For college basketball purists; those who care about balance and building programs, the end of the 2011-12 college basketball season was the sport’s absolute nadir. The Kentucky Wildcats were national champions, despite being a team assembled in the mode of all recent teams under head coach John Calipari: a collection of high school stars whose featured players first played as …
Mental lift from Artis return is the key
The stats were not overwhelming, and they may not be for the rest of the year. Six points in 12 minutes won’t blow your hair back . However, the return of freshman point guard Dominic Artis did do one thing for the Oregon Duck basketball team Thursday night, and that one thing may be the key to post-season success: He …
Seniors Rally Ducks Past Beavers, Reclaim Pac-12 Lead
After freshman Dominic Artis bounced in a three-pointer to break a 52-52 tie with 11:31 left in Thursday’s Civil War at Matthew Knight Arena, Oregon’s four seniors scored 29 of the final 30 points of the game as the Ducks roared past Oregon State, 85-75, and reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 race with two games remaining. …
Oregon Basketball Analysis: Down-and-Dirty Defense Allows Ducks to Run Free
Until Oregon’s recent payback win over Stanford, when the Ducks shot 48% from the field, its outside shooting woes and stagnant offensive production have been well-chronicled, especially in the nine-game absence of point guard Dominic Artis. The offensive scouting report on Oregon? “Pay close attention to Singler, Dotson, and Emory on the perimeter, but dare Loyd and everybody else to …
Johnathan Loyd Stirs the Drink as Ducks Drub Stanford
Johnathan Loyd had heard it all. The whispers. The comments. The tweets. How he couldn’t shoot, how other teams don’t guard him, how the Ducks have gone straight downhill without Dominic Artis, and on and on. Going scoreless in a heartbreaking loss to California two nights earlier, didn’t help. But Saturday against Stanford, in a game the Ducks had to …
Last-Second California Dagger Stuns Ducks
After 10 consecutive losses to the Bears stretching back to 2008, it looked like No. 23 Oregon had found a way to end the streak. Despite struggling to score for nearly all 40 minutes of Thursday’s Pac-12 game at Matthew Knight Arena, the Ducks controlled the game defensively and led for nearly the entire contest. Oregon defended and rebounded with …
Oregon Basketball Analysis: How Arsalan Kazemi’s Dirty Work on Defense Pays Big Dividends
Arsalan Kazemi, Oregon’s most popular Iranian, has been a vital cog in the improved defense of this year’s No. 23 Oregon team. When the Ducks rallied to beat Utah last week, ending a three-game slide and regaining a share of the Pac-12 lead, much was reported about the normally-reserved Kazemi and his emotional statements to the team at halftime — …
Kazemi’s Halftime Outburst Fuels Duck Comeback
Mired in a three-game losing skid that included relinquishing late leads in their last two losses, No. 19 Oregon gave up a 13-4 run to Utah to end the first half in Saturday’s conference tilt, and trailed the last-place Utes 30-22 after the first 20 minutes. To most of the frustrated 9,014 in attendance, it felt like witnessing a total …
Colorado Leads Only Once but it’s Enough to Stun Ducks
© 2013 Craig Strobeck Photography When Carlos Emory dribbled hard from the right wing and slammed down one of his athletic dunks to give No. 19 Oregon a 47-40 advantage over Colorado with 4:26 remaining in the game, it looked once again like the Ducks were in full control and would win their 21st consecutive game at Matthew Knight Arena. …
Late Game Falter Shows Ducks’ Inexperience
For roughly 35 minutes on Saturday, Oregon seemed to be in position to earn a split in the dreaded Bay Area Trek, a trip that has been so haunting in past seasons. Unfortunately, the five wayward minutes were too much to overcome. For Dana Altman’s squad, the line between victory and defeat is smaller than most. A team littered with …
Turnover Epidemic Spreads in the Bay Area; Cal Upsets No. 10 Ducks
BERKELEY, Calif. — When Tony Woods made a tough bucket inside to put No. 10 Oregon up 54-48 over California with 4:20 remaining Saturday, it looked like the Ducks were going to do just enough to gain a split in their series in the Bay Area and hold off the Bears. But Oregon didn’t score again, as Cal jacked up …
Stanford Shoots Ducks Off Undefeated Perch
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Back in November, the undefeated, league-leading Oregon Ducks ran into Stanford’s football team at Autzen Stadium, and Oregon’s national championship dreams were squashed. Last night at Maples Pavilion on the Stanford campus, the Cardinal basketball team faced another highly-ranked and undefeated Pac-12-leading Oregon squad. Stanford didn’t blink. The No. 10 Ducks, leading the conference by …
