UO Wary Of Cougs Hiding In Duck Blind

For all the ups and downs of this Oregon's men's basketball season — and there have been many, of each — the low point unquestionably came in early February at Stanford.

The Ducks had won three in a row, including an all-important road victory in conference play, at Cal. Then, a 35-point loss to the Cardinal, the final margin very fairly reflecting Oregon's uninspired play. The season hit a crossroads.

Since then, Oregon (19-10, 9-7 Pac-12) has won four of six, including last week's sweep of Arizona State and No. 14 Arizona. But on the same day the Ducks were upsetting the Wildcats in overtime, UO coach Dana Altman was struck by another result: Stanford, again playing in Maples Pavilion, needed to hit two free throws and survive a three-point attempt at the buzzer to fight off the Cougars, 86-84.

Never mind Washington State's 11-17 record overall, or its 3-13 mark in conference play. Never mind the fact Oregon beat WSU in Eugene three weeks ago, 84-57. When the Ducks play at WSU on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN2), Altman will have the two teams' divergent results at Stanford on his mind.

"They're playing really good," Altman said. "We'll have to play well, there's no doubt about that."

Oregon's improved play since the Stanford game — two down-to-the-wire losses in Los Angeles sandwiched between weekend sweeps at home — has the Ducks back in contention for a first-round conference tournament bye, and in the conversation as an NCAA Tournament bubble team. Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the UO men could end up seeded as high as third and as low as seventh for the Pac-12 Tournament, which begins March 7 in Las Vegas.

When the Ducks have been at their best this season, the formula has been similar. Elijah Brown's shot selection is good, and he's a threat from the outside. His fellow graduate transfer, MiKyle McIntosh, is close to a double-double. The other three starters — Payton Pritchard, Paul White and Troy Brown Jr. — are setting the tone defensively, and contributing all over the stat sheet. Kenny Wooten, Victor Bailey Jr., Abu Kigab and Keith Smith are providing energy off the bench, with Wooten blocking a few shots and altering several more at the rim.

Against the Arizona schools last week, the Ducks found the formula both nights. The difference in two close losses the week before, at UCLA and USC, was a quiet weekend for the freshmen. Brown had 15 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the two games, but Wooten, Bailey and Kigab combined for four points and 12 rebounds, and Wooten didn't block a shot in either game.

Last time out against WSU, the quartet of Brown, Wooten, Bailey and Kigab played several minutes together in the second half, and helped the Ducks go on a 10-run that extended their lead to 19 points. Oregon could use more moments like that this week.

"Those are the guys that need to step up," Altman said. "We're at the end of the year now, and we need to go in with a little different mentality, and have a good road-trip from that class. …

"There's no doubt they've taken big steps. Now they just have to do it on the road."

Thursday's game may be a tough one for Wooten to impact defensively. Washington State recently became the third team in Pac-12 history to make 300 three-pointers in a season. The Cougars had 313 entering this week, in sight of the conference-record 354 made last season by UCLA.

The Cougars went 10-of-28 from three-point range in their loss at Oregon earlier this season. That was despite playing without their leading scorer, Robert Franks, who averages 17.7 points per game and makes 2.3 three-pointers per game.

"They depend a lot on the three," Altman said. "If the three ball's going, they're going to give anybody trouble. If the shot's not going in, they've struggled a little bit because they depend so much on it."

Added Bailey: "We've gotta be ready to guard, and close out, and know who the shooters are."

With Oregon coming off a big win, and the Cougars sporting just three conference victories, Thursday sets up as a trap game. The Ducks could be distracted by the looming conference tournament, and a possible trip to the Big Dance. But players say they have the right mentality to avoid such pitfalls.

"We're not really focused on the future right now," Troy Brown said. "We kinda did that early in the season. Right now we need to focus on the key things we need to do against Washington State, and let the rest handle itself."