Game Notes: Ducks Host Texas Southern

For the second season in a row, Texas Southern will make the trip to Eugene to face the Ducks on Monday (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network). The Tigers nearly pulled off the upset a year ago, falling 74-68.

THE STARTING FIVE
• 1 – For the defense. Through the first five games of the season, Oregon has yet to allow an opponent to shoot 40 percent from the field. The Ducks have blocked at leas six shots in all five games. Oregon is second nationally in field goal percentage defense (.323) and eighth in blocked shots (6.6 per game).
• 2 – With three blocks in the season opener against Portland State, Kenny Wooten - in just his 37th career game - passed Bob Fife (93, 1989-93) for fourth on the UO career blocks. Last Tuesday against Green Bay, Wooten became the fourth member of the 100 career blocks club at Oregon, joining Jordan Bell (235), Chris Boucher (189) and Blair Rasmussen (116).
• 3 – Nov. 16 against No. 15 Syracuse, Dana Altman passed Basketball Hall of Famer Howard Hobson for second on the UO career coaching wins list. Altman now has 214 wins at Oregon. Hobson had 212, including the 1939 NCAA Championship.
• 4 – Oregon's defeat of No. 15 Syracuse on Nov. 16 marked the Ducks' first win over a top-15 non-conference opponent during the regular season since Oregon took down No. 14 Kansas, 84-78, on Dec. 7, 2002, in front of 20,762 fans at the Rose Garden in Portland, the biggest crowd to ever watch a college basketball game in the State of Oregon.
• 5 – During the November signing period, the Ducks signed four players to NLIs. The class of Chris Duarte (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic), Isaac Johnson (American Fork, Utah), Chandler Lawson (Memphis, Tenn.) and C.J. Walker (Sanford, Fla.) is currently ranked ninth nationally by Rivals.com. It is the Ducks' fourth straight top-12 recruiting class.

TEXAS SOUTHERN STUNS BAYLOR
Texas Southern, which nearly upset Oregon last year before falling 74-68, opened the 2018-19 season by stunning Baylor 72-69. That was the first of six straight road games to open the season for the Tigers, a stretch that ends with the game in Eugene. Payton Pritchard led the Ducks in last year's meeting with 16 points. Kenny Wooten added 13, while Paul White and Victor Bailey Jr. each scored 11. Coincidentally, the Ducks play at Baylor on Dec. 21.

DUCKS ACCEPT BID TO 2019 BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
Oregon will make its inaugural appearance in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis next season in Nassau, Bahamas. The tournament announced the 2019 field on Friday. The Ducks will be joined by Alabama, Gonzaga, Iowa State, North Carolina, Michigan, Seton Hall and Southern Mississippi. This will be Oregon's first appearance in the Battle 4 Atlantis, which will be played over the Thanksgiving holiday in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Paradise Island hotel. In addition to the Battle for Atlantis, Oregon's 2019-20 non-conference schedule will include games in Eugene versus Baylor, Boise State and Houston.

THE TALL FIRS
The average height of Oregon's frontline players is 6-10. That includes Bol Bol (7-2), Miles Norris (6-10), Louis King (6-9), Francis Okoro (6-9), Paul White (6-9) and Kenny Wooten (6-9).

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS
Of Oregon's 13-player roster, 77 percent (10) are either freshman or sophomores. The three outliers are junior Payton Pritchard, senior Paul White and senior grad transfer Ehab Amin.

DUCKS SPLIT IN MANHATTAN
Graduate transfer Ehab Amin led the Ducks with a season-high 25 points and three steals against Iowa in the semifinals of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden. Freshman Bol Bol then topped that with 26 points in the consolation final against No. 15 Syracuse. Bol also scored 14 points against Iowa and had eight total blocked shots and was named to the all-tournament team.

BOEHEIM ON THE DUCKS
After facing the Ducks in the 2K Empire Classic, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim had high praise for Oregon's interior defense and freshman Bol Bol. "You're not getting to the basket against Oregon," said Boeheim. On the Ducks' 7-2 freshman, the Hall of Fame coach offered this: "He's a good player, he's big, he's tough. He's very good. He's a big problem out there."

University of Oregon Athletics

Players Mentioned

Ehab Amin

Victor Bailey Jr.

Bol Bol

Louis King

Miles Norris

Francis Okoro

Payton Pritchard

Paul White

Kenny Wooten

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