Oregon Ducks Open Key Homestand vs USC Trojans
The Oregon Ducks Men’s Basketball team is coming off a split on the road against the Arizona schools entering a key stretch of the season.
Oregon faces two teams ahead of them in the Pac-12 Standings this weekend hosting USC and UCLA. Despite having better records neither team is ranked in the National Standings. Ken Pomeroy has both USC and UCLA among the Top 50. Oregon is sitting at 60th. The Ducks could make a move with wins this weekend.
The Pac-12 Conference currently has two ranked teams in Arizona and Arizona State, but Head Coach Dana Altman also knows that USC and UCLA are teams they are chasing, “I still think from a talent standpoint, Arizona and an experience standpoint Arizona State are a little ahead. Experience and talent with USC and UCLA…those are the four teams that are tops in the league.”
Statistically, both Oregon and USC are averaging 81 points per game this season. Bennie Boatwright leads USC with just over 15 points per game. He is hitting over 42 percent from the floor. The Trojans are the more experienced team entering Matthew Knight Arena. They are also hitting 40 percent from beyond the arc.
"Their whole team….Matu, Boatwright…the guys have been together for a while..because of that they’re really solid.Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman sees experience in USC"
The Oregon Ducks took a step forward last week. They fought against Arizona State for the win and battled against Arizona in a loss. Transfer Seniors Elijah Brown and MiKyle McIntosh carried the team. Freshman Playmakers Kenny Wooten and Troy Brown Jr did not have a great road trip finding early fouls limiting their minutes on the floor.
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Brown and Wooten now have a chance to turn it around with four of the next five games at home starting with the USC Trojans on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 6 pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.
Quotes obtained firsthand at Oregon Basketball Practice