Oregon Ducks and Colorado Basketball

After a 41-36 deficit at the half, the Oregon Ducks took over in front of their fans in Eugene and outscored the Colorado Buffaloes 54-40 in the second half. Garrett Sim and Devoe Joseph had 13 points apiece in the second half, and the Oregon Ducks dominated across the board. Both teams were scoring points in bunches in the 90-81 game, but the Ducks averaged 1.28 points per possession compared to the Buffs 1.15 mark. Oregon also managed to have an eFG% of 61.4% and a low 13.8 TOV%.

Star guard Devoe Joseph absolutely shredded in this game for the Oregon Ducks, and he went 11-16 from the floor with 24 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and just one turnover. Fellow senior guard Garrett Sim was also a huge factor in the victory, because he went 5-7 from three-point range to add 19 points and two steals of his own.

Coming off of the bench, Carlos Emory made himself noticed in a 14 point performance, and those three overcame a 20-point game from Carlon Brown. He was simply dizzying and mesmerized spectators in an 8-11 performance that included five rebounds and three assists. The same praise cannot be given to point guard Nate Tomlinson on his ball-handling, who was harassed for five turnovers, although he is usually a much more careful player with the ball. He did, however, make up for that with 11 points on 50% shooting from both beyond the arc and from the floor overall.

Spencer DinWiddie is known for being a solid shooter, but he was way off and went 2-7 from the floor in 34 minutes. However, DinWiddie was accurate from the free throw line and hit eight of his nine opportunities. Star Andre Roberson went 5-8 and was the second Buffalo with 12 points, and he also added a game-high eight points and three blocks. The Oregon Ducks out-rebounded the Buffaloes 28-23, in a game that featured two teams at their best on offense. Of course, Roberson was easily the best interior defensive presence in the ballgame. Austin DuFault played the least amount of minutes of any starter on the Buffaloes, but he made those chances count and went 4-6.

The major difference in this game was three-point shooting, because the Oregon Ducks held a decisive 57.1% to 29.4% advantage. They also turned the ball over a little less, shored up the rebounds, and they had four more points on the free throw line in another foul-filled game between these two teams. While Colorado shot better from the charity stripe than the home team, they also had eight less chances at getting an extra point.

It seemed like this game was destined to come down to the star players, and two of the Oregon Ducks stars rose up to the challenge. Devoe Joseph has always come through in big games and is this team’s best player, but sharpshooter Garrett Sim is starting to get hot again at the right time. When Sim starts hitting shots, there isn’t much the opposition can do. Carlon Brown did all he could, but this was another key victory for Dana Altman’s squad.

The Ducks are now a lock for a bye in the Pac-12 Tournament, which is a huge boost to their resume and gives them a better chance at making the NCAAs. Altman has done a remarkable job this season, and the Oregon Ducks subdued a team that was always right behind them in the standings. The Buffaloes also have an equally magnificent coach in Tad Boyle, but it looks like the less talented Buffaloes will be sitting at home. It is fitting that a team that has been so poor on the road this season took their final blow on the road.

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