Last Sunday, the Oregon Ducks brought UC Irvine and the nation’s longest winning streak to an end using the energy of Ehab Amin and the shot blocking prowess of Kenny Wooten. The team now has to turn its focus to arguably the best team they have faced since North Carolina in the 2017 Final Four: the Virginia Cavaliers. The Ducks …
Winning the Pac-12 Tournament as a sixth seed was improbable. Upsetting fifth-seeded Wisconsin was spectacular. And advancing to the Sweet 16 was euphoric, given the Ducks’ struggles during the regular season. But all of those achievements pale in comparison to the task that the Ducks have ahead of them. The Virginia Cavaliers have become the gold standard for regular-season dominance, …
The defense stole the show for the Oregon men’s defense on Friday and Sunday. On Sunday, Ehab Amin took over by creating a series of extra possessions for the Ducks. He had a save of a ball already out of bounds, slapping a rebound off an opponent’s leg, another offensive rebound and a steal so quick all six TV cameras …
The Ducks are still dancing. A couple of hard fought games highlighted by Kenny Wooten‘s ability to block the sun if he so chose got the Ducks out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. A date with the Virginia Cavaliers looms large, and the Ducks didn’t look perfect in either game. They did, however, go on late runs that …
As a kid, I admired this Errol Flynn gesture: Upon disarming his opponent in a sword fight, Flynn graciously returned his rapier. Had his competition been Bill Belichick, Tom Brady or Julian Edelman? Flynn would have poisoned him pre-duel. Yeah, I know the difference between films and reality, but aren’t we all feeling queasy at what our sports world has become? “Cheaters …
Friday night, as the Ducks waited for the final seconds to expire on a dominating 72-54 victory over the fifth-seeded Badgers, one thing became exceedingly clear. This team is dangerous — very dangerous. It’s time to put the “underdog,” “feel-good,” “ragtag” narrative to rest. The Ducks are a talented, hungry and skilled group of players, with a coach who is …
“Offense is more fun, but defense gets the job done” would be a fitting new motto for the Oregon Ducks basketball team. This was a battle of two teams who play stingy defense. If you’re a fan of fast-paced, high-scoring basketball then hopefully you looked away from your television screen during the first half on Friday afternoon. But in the …
Late lunch? Long lunch? Sore throat coming on? Counting down the minutes on a Friday at work is already tough; add in a Duck March Madness game, and this afternoon could be downright grueling. My advice: don’t torture yourself. Lie to the boss. Fake a cold. Do what you have to do and get out of the office! Bars throughout …
Oregon’s defense is what got them into the NCAA Tournament, and it’s their defense that can carry them to the Sweet 16. We’ve touched on the brilliance of Coach Dana Altman’s defensive schemes all season. Today we present a deeper look. “The Chameleon” looks like one defense, morphs into another, then shows itself as even another — sometimes in the …
Somehow, the Ducks are in the NCAA Tournament. What seemed like a pipe dream just a couple of weeks ago is now a reality. Let’s look at how the Ducks got there, and more importantly, how they can advance, and become more than just a feel-good story. 1) The Ducks Take Advantage of a Weak Pac-12 A conference on the …
Oregon will play Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Let’s get this out of the way. Wisconsin is formidable, but they are beatable if Oregon does a few things right. The NCAA Selection Committee did Oregon a favor on Sunday, scheduling the game in San Jose, barely a half travel day away. So on game day, the …
My friends…I am running between tasks today and do not have time for a full article, but I wanted to get the discussion going about this most improbably eight game winning streak that has now turned into an NCAA slot that no one saw coming a month ago. Where to we begin? And beating the Huskies by twenty in the …