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Oregon Basketball: Ducks Struggle Against Oregon State, Fall 77-72

By Justin Phillips

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks signals his players during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Washington State Cougars at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks won 64-62 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks signals his players during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Washington State Cougars at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks won 64-62 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Dana Altman had to rework the Oregon Ducks lineup and the team almost came through with a Civil War win, falling in the final minutes.

The Christmas Break was not good to the Oregon Men’s Basketball team. Bol Bol will not be returning this season and will be preparing for the upcoming NBA Draft and Abu Kigab will not be with the team the rest of this season after announcing he will transfer from the Oregon Ducks. Entering Pac-12 play without their leading scorer and a key player off the bench meant that Head Coach Dana Altman had some shuffling to do for the game against Oregon State.

Freshman Louis King made the most of a Start showing off his skill with 17 points and 10 rebounds scoring a double-double. Without Bol, others needed to find the basket and after the first half, it seemed that it was a lost cause with Oregon State taking a 38-25 lead. The Ducks did not go quietly with a big comeback to tie the game late. The crowd was quiet most of the night at Matthew Knight Arena. The loudest applause came in the first half when Sabrina Ionescu was shown on the big screen.

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Senior Paul White had a big game with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist and said the team needed to step up in his post-game press conference. The fact that Oregon fought to get back in the game is a positive sign for the rest of the season despite the losses before Pac-12 play started.

The road does not get easier for Oregon, but the opportunity to build some chemistry with the players on the roster may get this team into the postseason. Head Coach Dana Altman has found a way to do more with less in the past and we may well be having that conversation again this year. The Pac-12 Conference is down, every team in the Conference has losses that should be wins.

The next challenge for Oregon Basketball comes on Thursday night with a visit from the UCLA Bruins at Matthew Knight Arena. (6 pm PT,

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