Shannon Hartley and Andy Abeyta take a look at the Ducks postseason starting with the Pac-12 tournament.
The Ducks finished the season on with two losses to make their record 23-8, a third place finish in the Pac-12.
Oregon will play either Washington or Washington State in its first game Thursday. The Ducks had a season sweep of those teams for the first time since the 1989-1990 season.
Oregon vs. Oregon State. 8 PM PT, ESPNU. Matthew Knight Arena.
With the Civil War basketball game set to tip in just hours from Matthew Knight Arena, four reporters from the DuckTV Sports staff preview tonight’s contest.
Oregon PG Dominic Artis is slated to return for Thursday’s Civil War game
against Oregon State. How will his return impact Oregon’s performance?
Andrew Bantley: Oregon Ducks Win-Loss Record in relation to Dominic Artis’s injury:
Before the Injury: 17-2
Since: 5-4
There is no doubt a strong connection between the Ducks’ ranking of #10 in the country in week 13 of the season (January 28-February 3) and the presence of Dominic Artis on the court just days prior. Since the Duck’s highest ranking of #10, the Ducks have been spiraling downwards. With Artis on the court the Ducks scored 76 points per game in large part due to his scoring ability from beyond the arc, something the Ducks struggle gravely on.
Andrew Murray: Despite the overall success that the Ducks have achieved this year, they have struggled in recent Pac-12 contests. During the absence of Dominic Artis, Oregon only scored 54 points or less against Stanford, California and Colorado. All of these games resulted in a loss. With Artis coming back, the offense will gel once again and opportunities will open up for everyone around him.
Sarah Scrivens: If DA does in fact return to the court tonight for the Ducks, his impact will be HUGE. Artis is very good at distributing the ball around the court, and giving looks to strong shooters such as Damyean Dotson and EJ Singler. This type of ball movement will be incredibly helpful for Oregon.
Bri Amaranthus: Since freshman Dominic Artis has been out with a foot injury Oregon has had four losses. I am not one to say that with Artis Oregon would have won all of those games, but I do think his re-emergence will be a positive for the Ducks.
Prediction for Thursday’s game. Who wins and why?
AB: With the return of Artis who averages 10.2 points and 3.8 assists per game, the Ducks will have some extra momentum. The Ducks will face their rival in Oregon State on Thursday night. The Beavers are 13-15 and a sad 3-12 in Pac-12 play. The Ducks are looking to pick up momentum going into the National Tournament and want to start out strong with Artis back in the lineup. Tonight, I see Artis coming out and providing a crucial role for the Ducks and making everyone around him better.
Oregon Ducks 82 – Oregon State 63
AM: While the majority of the Pac-12 schedule has involved above .500 teams fighting for a spot in the NCAA tournament, the Oregon State Beavers have experienced a less than stellar campaign. The Beavers are 13-15 coming into the contest and are a measly 3-12 within the conference. With Artis returning for the Ducks, the offense will get back on track and help the team cruise to an easy win in their final home game. Final score will be 68-54 Ducks.
SS: OSU will come in hungry after a senior night loss at home against Stanford. But with the support of the Matt Knight crowd on Oregon’s own senior night, the Ducks will come out on top. 80-70 Oregon.
BA: The home court advantage and Artis returning will help the Ducks defeat the Beavers in the civil war. 70-52 Oregon.
Thursday will be senior night for the Ducks. Which one of Oregon’s four seniors has been the most valuable this season and why?
AB: Though E.J. Singler stands out each and every night, I personally believe Arsalan Kazemi has been the most valuable senior. Kazemi this year has been a catalyst on grabbing rebounds and creating second chance points. He averages just fewer than 10 points and rebounds-per-game, but shoots at a very high success rate, 59.7% from the field. The international player from Iran has provided the Ducks with energy and determination this year to lead this team to the great year they continue to have. He has bee relentless on the glass and rarely makes mistakes or takes poor shots.
AM: Forward Arsalan Kazemi has been without a doubt the biggest x-factor out of all the senior contributors for the Ducks. Kazemi has been a consistent double-double threat every game and leads the team with 9.8 rebounds per contest. He has helped the Ducks be one of the best rebounding teams in the Pac-12 and has supplied a tougher mentality when scoring in the paint this season. He has helped Oregon go from being primarily a perimeter shooting squad to a tough contender on the front lines.
SS: EJ Singler has had a standout senior season. He will finish the year as Oregon’s all-time leader in career victories. However, we have seen noteworthy performances from both Tony Woods and Arsalan Kazemi. Kazemi has received national recognition for his rebounding ability.
BA: E.J. Singler. He is a local guy who has come up clutch for the Ducks. His free throws in the waning moments against Washington State a week ago not only gave the Ducks the victory, it also made him the winningest individual player in Oregon basketball history.
Johnathan Loyd came up big against Stanford, with a season high in points (15) and a career high 9 assists assists.
This game was special for Loyd as he had been struggling mightily since being forced into the starting lineup because of Dominic Artis’ injury.
Loyd describes this type of game as something he needed. DuckTV Sports’ Andrew Murray reports.
What are the keys to the game for Oregon?
Andrew Murray, DuckTV Sports Reporter: While the Ducks held a considerable lead during most of the game in their first match up with the Huskies, they were never able to put Washington away due to their success beyond the arc. The Huskies were 8-12 on three point shots and 52% overall from the field. The Ducks will have to focus on taking away outside options for the Huskies and force them to play inside.
Bri Amaranthus, DuckTV Sports Reporter: The Ducks are going to have to perform offensively. In the last Husky matchup, Oregon had three players (E.J. Singler, Arsalan Kazemi, Carlos Emory) shoot in double figures, and a 57.8 shooting percentage from the field. The Ducks will need to be able to sink baskets and keep control of the game offensively to beat Washington.
