the leading scorer with 18 points. Jadrian Tracy is a player emerging hitting the cold-blooded three in the final moments to seal the WSU victory, and now scored 14 tonight. (6-8 from the field!) N'Faly Dante scored eight points in his debut back with the Ducks from injury. Got some comments about the game? Give us your thoughts below! 1 4 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave23 No. 2 Share Posted January 14 A lot of points off the bench tonight with the Ducks showing they can win with a lot of different player combination. This team is different then part years in that it has great depth and Dana can ride the hot hand to the win. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicroBurst61 No. 3 Share Posted January 14 Well that was clunky, especially in the first half (-18! Really, Yikes!). But as they have all year NOT lost focus, made the adjustments needed, and toughed out another conference win. Dante definitely needs to "get in the groove" but did as expected and should work inside with more confidence as he gets up to speed Cousnard continues to be the team leader and Tracy is a nice compliment to whoever has the hot hand. Shelstad continues to work his freshman magic while Rigsby seems to be all over the court..looking for opportunity. This team has some playas' and they all seem to have an unselfish streak while starting to play very well together. They seem to believe in themselves and Never quit until the final horn. Hope to see continued growth and teamwork next week during the trip to the mountain schools. This could be a very good, almost dangerous, team going into the month of February. Go Quackers! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDuck No. 4 Share Posted January 14 The 5-0 start in the Pac12 is only the third time in 14 seasons for Altman. 7-0: 2012-13 in a 12-6 conference season 8-0: 2016-17, 16-2 And tonight WSU knocks off Arizona, after earlier loss this season to Ducks. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 5 Share Posted January 14 EUGENE, Ore. — Trailing by 18 late in the first half, the Oregon men's basketball team stormed all the way back to remain perfect at home this season and also in Pac-12 play by beating California in Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday, 80-73. Jermaine Couisnard had 18 points to lead the Ducks (13-3, 5-0 Pac-12), including a three-pointer just before halftime to cap a 16-2 run that cut Oregon's deficit to 43-39 at the break. They took the lead for good on a Kario Oquendo three-pointer at the 11:34 mark of the second half, rewarding a crowd of 6,748 that braved frigid temperatures around Eugene to see the UO men improve to 9-0 at home this season. "The crowd was great; I didn't know if we'd have anybody show up," UO coach Dana Altman said. "The students, people who came, that was one where, when you're down 18 and stuck in the mud like that, the crowd really picked us up. And we finally hit some shots, and finally got some stops." Jadrian Tracey had 14 points for the Ducks, and led all players with a plus-21 margin when he was on the court Saturday. Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jackson Shelstad each added 12 points, while starting post Mahamadou Diawara was plus-20 in his 19 minutes of action. Saturday's game also featured the return of UO post N'Faly Dante, who hadn't played since the season opener due to injury. He had eight points and two rebounds in his return for the Ducks, who remain the only unbeaten Pac-12 team in conference play at this point. "We gotta get used to playing with him, getting more movement when we throw the ball to him so they can't double him as easy," Altman said. "But defensively there late, he really did a good job." The Ducks' comeback from an 18-point deficit was the largest they've overcome in a win since digging out of a 19-point hole against Seton Hall on Nov. 27, 2019. Oregon had been 0-3 when trailing by double digits this season, having overcome an eight-point deficit to beat UTEP on Dec. 9. How It Happened: The teams went back and forth in the opening minutes, and it was tied 10-10 at the first official timeout when Dante entered the game for the first time. He had an emphatic two-handed dunk on the Ducks' next possession and bullied his way to the rim for another bucket on their net trip, tying it 14-14. But from there Cal took control with an 8-0 run. After Barthelemy broke that run with a three-pointer, the Golden Bears scored another five in a row to lead 27-17. Buckets continued to come in bunches for Cal, and ultimately Oregon's deficit was 41-23 with 3:57 left in the first half. "Just really disappointed, golly," said Altman, who called a timeout at that point. "Energy level was bad, they were getting whatever they wanted — 41 points in 16 minutes. It really had a bad feel to it. Jermaine did a great job getting guys going." Tracey scored out of the timeout, the first of six straight possessions to close the half on which the Ducks scored. Couisnard hit a three, Barthelemy pulled up for a jumper, Tracey hit a three and then Couisnard closed the half with back-to-back three-pointers that made it 43-39. Scoring in the second half opened with Tracey making a steal and driving all the way down for a dunk. "I just want to be energy for our team, give our team energy — talking, communicating," he said. "We had to pick up our talk a little bit, communicate more. That's what I was trying to do." The Ducks finally clawed into the lead on a Shelstad three-pointer that made it 46-45. Cal rallied back in front, before Oquendo's three gave Oregon the lead for good, and he drove the lane for a thunderous tomahawk slam on the next trip. He missed an and-one opportunity, but the Ducks got the rebound and Tracey scored the first two of what ended up being seven straight points by him for a 63-55 lead. Cal closed back within two a couple of times late, but with Oregon up 68-65 the Ducks got stops on six of Cal's next seven possessions. A 6-0 run by the UO men put them up 76-67, and they held on to win, holding Cal to 34.4 percent shooting in the second half after the Bears shot 54.8 percent in the first. Up Next: The Ducks play at Colorado on Thursday (7:30 p.m., FS1). Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 6 Share Posted January 14 Very impressed with the come back, but you can't let that happen against the teams they have coming up or else they'll be toast I think. Biggest thing that stood out today was the depth this team has. Evans has played really well recently but he had only 9 minutes, I hope there wasn't a injury I missed, it says something about the team when they can miss a guy like that and still come back from that deficit. You look at the bench and by the time they get Bittle back they'll be able to go 11 deep. Diawara probably is the guy that gets a significant reduction in minutes, but having an experienced 7 footer to fall back on would be sweet! I feel good with Tracey, Oquendo, Barthelemy, or even Cook on the floor, incredibly versatile. Last year we were starting Soares who couldn't shoot a lick, and now we have multiple wings who are straight up better than him. Dana has upgraded every position on the court either through guys getting healthy (Couisnard and Rigsby) or through additions, it's such a great thing to see that he's got his mojo back. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennsylvania Duck Moderator No. 7 Share Posted January 15 With major pieces returning, Dana Altman expects depth to be strength for Ducks Things were looking pretty grim early on in the season for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks. With two seasons of disappointment still weighing down a fanbase that wanted desperately to believe, injuries to star players thinned out the roster in familiar fashion. All-Pac-12 center N’Faly Dante was undergoing surgery on his knee; Nate Bittle was sidelined with a potential season-ending wrist injury; 5-star freshman Jackson Shelstad saw his debut delayed because of an injury; freshman Mookie Cook continued to rehab from a preseason injury; and veteran guard Jesse Zarzuela was ruled out for the year with an ankle injury. Read article when Bittle expected to return... Oregon Basketball: Dana Altman expects Ducks to lean heavily on depth DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM With some of their best players returning from injuries, Oregon Ducks head coach expects the team to rely on that depth going... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 8 Share Posted January 15 13-3 with the injury outs is darned impressive. Projects to a Tourney spot for certain. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GangGreen2 No. 9 Share Posted January 15 They aren't blowing anybody out, but this team is resilient, and is showing they know how to win. To be where they are without Dante, Bittle, and Cook for so long . . . is nothing short of amazing. I'm excited about the talent sprinkled all over this team, and how well they are playing together. It is even a bit unique in that there is no "he's the guy" kind of player . . . though I suppose Couisnard comes closest to that distinction (and Shelstad is the evolving Robin to his Batman); because of this, other teams can't really focus on one player to shut down. The Ducks MBB have eight active players that average about 8 points a game or more, and adding Bittle back would make that nine . . . .and Mookie Cook hasn't scratched the surface yet of what he's capable of. Spreading the wealth on offense is a strength, and any of these players could "go off" for a big game. We can sit back for a moment and enjoy this ride. Things will get even more "real" when the Ducks face Colorado, Utah, and the Arizona schools in the next couple of weeks. That stretch will be a bit more revealing just how solid this team actually is. But so far, Dana and Co. has them playing better than expected and they are in a great spot right now! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjenn99 No. 10 Share Posted January 15 We can start talking AFTER the Colorado game. Boulder is the bugaboo every year. The rotation should be settled by the halfway point of the PAC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllOregon No. 11 Share Posted January 15 Dare we say grit? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Rocks No. 12 Share Posted January 15 I am totally amazed by this team. Each person on this team contributes. They play hard. I think this game was a combination of coming off a emotional win at WSU, playing a less opponent and integrating Dante into the line-up. They had a slow start but made adjustments. As has been the case with this team, they found a way to win. I couldn't watch this game due to having no power, but was fun to listen to. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 13 Share Posted January 16 On 1/15/2024 at 3:26 PM, Sandy Rocks said: I am totally amazed by this team. Each person on this team contributes. They play hard. I think this game was a combination of coming off a emotional win at WSU, playing a less opponent and integrating Dante into the line-up. They had a slow start but made adjustments. As has been the case with this team, they found a way to win. I couldn't watch this game due to having no power, but was fun to listen to. When I think about it, the game was actually kind of perfect for the situation, they got complacent against bad team, they got down by a ton, didn't panic, worked their way back, got Dante in against a good opposite center who will can shoot outside which we will see in this upcoming road trip, and in the end they were taught to expect a dog fight in every game during the league season. Overall I've loved all of Altman's teams except for the last two years, so this is such a joy to see a team playing with the same spirit we've come to expect from Dana's teams. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
