Oregon Basketball: Injured Artis Could Return for Civil War, Coming Off the Bench

The Oregon Ducks(22-6. 11-4 Pac 12)may get a boost to the lineup for the Civil War against Oregno State(13-15, 3-12 Pac 12) on Thursday night(8pm, ESPNU). Freshman Point Guard Dominic Artis, according to Head Coach Dana Altman, could start working his way back into the lineup….slowly. With Arizona losing on Wednesday night, the Ducks are in first place in the Pac 12, tied with UCLA and can take a game and a half lead on Arizona with a win vs Oregon State

"“D.A. had quickly become a focal point of our team and a big leader for us. It’s been difficult without him for a lot of the qualities he brings. I think everybody’s excited about getting him back. Hopefully we’ll stay on the progress he’s making.”  Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman on Freshman Dominic Artis"

Jan 17, 2013, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Dominic Artis (1) dribbles the ball against the Southern California Trojans at the Galen Center. Oregon defeated USC 76-74. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

The goal is for him to be comfortable and obviously not reinjure his foot that has kept him out  of the lineup for the last month. The Ducks have gone 5-4 without him. Altman will consult with doctors and medical staff to see where Artis will best fit and the hope is to have him back up to speed in time for the Pac 12 Tourament next month in Las Vegas.

Artis will not be the starter for the game against Oregon State, but look for him to take on a reserve role. Starting Point Guard Johnathan Loyd will look to continue his recent success in filling in for the injured Freshman. The 2012-2013 home season will come to a close this week for the Ducks.

Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena will be special for several Oregon players including Tony Woods, E.J. Singler, Carlos Emory and Arsalan Kazemi. It is Senior Night. The final home game for these players in quite the season at home that saw a 21 game winning streak and a solid chance at dancing into March.

Senior Night festivites will happen following the game vs Oregon State.

"“That’s gonna hurt. He’s been a big part of our program. The three years we’ve been together, like any coach and player we’ve had our ups and downs, but there have been a lot more ups than downs with E.J. I like his work ethic, I like how unselfish he is, he’s all about the team, he’s all about our school.” Altman on losing E.J. Singler"

In This Week’s edition of ‘Bracketology’, Joe Lunardi had Oregon as a #6 Seed travelling to Kansas City to face #10 seed Creighton in the first round. Other teams in the bracket include #2 seed Kansas and #15 seed Long Beach State.

 Oregon Ducks This Week:

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Justin Phillips is Sports Reporter for Newsradio 1120 KPNW in Eugene, Oregon