Erin Maloney, DuckTV Sports Reporter: The Ducks have to keep the Huskies off of the offensive boards. The Ducks have to play tight defense and keep Washington’s field goal percentage under 45%. Backup point guard Jonathan Lloyd must step up in the absence of Dominic Artis. EJ Singler and Arsalan Kazemi have been hot as of late and must continue to play well for Oregon to win.
Anthony Piganelli, DuckTV Sports Reporter: In order for Oregon to go on another win streak and build on the win on Saturday against Utah, they will need to limit turnovers, play good team defense, and most importantly, knock down more shots. Another important part of this game will be the senior leadership provided by E.J. Singler, Carlos Emory, Tony Woods, and Arsalan Kazemi. If the big four can get things going early and often with a good shot selection, a strong interior defense, and a high basketball IQ, Oregon should come away with a victory in Seattle.
What are the keys to the game for Washington?
AM: Five players for the Huskies reached double digit points in their last game against the Ducks. The only problem is that they allowed Oregon to shoot 58% for the game. The Huskies will have to rearrange their individual match ups, particularly on E.J. Singler and Arsalan Kazemi, in order to slow down the Ducks offense. Playing better transition defense will be key to slowing them down.
BA: Washington needs to capitalize on home court advantage. The key to a Washington victory is for the Huskies to come out in the first couple minutes of the game and the second half ready to play. Getting the lead early will help them against Oregon’s fiery offense.
EM: Washington is first in the Pac 12 in offensive rebounds and they must to continue to dominate their opponent on the offensive boards. They must shoot over 50% from the field, which will be a challenge considering that they rank last in the PAC 12 with a 43% field goal percentage. Defensively, the Huskies must control Kazemi and Woods on the inside. Second chance shots for the Ducks will be a real key tonight.
AP: As for Washington, they rely heavily on C.J. Wilcox, the talented junior guard who is 4th in scoring in the Pac-12 conference with 17.7 points per game. Their key will be getting him good looks early and often, while keeping role players such as Abdul Gaddy and Aziz N’Diaye involved as well. On Defense, they have to be able to contain senior forward E.J. Singler, who lit up the Huskies with 18 points in Eugene the last time these two teams faced off.
Prediction
AM: 75-66 in favor of the Huskies. The Ducks offense has become stagnant lately, especially on the road, and Washington will be excited to host their northwest rival.
BA: 85-83 Oregon. The Ducks will be able to pull through in the second half to win the game.
EM: I’m going to pick a low scoring, tightly contested game and go with a 65-62 win for the Ducks. Historically, the Huskies have used their home court as a real advantage in this series. Tonight will be no different, but Oregon finds a way to win late.
AP: Ducks 75-68 over the Huskies.
Ranked in the top 25 for the first time since the 2007-2008 season, the 14-2 Oregon Men’s basketball team will travel down to Los Angeles to take on USC Saturday and 24th ranked UCLA on Saturday. The Duck TV Sports staff has predictions on what will happen during this weekend’s games.
Andrew Bantly, DuckTV Sports Reporter: USC, who is 5-4 at home, will face a challenge when #21 Oregon comes into LA with an undefeated Pac-12 record. Oregon’s high scoring offense at 76.4 points and point-preventing defense are major reasons for concern for both USC and UCLA. Though Oregon’s next game is against USC their real challenge will be when they come against #24 UCLA. Oregon will be focused on containing senior guard, Larry Drew II, who is racking up 8.1 assists per game which ranks 4th in the country. I think the Oregon Ducks will come out with W’s in both games due largely to the fact that each of their starting 5 all average double digit points per game.
Zach Goldstein, DuckTV Sports Reporter: Coming off a weekend sweep of the Arizona schools the 21st ranked Ducks face a USC team that will be playing it’s first game under interim coach Bob Cantu. I see the Ducks coming away with a win here 74-60 as they continue their 5 game win streak. The story will be a bit different come Saturday, the Bruins will be the best team the Ducks have faced and are currently riding a 10 game win streak. I see the Ducks picking up their 3rd loss of the year at Pauley Pavilion as they fall 78-74 to the 24th ranked Bruins.
Anthony Piganelli, DuckTV Sports Reporter: USC will be an important game for the Ducks for two reasons. First, after coming off a very impressive sweep against the Arizona schools, it is important that they don’t take this game for granted and overlook USC. They may be 7-10 overall, however they are still a talented team at home. The other thing key about this game is that it will give the Ducks some much needed confidence if they pull off a win heading into the big match-up against UCLA. This will be a comfortable win for the Ducks 68-52. UCLA, on the other hand, will come away with a victory on their home court against the Ducks in a thriller. It will be close, however the talent of freshman Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson will prove to be too much down the stretch for the Ducks. Final UCLA wins 79- 72 over Oregon.
Andrew Murray, DuckTV Sports Reporter: The Ducks swept the Arizona schools this past week and now have the easier helping of USC. Point guards Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson should be able to limit turnovers and provide plenty of space for everyone else. Expect an easy win for the Ducks, somewhere in the neighborhood of 77-64. they will have to play the top team in the Pac-12 in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins are currently on a hot streak and look to stop Oregon’s momentum. Freshman forward Shabazz Muhammad and guard Jordan Adams are leading a revamped offense along with steady forward Travis Wear. The Bruins look to be a tougher challenge on the boards than the Wildcats were. This will be a close contest, and will ultimately result in the Duck’s first Pac-12 loss of the season. Oregon loses 74-68.
