NJDuck Moderator No. 1 Share Posted March 24 I need to say I am very proud of this team in what they had accomplished in spite of the adversities they faced this year. Sadden to see Jackson Shelstad going down with a knee injury late in the game. The Oregon Ducks had the makings of a team that could really make some noise in March. They had the shooting guard who reached flamethrower status, and the dominant center who was putting up double-doubles at ease. They were severely under-seeded thanks to a lackluster regular season that was plagued with injuries. They got hot and quickly became the team that nobody wanted to see in their quadrant of the NCAA Tournament bracket. They had the look of a team that not only could turn heads in the round of 32 and Sweet 16, but potentially dance deeper into the tournament, threatening for a spot in Elite 8. What they didn’t have, though, was support. Oregon’s magical run got unceremoniously cut short on Saturday night after what was quite possibly their most impressive game of the year. If you didn’t stay up until 1 a.m. on the East Coast, you’ll see a box score that reads 86-73, Creighton, in double-overtime. If you did stay up, though, then you witnessed two of the best performances from Oregon players in program history. N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard were special, combining for 60 of the team’s 73 points, and all but two of the Ducks’ points from halftime to the final whistle. The rest of the team? Different story. It left Oregon just short of an historic win, and much heartbreak at the end of the season. Here are some of our biggest takeaways from the night as a whole: Oregon Basketball: Lack of support cuts Ducks’ dance short DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM The Oregon Ducks fell short of a March Madness upset for the ages in double-overtime against Creighton, despite legendary performances. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDuck Author Moderator No. 2 Share Posted March 24 Dana Altman, N'Faly Dante, and Jadrian Tracey talk end-of-season loss in NCAA Tournament Following a tough 86-73 loss in the NCAA Tournament's second round to No. 3 seed Creighton in double-overtime, Oregon head coach Dana Altman, senior N'Faly Dante, and junior Jadrian Tracey spoke with the media about the loss and how their season was turned around late to make the NCAA Tournament. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDuck Author Moderator No. 3 Share Posted March 24 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 4 Share Posted March 24 Creighton survives upset bid by No. 11 Oregon in 2OTs WWW.YARDBARKER.COM PITTSBURGH -- Steven Ashworth scored 21 points and ignited the game-winning, 15-point run to propel No. 3 seed Creighton to an 86-73 win over No. 11 seed Oregon in double overtime in the... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 5 Share Posted March 24 The Best and Worst from Day 3 of March Madness WWW.SBNATION.COM A pair of overtime games in Pittsburgh highlighted the first day of second round action in the 2024 NCAA tournament. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseKwacker No. 6 Share Posted March 24 Hat off to Dante and Couisnard. What an incredible run for the two seniors. Boy, was I wrong about Dante early this season. What I'd seen from him throughout his career to that point was a guy with a marvelous body who made many successful plays around the basket despite poor hands and bad footwork. Boy, did he prove me wrong. In retrospect, I'm guessing that he was just not fully in shape after having so many injuries throughout his first four years as a Duck. As I watched him outplay guys like UCLA's Bona and Arizona's Ballo, I wonder why Dante's not on anybody's NBA mock draft as a second round pick. On rebounding and defense alone, the guy's better than almost every backup big man on NBA rosters, IMO. What can you say about Couisnard? He had a lull in performance near the end of the regular season, but, once the PAC12 tournament started, he's really turned it on. Like Dante, I can't imagine that there's not a place for him on an NBA roster (see Jaime Jaquez). While his three-point shot is a bit inconsistent, his ability to take his man to the hoop and "bully" the ball into the hoop is truly remarkable. I think his game will translate well at the next level. Beyond those two, though, the moment seemed too big for the rest of the guys on the offensive end of the floor last night. Defensively, Tracy is a tenacious defender. I hope he returns next year. Shelstad has had an up-and-down season as a scorer, but he's a willing defender, a solid foul shooter, and provides excellent ball handling at the point. By way of comparison, I think his freshman season has easily been better that Pritchard's. He should be much improved next year. Hopefully, Evans will return next season. He needs to learn to play faster and add some muscle. He's got tremendous up