Recent reports from The Oregonian and KATU News in Portland, among other media entities, have released information regarding the NCAA’s current investigation into the recruiting practices of the Oregon football program.
You can read Adam Jude’s story for The Oregonian here: http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2013/04/oregon_ncaa_agreed_ducks_commi.html
According to the documents granted to the Oregonian and KATU, the NCAA said they had “no finding of lack of institutional control and no finding of unethical conduct.” Even so, both Oregon and the NCAA disagree on one very large elephant in the room: the use of street agent and scout Willie Lyles. The two parties will meet at an unspecified date sometime within the next year to discuss punishments for the Oregon football program’s wrongdoings.
DuckTV Sports’ Erin Maloney caught up with head coach Mark Helfrich and quarterback Marcus Mariota to get their thoughts on the investigation.
For an even more thorough explanation of Oregon’s status with the NCAA, check out this week’s episode of DuckTV Sports.
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
Oregon point guard Dominic Artis (1) is expected to see his first action since January 23rd against Washington State. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
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.
The Oregon Baseball team concluded their first home series of the season with a 6-1 victory over LMU on Sunday at PK Park.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Oregon DH Tyler Baumgartner launched a double over the left fielder’s head, clearing the bases. Baumgartner’s first career hit was part of a four run sixth inning that would put the Ducks ahead for good. Oregon earned two insurance runs in the 7th inning without recording a hit in the frame.
Highly regarded freshman southpaw Cole Irvin (2-0) earned the win, allowing just one run in eight innings of work. The Ducks (6-1) host the University of Portland on Tuesday before hitting the road for a weekend series against George Horton’s former team, Cal State Fullerton.
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.
Oregon’s Arsalan Kazemi battles for a loose ball on Jan. 26 in Eugene. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)
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.
For being in drastically different geographically location, Kansas State and Oregon are identical teams statistically. The Ducks are second in the nation in scoring while the Wildcats are tenth in that category. The Wildcats are 24th in scoring defense and the Ducks are 26th in scoring defense.
The Ducks utilize senior running back Kenjon Barner, who has 21 rushing touchdowns on the season, while Wildcats running back John Hubert has scored 15 touchdowns. Both teams possess dual-threat quarterbacks with Marcus Mariota for the Ducks and Collin Klein for Kansas State.
Many factors of both teams seem to match evenly. For either teams offense to operate effectively, their playmakers will have to take advantage of the edges of the field. In both team’s losses, neither of them could develop a running game on the outside. Against Stanford, the Ducks rushed for 196 yards, 127 yards below their season average. Against Baylor, the Wildcats rushed for 76 yards, 123 yards below their season average.
Both team’s offenses pride themselves in dominating the outside perimeters of the field with expert running from the running back and quarterback positions. Both defenses have experienced similar challenges in trying to defend against these types of high octane offenses in practice.
The key for both offenses to be effective will be for the quarterbacks to dictate the edge of the defense through option reads. This is will be especially important for Collin Klein, who has 22 rushing touchdowns on the season. While Mariota has only has four rushing touchdowns, he has shown an ability to sprint out of the pocket and buy time to pass or run. Securing the perimeter will be crucial in supplanting an efficient offense for either team.
Beyond the offensive game plans, turnovers will also be a primary factor in the game. The Ducks have been tenacious in taking the ball away from their opponent, setting a school record 38 forced turnovers. The Wildcats have been no slouches either, collecting 18 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries.
In recent years, both defenses have been cited as liabilities for not keeping up with their offenses. This year they have stepped up to supply short fields for their offenses constantly. Mariota and Klein will have to be judicious with their ball handling, as the two quarterbacks have thrown a combined 13 interceptions.
Whichever team controls the edges of the field and commits the least amount of turnovers will end up being crowned the Fiesta Bowl winner.
