Oregon Ducks Have Difference Makers Entering Pac-12 Schedule

The Oregon Ducks finished the Non-conference part of the season at 10-3 and now enter the Pac-12 part of the schedule with some challenging games. It has been a while since we have talked about Oregon State being a challenge in basketball. This season the Beavers appear ready to compete for new Head Coach Wayne Tinkle. The team enters the game this afternoon with Oregon at 9-3.

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Oregon State is led by a man with a name in Gary Payton II who is averaging twelve and a half points and over eight rebounds per game. The Beavers enter the game winning six of their last seven games including one game that was an overtime win in that span. The Oregon Ducks enter the game looking even more impressive.

Dana Altman entering the season was not sure what he would even have as a team with new players all around that have found a way to not only come together, but play together. Freshman have gotten key minutes early in the season including Jordan Bell who has been a key player on both sides of the ball. Bell has quietly worked his way up the Oregon Record Book when it comes to blocked shots. He is currently ranked second in Ducks History as the team enters Conference play.

Bell has forty-three blocked shots on the season, which is just eight away from the single season record. All of last season Oregon had just one-hundred eighteen blocks. Dwayne Benjamin has been equally impressive with playing time this season including hitting clutch shots in games including the game tying three against UC Irvine last weekend with six point seven seconds left to send the game to overtime. The Ducks would pick up their tenth win of the season with the victory.

On the offensive end of the ball Senior Joseph Young has fought through some early season struggles but is managing to get his shots to fall averaging nineteen points per game this season. He is part of the reason that Oregon ranks inside the top thirty in scoring this season. Oregon enters an rough early stretch in the Pac-12 slate.

Oregon State first, followed by a big matchup next Thursday against third ranked Arizona at home. If Oregon can get two wins, getting back to the �land of the ranked may not be far off. Two losses and there will be ground to make up, but there will certainly be time to do it.

Oregon and Oregon State tip off in the Civil War Saturday at 5pm Pacific Time. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU. AutzenZoo will have Live Updates on our Twitter feed throughout the game.