Oregon’s Men’s basketball team is taking on the Bay Area schools at home this week, both of which they lost to earlier in the season. The staff previews the upcoming games.
What are the Ducks going to need to do differently to beat Cal on Thursday night?
Shannon Hartley: If the Ducks can keep the turnovers down, which they struggled to do while in California, they should be able to beat this Golden Bear team. Playing some of their worst basketball this season, Oregon still managed to keep the game close (58-54) until the final buzzer. Oregon’s 22 turnovers to Cal’s 14 is the obvious difference that the Ducks will need to fix to overcome Cal at Matthew Knight.
Andrew Bantly: A tale of two sorrows, the Ducks were 2 for 12 from the 3-point line (.167) and had 22 turnovers in their last meeting with the Cal Bears. That is pitiful. After a 3-game loosing streak it seems they are back on-track. But to get a W against a red-hot Cal team, Oregon will need to be at their best. The Ducks, especially EJ Singler and Carlos Emory, will need to limit the turnovers which will be the key to the game, and if they’re able do that, they will no doubt put up a better performance.
Anthony Piganelli: In order to beat Cal on Thursday night the Ducks have to shut down the two best guards in the conference, in Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs. Crabbe, who is projected by many to be a first round pick in the upcoming NBA draft, is the leading scorer in the conference averaging 19.8 points per game. The other key to a Ducks victory this time around will have to be better play from their offense as a whole in crunch time. The last time these two teams met down in Berkeley, Oregon was scoreless for the final 4 minutes of the game. This time around, they must move the ball more on offense and take more quality shots as opposed to their stagnant one-on-one play during the final minutes of the game.
Sarah Scrivens: For the Ducks to pull out the W against Cal, they will need to focus on limiting turnovers and playing consistent defense: two things they have struggled with all season. Cal barely squeaked out a win against Oregon earlier this season, but with small tweaks in their performance backed by a home court advantage, I see the Ducks taking this game.
Hartley: I predict that Oregon will take down the Golden Bears, 67-64, in what will be a fight to the finish. With Dominic Artis out, Jonathan Loyd has really begun to take over this Oregon team. Instead of being the change-of-pace player he was before, he has learned to slow it down, run half court basketball, and win games.
Bantly: The last 3 games, the Ducks have averaged just 13 turnovers per game. That is 9 less than their last appearance in Berkeley. Damyean Dotson is averaging 15 points per game and EJ Singler is averaging 18.3 over that span. Before the controversial shove on player Allen Crabbe by coach Mike Montgomery, the Cal Bears were struggling verse a weak USC team. This tells me that they could be cooling off and may still be distracted with the drama from that game. This is also a team that struggles on the road, so look for Oregon to take full advantage. Oregon 72 – Cal 63.
Piganelli: I believe the ducks will face their crunch time demons and finally end their 10-game losing streak to Cal. Ducks will go on to win 69-66
Scrivens: 82-76 Oregon. The Ducks have had pretty consistent success at Matt Knight this year, and though Cal will certainly come to play, Oregon will pull out the win in the end.
Bantly: The Stanford Basketball team is 6-7 in conference play this year, and a faraway four games off the leader, the Oregon Ducks. So why would a Duck fan be worried? Well there seems to be something more than just wins and losses when the Cardinal face the Ducks. In the last meeting, Stanford treated the Ducks like it was practice, beating them 76-52 in the Golden State. Back on November 17, the #13 Stanford football team came to Autzen and shocked #2 Oregon in overtime with 17-14 upset win to take a National Championship appearance away from the Ducks. Start to get the picture? This Saturday, February 23, the Ducks have an opportunity to get one back. I don’t see the Ducks losing this one. This game will no doubt be a packed crowd; it will consist of red-hot Oregon players in EJ Singler and Damyean Dotson, a team understanding how to play without Dominic Artis, and of course a sense of vengeance against the Cardinal.
Piganelli: The Duck’s struggled against the Cardinal the first time around in Palo Alto because of their inability to cover Stanford’s three-point shooters. Also, it was during the stretch that point guard Dominic Artis, who is still not healthy, was out with a foot injury. After a hard fought battle against Cal this Thursday, regardless of the outcome, I believe the ducks will take revenge on Stanford and beat them soundly on their home floor. This time around, they will be more confident in their defensive scheme and certainly more comfortable with their newly run offense revolving around junior point guard Jonathan Loyd.
Scrivens: Oregon has struggled to cap Stanford’s offense. With offensive powerhouses such as Chasson Randle, Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis, the Cardinal have had no trouble putting up shots. The Ducks are going to have to play tough defense and hit shots to pull out the win this Saturday.