LOS ANGELES — The No. 5 Oregon Ducks got back into the win column Saturday night with an 81-70 win over the USC Trojans. Here are 10 takeaways from the Ducks’ win:
1. Nothing overstated here
That win was huge for Oregon. It was big for them in the standings and it was big for them in attitude. Frankly, if Oregon dropped that game they are likely out of the Pac-12 race. I don’t see Arizona losing two more games the rest of the way – they might not even lose one. But from a morale standpoint, that one was big. When Oregon blew that 11-point lead in the first half and then went down by four, Jordan Bell said they were definitely aware that it was the second game in a row they had squandered a lead. This Oregon team rides momentum as much as any other team in the country and heading into their final home stand of the year it was pretty key to not just pull out of that dive, but to flourish in the final minutes even with Dillon Brooks fouled out.
2. Speaking of Bell
I wrote a little about Bell’s weekend last night in my game story, but he was stronger than he’s ever been on the boards this week. His 15 rebounds against UCLA were a career high. He followed that up with 14 rebounds and 12 points last night. Maybe more important, after missing four free throws in Oregon’s three-point loss to UCLA, Bell was 4-of-4 last night from the line.
3. Dorsey and Ennis
Sticking on the rebounding front, Tyler Dorsey and Dylan Ennis each chipped in five last night, with both snagging an offensive board as well. Obviously not quite Bell’s numbers, but Altman scolded the two after the UCLA game about their rebounding efforts and he was very happy with the way they came back yesterday. They can both get hot on offense — see the final three minutes last night for Dorsey — but this team plays at a much higher clip when those guards are crashing the boards.
4. Not so gassed this time
The Ducks ran out of steam against UCLA, which shouldn’t have been too surprising as guys like Brooks (38) and Bell (35) played heavy minutes against the Bruins. This was a concern coming into USC, as the Trojans were relatively well rested after an easy win against Oregon State. But Altman managed the minutes far better yesterday, with Payton Pritchard (33) and Chris Boucher (30) coming in as the only two Oregon players to eclipse 30 minutes.
5. A productive Bigby-Williams
Look, at this point everyone knows what Kavell Bigby-Wililams is not. He’s just not Boucher or Bell, which are the comparisons a lot of people were making when the junior college player of the year transferred to Oregon this summer. But let’s give credit where credit is due: He was solid in his limited action last night. He only played five minutes, but he grabbed three rebounds and had a nifty lay-in. Yes, he’s looked out of place at times this year and his body has looked far ahead of his hands, but when Oregon needed to give some guys a break last night, even for five minutes, Bigby-Williams was productive. They’ll need more of that down the stretch.
6. Not enough Cook in the kitchen
I can’t help but think about how good this team would be if they still had Elgin Cook. He’s the exact type of player that Oregon has been missing, especially when it falls into its scoring funks like it did the last two games. Outside of Dillon Brooks, the Ducks don’t have a consistent threat to drive through a zone, which can cause issues when the threes stop falling. Cook was just a wrecking ball who could charge through anything.
7. Galen Center
The Trojans are a good basketball team and they’re certainly an afterthought in the Los Angeles market, which is unfortunate. I like the Galen Center a lot, it’s just a shame that only about 4,000 fans per game have attended to see this 21-5 USC team. With that being said, the crowd was strong last night. There were about 9,256 fans in the stands, and while it didn’t come alive like Pauley on Thursday, it was plenty loud when the Trojans made their run in the second half.
8. Smith still hurt
Oregon freshman Keith Smith hasn’t played in seven of Oregon’s 13 conference games and it’s taken a noticeable toll on Oregon’s depth. He’s Oregon’s only true wing player coming off the bench and had been productive in spurts at times this year. But Altman last night said the Smith is still dealing with a knee injury and they don’t know when he’ll be available next.
9. “Sunny” California
Selfishly speaking, Oregon sports writers definitely circle trips to Southern California and Arizona during the basketball season with excitement. I swear it had rained just about every day in Portland for the last month before this trip and some anticipated sun down here was welcomed. Well, it drizzled the entire week here in L.A. as Portland basked in sunshine. Hope you all in enjoyed that.
10. Coming down the stretch
Believe it or not, this week is the final home stand for the Ducks. They’ll be favored to win both games over Utah and Colorado and I don’t anticipate any hiccups. While the Ducks had to grit through their win over a very good USC team on Saturday, this is just a different team at home than on the road. The Ducks proved to be superior to the Utes in Salt Lake City and I’m sure they’ll want to avenge their road loss to Colorado, too. That rematch is sold out already, so if you want one final chance to see the Ducks at MKA this year, get on down for the Utah game.
— Tyson Alger
talger@oregonian.com
@tysonalger
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