Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted January 8, 2023 While last night was a great win for Oregon, it bode well to me in terms of the team moving to where we thought they could become at the beginning of the season. Dana was messing with the media recently when he said that they was no timeline on the players injured returning to action. I let out a big groan reading that, thinking that perhaps Bittle's injury might be for the season, and the others would be prolonged long enough to where the season was lost before the players returned and got into game-shape. Then both Jermaine Couisnard and Nate Bittle played at Colorado, and against Utah really helped the team. I love the hustle plays and rebounds Bittle gets, and he is showing more athleticism under the basket already. Frankly with the poor shooting of Soares, I would prefer seeing Bittle playing more--agree? Now I understand what was explained early on when Couisnard was signed; he truly can play the point well and allow Richardson to be in a better position to shoot threes and drive. And Jermaine can shoot well himself. To me, this is going to expand the offense enormously, and thus gives the team a chance to flourish in time to make the 'Dance. Thoughts? Jermaine Couisnard 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graziani93 No. 2 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I agree with you Charles, we're finally getting a peek at what could be with this team with some of the injured guys returning to help. I just hope it's not too late as it looks like they'll have to win a majority of their remaining 15 conference games (probably have to win 10 or 11 of them to be in the tourney conversation). I was fortunate enough to take a trip to Canada this fall to see 3 of the 5 exhibition games these Ducks played before the season. With a full complement of guys, we actually looked very good. Couisnard is a great slasher who can take it to the basket (just needs to finish at the rim though). Barthelemy is very fast, can penetrate, and has a reliable mid-range shot. He will help relieve the pressure on Will, even more than Couisnard, when/if he comes back from injury. The guy I'm looking forward to seeing most though is Ethan Butler. He appeared big, strong, and rather smooth when on the court. We'll see if he gets some minutes when he's healthy. Like they say, one game at a time. Would love to see them shut Bobby Hurley up this Thursday. Can't wait, it's getting good. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennsylvania Duck Moderator No. 3 Share Posted January 8, 2023 Here are the current Men's Basketball Standings...The Ducks need to keep winning to stay relevant Pac-12 Men's Basketball Standings SUPERWESTSPORTS.COM Conference, overall, home, and away records with streaks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven A Moderator No. 4 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I'm hoping Couisnard mimics Rigsby in that once he had a few games under his belt, he has really picked up his game. Same when Bartheley gets on the court. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 5 Share Posted January 8, 2023 (edited) Look, I want to believe you, I really really do, but until I see guys actually able to shoot the ball at better than a 30% clip, I'm pessimistic, Couisnard is not a good shooter, he's shot below 40% in all his previous seasons, he's best mark from 3 is 32%, Barthelemy is also not a good shooter, 42% and 34% from three (he is a good foul shooter though). Rigsby has not shot well, Soares is probably one of the worst shooters we've had at Oregon as a guard in the last 20 years. Bittle look like a bust, hasn't shot well during his career at Oregon and hasn't shown much really other than a few blocks and rebounds because he's a 7 footer. It's a really really poorly constructed team. I'm sure they'll be better through sheer numbers, but one game after a complete embarrassment doesn't fill me with much confidence, it's not like they played well, they hung on at the end in a game they should have put to bed. Utah shot poorly, and basically played their worst game in-conference. This team is so far away from being decent. I could be wrong of course, I know Altman has worked magic, he does have two good players in Richardson and Dante who have done all they can to keep this team together, but if we're relying on transfer guards who are just now playing it's going to take a lot of time before they are up to speed. I do agree with getting Bittle on the court more than Soares, just from the stroke I can see he's a better shooter, and he probably creates a matchup problem if he can begin to show what made him a 5 star recruit, if at least deserves to be given the chance to grow. Ware also began to get back into things against Utah, so that would be a huge thing if he can begin to get back to how he was early in the season. If we get a sweep of the Zona schools then I'll start to believe, but I'm pessimistic since the evidence so far doesn't bode well. All this said it's not like I'm even close to questioning Altman as a coach, he's been hard done by injuries for a number of years now. He's still one of the best 3 coaches in the Pac. Edited January 8, 2023 by spartan2785 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
