(#9) Utah vs. Oregon
Sunday, Feb 22 2015, 01:00 PM MST
Matthew Knight Arena - Eugene, OR
TV: FS1
Radio: ESPN 700
Line: Utah -6
On Sunday night when they face off against Oregon in Eugene, the Ducks will be sporting new, all white uniforms courtesy of Uncle Knight and Co. No arguing that the Ducks will look as fresh as their team has been looking in the month of February. Coming off of back to back NCAA tournament appearances, the Ducks badly want to get there for a third consecutive time. It would be the first time in program history and would also look very nice on Coach Dana Altman's resume. It's a fine resume already but the Ducks lost 12 players from last years squad and Altman was left scrambling just to assemble enough pieces to fill a roster. Now the Ducks are sitting at third place in the conference with a 19-8 record (9-5 conference) and rest squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble. A win over Utah would surely be enough to vault the Ducks and their 56 RPI into the tournament picture.
The Ducks are one of the nations youngest teams with 6 freshman lacing
up for them this season. However, they are led by senior Joseph Young,
who is a candidate for the PAC 12's Player of the Year award. Young
accounts for over 25% of Oregon's offense and averages nearly 20 points a
night. He can dish the ball a little and is a good rebounder for a
guard too. Word is he has recently taken on a real leadership role,
organizing team meetings with the focus on reaching the tournament. That
focus has led to increased success on the court. In the month of
February, Young has been averaging 25.6 points per game and the Ducks
are 4-1 during that stretch as a result.
Aside from Joseph Young, the Ducks get solid contributions from junior
college transfer Elgin Cook and freshmen Dillon Brooks. Cook, a 6'6" 206
lb forward is a very capable scorer in the paint but consistency
remains his issue. One night he can go off for 23 points (like he did
against BYU in the tournament last year) and the next night he will
disappear. Dillon Brooks started the season strong but has seen his
productivity drop off slightly once the Ducks entered conference play.
Another standout freshmen on this squad is Jordan Bell who is a shot
blocking machine. His presence in the paint will be tough to overcome
and he'll be a candidate for dark horse player of the night if the Ducks
put up a fight.
Post your thoughts, opinions and analysis here and we will keep this party rolling throughout out the day
Sunday, Feb 22 2015, 01:00 PM MST
Matthew Knight Arena - Eugene, OR
TV: FS1
Radio: ESPN 700
Line: Utah -6
On Sunday night when they face off against Oregon in Eugene, the Ducks will be sporting new, all white uniforms courtesy of Uncle Knight and Co. No arguing that the Ducks will look as fresh as their team has been looking in the month of February. Coming off of back to back NCAA tournament appearances, the Ducks badly want to get there for a third consecutive time. It would be the first time in program history and would also look very nice on Coach Dana Altman's resume. It's a fine resume already but the Ducks lost 12 players from last years squad and Altman was left scrambling just to assemble enough pieces to fill a roster. Now the Ducks are sitting at third place in the conference with a 19-8 record (9-5 conference) and rest squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble. A win over Utah would surely be enough to vault the Ducks and their 56 RPI into the tournament picture.
The Ducks are one of the nations youngest teams with 6 freshman lacing
up for them this season. However, they are led by senior Joseph Young,
who is a candidate for the PAC 12's Player of the Year award. Young
accounts for over 25% of Oregon's offense and averages nearly 20 points a
night. He can dish the ball a little and is a good rebounder for a
guard too. Word is he has recently taken on a real leadership role,
organizing team meetings with the focus on reaching the tournament. That
focus has led to increased success on the court. In the month of
February, Young has been averaging 25.6 points per game and the Ducks
are 4-1 during that stretch as a result.
Aside from Joseph Young, the Ducks get solid contributions from junior
college transfer Elgin Cook and freshmen Dillon Brooks. Cook, a 6'6" 206
lb forward is a very capable scorer in the paint but consistency
remains his issue. One night he can go off for 23 points (like he did
against BYU in the tournament last year) and the next night he will
disappear. Dillon Brooks started the season strong but has seen his
productivity drop off slightly once the Ducks entered conference play.
Another standout freshmen on this squad is Jordan Bell who is a shot
blocking machine. His presence in the paint will be tough to overcome
and he'll be a candidate for dark horse player of the night if the Ducks
put up a fight.
Post your thoughts, opinions and analysis here and we will keep this party rolling throughout out the day
