Top Teams Await Ducks at Maui Invitational

Monday, November 21

Lahaina, Hawaii

1:30 PM

University of Oregon

Georgetown

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

11/18/16 | Men's Basketball

Oregon Game Notes: Maui Invitational

Oregon makes its second appearance in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The tournament runs Nov. 21-23. The Ducks will open with Georgetown on Monday at 1:30 p.m. Pacific (ESPN2).

THE STARTING FIVE
1 - The Georgetown game is the fourth of six games that the Ducks will play in the first 13 days of the season.

2 - Preseason picks. Oregon has already accumulated a number of firsts in the history of the program. Among the noteworthy preseason prognostications:
   * First preseason No. 1 ranking (Lindy's)
   * First time selected No. 1 in Pac-12 poll
   * Highest all-time rank all-time by AP (No. 4)
   * Highest-ever preseason rank by AP (No. 5)
   * First AP preseason all-American (Dillon Brooks)
   * First Sports Illustrated cover since 1977

3 - The Ducks return four starters from last season: All-America forward Dillon Brooks (16.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg); single-season blocks record holder Chris Boucher (12.1 ppg, 5.4 ppg, 2.9 bpg), Pac-12 all-freshman wing Tyler Dorsey (12.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and national assist-to-turnover leader Casey Benson (6.0 ppg, 4.9-to-1 A-TO-R).

4 - Oregon's recently announced 2017 signing class of Victor Bailey Jr., Troy Brown Jr., and Agu Kigab was rated No. 8 nationally by ESPN.

5 - Oregon tied the school record with 13 blocked shots in the Nov. 11 season opener versus Army. Jordan Bell led the way with six, while Roman Sorkin added four, Payton Pritchard had two and Chris Boucher - the UO single-season blocked shots leader - added one.

Bench - The Georgetown game will be athletic trainer Clay Jamieson's 600th game on the Oregon bench. The longest tenured trainer in the Pac-12 started at Oregon in 1998, and has missed just three games in 19 seasons.

DUCKS IN THE MAUI INVITATIONAL
This will be Oregon's second appearance in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The Ducks went 1-2 in their only previous tournament appearance (2008). Oregon defeated Alabama 92-69 before falling to North Carolina (98-69) and Texas (70-55).

VS. THE FIELD
Oregon is 2-1 all-time versus its Maui Classic opening round opponent, Georgetown. The Hoyas and Ducks last played at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, to open the 2013-14 season (82-75 Oregon). The Ducks are 2-5 against Wisconsin; the Badgers eliminated Oregon in both the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Tournaments. The Ducks are 0-1 against Tennessee. On the other side of the bracket, Oregon is 0-4 versus North Carolina, 3-0 against Oklahoma State and has never faced Connecticut or Chaminade.

FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETE PHIL KNIGHT PLEDGES $500 MILLION FOR SCIENCE
UO graduate and former track and field student-athlete Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike, and his wife Penny in October made a half-a-billion dollar commitment to scientific research at the University of Oregon. It is the largest gift ever bestowed to a public university. "This act of philanthropy from Penny and Phil Knight is breathtaking," said University of Oregon President Michael Schill. "This is a seminal moment for the University of Oregon, an inflection point that will shape the trajectory of the university and this state for the next century and beyond." The Knight's $500 million donation will fund the construction of a new science complex on the Eugene campus. Research at the new site will focus on life sciences such as biology, microbiology, biochemistry and other disciplines. "While not without risk, we believe the expected societal returns from such investments are high," said Knight. "And here at home in Oregon, we believe the potential to arm our talented young people with the skills and tools they will need to have a lasting impact on the world and to pursue rewarding careers makes such investments essential."

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES
For 2016-17, Oregon returns 69 percent of its scoring, 66 percent of its rebounding, 71 percent of its assists, 58 percent of its steals and 85 percent of its blocked shots from last season.

DUCKS REACH HIGH MARK IN HUMAN POLLS
The Ducks' ranking of No. 4 by the Associated Press in the Nov. 14 poll was Oregon's highest-ever ranking by A.P. The previous high was No. 5, which happened in the 2016-17 preseason poll, as well as for two weeks in December of 2002. The No. 5 ranking is the Ducks highest ever in a preseason poll. Oregon's No. 5 preseason ranking in the USA Today Coaches' Poll is one spot shy of the all-time high of No. 4, which came in the March 14, 2016, poll.

OREGON EXTENDS ALTMAN'S CONTRACT
After leading the Oregon men's basketball team to an unprecedented six consecutive 20-win seasons and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, University of Oregon head coach Dana Altman has been rewarded with a new seven-year contract totaling $18.45 million that will extend him through the 2022-23 season. The extension was announced on Nov. 11. Incentives tied to the Ducks' on-court performance and student-athlete academic success are also part of the new contract. Funding for Altman's contract comes solely from athletic department funds, with the department receiving no direct institutional support.

PERSONNEL LOSSES FROM 2015-16 FEW, BUT KEY
The Ducks graduated just two scholarship seniors from that 2015-16 team, but they were key players. All-Pac-12 forward Elgin Cook started all 38 games and averaged 14.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest, while forward Dwayne Benjamin was invaluable as Oregon's sixth man, averaging 7.8 points per game.

VETERANS OFF THE FLOOR
Oregon has a trio of support staff members who are nearing, or have already reached milestones in 2016-17. Athletic trainer Clay Jamieson will reach his 600th game on the Oregon bench when the Ducks face Georgetown in Maui. He's only missed three games since joining the Oregon staff in 1998-99. Oregon IMG radio announcer Jerry Allen is in his 30th season calling basketball games for the Ducks. The longest streak belongs to public address announcer Don Essig, who recently began his 50th season on the P.A.

DUCKS INK NATION'S NO. 8 RECRUITING CLASS
Head coach Dana Altman has landed his second-straight top-12 recruiting class with the signing of three high school players to National Letters of Intent. The Ducks announced on No.v 11 that Victory Bailey Jr., Troy Brown, Jr., and Abu Kigab have signed with the University. The trio is ranked as the No. 8 class in the nation by ESPN. Oregon's signees are ranked ninth by 247Sports.com, which listed last year's Duck class at No. 12.