Game Notes: Ducks Look to Bounce Back at USC

Oregon faces its third consecutive 20-win opponent - USC - Saturday at the Galen Center (7:30 p.m. Pac-12 Networks).

THE STARTING FIVE
1 - Oregon has reached a number of historic milestones in program history:
* Seventh straight 20-win season.
* Seventh straight winning season for the first time in 77 years.
* 20 straight winning seasons as a head coach for Dana Altman.
* Program record 175 wins over seven seasons.
* Program record-tying 154 wins over six seasons.
2 - Oregon made its school-record 22nd consecutive appearance in the Associated Press poll this week. That surpassed the previous mark of 21 consecutive weeks over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.
3 - Oregon's 21-4 record is tied with the 1939 NCAA Champion Tall Firs for the second-best record in program history. The only better mark for the Webfoots at this point in the season came 90 years ago when the 1926-27 squad was 24-1. Oregon's 10-2 record in league play is the program's best since the 1938-39 NCAA Championship squad went 11-1 out of the gate in the Pacific Coast Conference, and finished 14-2.
4 - Bell making case for Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Jordan Bell is the only player in the Pac-12 ranked in the top 10 in rebounds (10th), blocks (4th) and steals (9th). He also leads the league in field goal percentage (.626).
5 - Oregon has held 20-of-25 opponents under 70 points this season.
+1 - The Ducks lead the nation at 7.1 blocks per game, and also lead the nation in total blocks with 177. Individually, Chris Boucher is 11th nationally in blocks per game (2.7), with Jordan Bell 36th (2.1 bpg).

USC STREAK
The Ducks' current streak of 13 straight wins over USC is Oregon's longest ever against the Trojans. UO's previous best in the series was nine straight from 1986-87 to 1990-91. The 13-game streak also matches the Ducks' longest all-time against any conference opponent. Oregon defeated Washington State 13 consecutive times between 2002 and 2007. Among active streaks, the 13 games is second only to a current 15-game winning streak versus Gonzaga (1931-present).

LAST TIME VS. USC
The Ducks routed previously undefeated and No. 22 USC 84-61 on Dec. 30 before 10,051 in Matthew Knight Arena. The blowout provided UO coach Dana Altman with his 700th career coaching victory. Oregon blew the game open with a 21-3 run to open the second half to take a 59-32 lead. Dylan Ennis had a layin and a three-pointer to get things going, the first five of 14 points he scored during the run. The Ducks eventually led by as much as 31 at 70-39, on a fadeaway jumper by Dillon Brooks. The Ducks led 38-29 at halftime, shooting .452 while committing just three turnovers, and limiting the Trojans to .296 shooting. Oregon had 12 assists on 14 field goals, playing with a level of efficiency becoming of the preseason Pac-12 favorites. Overall the Ducks committed a season-low six turnovers, and finished with 24 assists on 32 field goals. Brooks led Oregon with a season-high 28 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Ennis made 8-of-15 attempts for 20 points, and added six rebounds. Freshman guard Payton Pritchard provided another sublime contribution, dishing out seven assists. Big men Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher combined for 20 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks — all five by Boucher.

BROOKS GARNERS WOODEN, NAISMITH HONORS; NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The honors continue to pile up for Dillon Brooks. In the past week alone, he was named to the Naismith Trophy Top 30 and the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, as well as being one of 10 finalists for the Julius Erving Award as the nation's top small forward. And on Monday, Brooks was named Pac-12 player of the week for his efforts in the Ducks' sweep of the Arizona schools. He scored Oregon's final 12 points in a 71-70 victory Thursday over Arizona State, then had 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in the Ducks' emphatic 85-58 win over Arizona. Brooks' third career weekly honor (second of 2016-17) is tied for the second-most ever by an Oregon player with Jerry Adams and Kenya Wilkins. Blair Rasmussen is the Ducks' all-time leader with four selections.

FINISHING STRONG
Under coach Dana Altman, Oregon has a 40-17 record (.702) during the second half of Pac-12 play. That breaks down to 4-5 in 2011, 7-2 in 2012, 5-4 in 2013, 7-2 in 2014, 8-1 in 2015, 7-2 in 2016 and 2-1 in 2017. Only Arizona (43) has won more over the last six seasons.

SEASON TRENDS
Here's look at some trends from the season. The Ducks are:
* 19-0 when blocking more shots than opponents
* 17-0 when having more assists than opponents
* 17-1 when scoring 70 or more points
* 17-1 when leading at the half
* 16-1 when committing fewer fouls than opponents
* 16-1 when outrebounding opponents

OREGON NETS SEVENTH STRAIGHT WINNING SEASON
The Ducks have now secured their seventh straight winning season. It is just the third time in school history that Oregon has strung together seven or more consecutive winning seasons, and the first such occasion in 77 years. The Ducks last had seven winning seasons in a row from 1934-40 for coaches William Reinhart and Howard Hobson. The program record is 10 consecutive seasons from 1923-32 under George Bohler and Reinhardt.

IN THE POLLS
Dating back to last season, Oregon has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for a school -record 22 consecutive weeks. The previous mark was 21 weeks that first occurred over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.

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 was the Ducks highest ever in a preseason poll.

SEVEN-YEAR ITCH
Oregon has now set the school record for the most wins over a seven-year period with 175. The previous record of 170 was established just last season (2009-10 to 2015-16).

FOR THE DEFENSE
Under Dana Altman, Oregon is 119-14 when holding opponents under 70 points, including an 87-6 mark the last five seasons.

DUCKS REACH 100 WINS
The Jan. 26 win over Utah was the program's 100th over the last four seasons. It is the third straight year that the Ducks have recorded 100 wins over four seasons.