Oregon Ducks Enter Arizona Looking for A Statement Win
The Oregon Ducks have done pretty well at home this season and are coming off a two game winning streak against USC and UCLA last week. Both game were victories, but the teams that played could not have been more different.
The team that showed up last Thursday appeared a step behind at times and free throws saved them in the end. Saturday was more crisp. The tempo was far better and communication on the Offense was superb as the team found outlets on both the inside and out that led to points and a big win over a Pac-12 rival in the Bruins. The Ducks now look to take their new found momentum on the road.
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This stretch of the schedule is not good for a team looking to make an NCAA Tournament run, but Head Coach Dana Altman has never backed down from a challenge. The one in front of them is one of the top teams in the country in Arizona, who beat Oregon in Eugene just a few weeks ago. The Ducks are coming off the best shooting game of the season however.
In the first half against UCLA, Altman’s team shot close to eighty percent from the field and over sixty percent for the game. The sixth ranked Sundevils will give Oregon a challenge with big men up front, but the Ducks can counter with Freshman talent that has scored over forty percent of the team’s points this season. Against UCLA the Ducks spread the love with five players in double figures led by Dwayne Benjamin and Joseph Young with sixteen and fifteen points respectively.
Oregon will have to prove their NCAA Werth on the road as they have seven road games left compared to just four home games, including one against eleventh ranked Utah in a few weeks. A win against Arizona would reset the narrative for the Oregon Ducks this season and may be the last chance for the team to make a statement that they belong in the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
Oregon and Arizona tipoff on Wednesday night at 7pm Pacific Time on Pac-12 Networks.