side. Rigsby gives you decent minutes off the bench; nothing more. And, Oquendo will likely transfer out. He was constantly in Altman's "doghouse" for poor defensive play, and his offense was basically limited to explosive drives to the hoop with his right-hand dribble. For me, the key loss of the season was Barthelemy. During the first half of the season, he seemed a bit lost on the bench. At times, he even seemed to be sulking on the bench--presumably because he'd been supplanted by Shelstad as the lead point guard. Then, when Shelstad hit the "freshman wall" a bit during the middle of the season, Barthelemy came off the bench with a couple of really good games where he helped close out wins. At the end of the season, I think he would have made a tremendous difference as a tested, capable sixth man. As to Bittle, Cook and Zarzuela, I don't think you can say the team missed their contributions since none of them played more than a few minutes all season. I really hope Cook decides to return next year as Bittle has indicated he will. This season has again demonstrated what has made Altman such a successful coach--particularly in the late season--over the years. He is a defensive coaching genius. His multiple defensive schemes are extremely effective, but it typically takes his players a good part of the season to work out how to play together within that system of near constant switches. When he gets a group that can also play together on the offensive end, it's golden. Can't wait for next year. 1 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triphibius No. 7 Share Posted March 24 Although Dana Altman lent some credibility to the thesis of Zach Neil's article, I respectfully disagree. Tracey and Rigsby made significant contributions with their defense, and occasional offensive plays. Shelstad did not have his shooting touch, but he handled the ball well, and played hard and fairly successfully on defense. It would have been nice if Evans or Shelstad had provided more scoring, but the former played like a nervous freshman and the latter's inconsistency is nothing new. Oregon could have and probably would have won despite the dependence on Dante and Cousinard had it not been for Shelstad's injury. His presence on the floor in the last two minute and overtime would have made a big difference. Shelstad's absence meant: 1) Cousinard had to be the primary ball handler, which contributed to his exhaustion and no doubt affected the play selection; 2) Evans lost the best target for the crucial inbound pass; 3) Creighton's point guard scored ten points in the overtimes when he was no longer being guarded by Shelstad. If I remember the video replay correctly, Shelstad was off balance and vulnerable to the being injured because the opposing guard pushed him. No foul was called. My thanks and compliments to the players and coaches for all they have overcome and achieved this season, despite the many obstacles and setbacks. . 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDuck Author Moderator No. 8 Share Posted March 24 Multiple Ducks committed to running it back next season, but a few remain uncertain of their future at Oregon Starters like Jackson Shelstad and Jadrian Tracey are committed to returning to Oregon, but other Ducks remain up in the air. Multiple Ducks committed to running it back next season, but a few remain uncertain of their future at Oregon 247SPORTS.COM Starters like Jackson Shelstad and Jadrian Tracey are committed to returning to Oregon, but other Ducks remain up in the air. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 9 Share Posted March 24 There’s probably some truth to play-by-play comments regarding JC slowing the tempo past half court in order to catch a breather. Irregardless of how effective those minutes might be, when you’ve four players unable to spell the others, a DOT play-off game means you’re going to run out of gas. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Rocks No. 10 Share Posted March 24 Dillon Brooks told the duck players to leave no cards on the table and they didn't. They gave and gave until there was nothing left in the tank. Creighton didn't really win, Oregon just ran out of gas. Until that point they were winning and if Cousinard's shot had gone in at the end of regulation, they would have won. It has been so discouraging to see all the injuries the last three years but in the end they overcame all that. Altman is an incredible coach. He can recruit, develop and coach players. He is a proven commodity. Hopefully next year he can find some good transfers or freshman to start again. He has the beginnings of a good team with Shelstad, Tracy, Biddle, Cook, Rigsby and hopefully Evans, who is not ready for the NBA. Of course he wants to explore his options but I hope he returns. Batholomy may be able to return, I hope he does. Overall I look forward to another great year from Altman. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
