Oregon Basketball Preview: Cal Boasts Best Perimeter Defense In The Country
Oregon Basketball faces a big test facing Cal on the road. The Ducks have won nine of their last ten games and are primed for a March Madness appearance.
The Oregon Ducks are on the cusp of the Top 10 in the National rankings and have won nine of their last ten games including a 6-0 home record in the Pac-12 Conference at home. Their stock is rising. Dillon Brooks is beginning to hear whispers of Conference Player of the Year following a 30 point effort against Utah on Sunday afternoon. Now Head Coach Dana Altman takes his team on the road where things can be dangerous. At this point in the season a let up could be devastating for this team.
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For the rest of the month of February, Oregon Basketball will face the best that every team on the schedule can give regardless if they are on the road or at home. They have to play up to the challenge and the California Golden Bears bring the next opportunity to stay atop the Pac-12 Conference for the Oregon Ducks.
Cal is in the middle of the Pac-12 Standings at 5-5 and have already lost to Oregon once by three points in Eugene. The Golden Bears have lost five of their last seven games but have won four games on their home court in the Pac-12 including wins against a 12th ranked Arizona team a few weeks back and Arizona State. If Cal plays their best basketball Oregon could be the next ranked team to fall.
Jaylen Brown is averaging over 15 points per game and Jordan Matthews will be worth watching from beyond the arc hitting 45 percent of his shots. The Oregon Basketball team will need to play solid Half Court Defense and get the ball into the hands of their playmaker Dillon Brooks. I also expect that shot blocker Chris Boucher will have a big night on the Defensive end for Oregon. The Golden Bears are the best team in the country when defending against inside perimeter shooting holding opponents to under 40 percent.
For this matchup Oregon is clearly the better team, but we thought that about Arizona too. The road is never an easy place to play.
Next: Oregon Football Recruiting: Ducks Add O-Line Depth
Oregon and Cal tipoff at 6pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.