Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Say They're Not Done Yet
02/21/18 | Men's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
Looking to build on two games in Los Angeles that came down to the wire, Oregon hopes to build some momentum for a postseason run beginning Thursday against Arizona State (8:30 p.m., FS1).
Already this season, the Oregon men's basketball team has secured its eighth straight winning record, something the program last achieved in 1932.
The Ducks (17-10, 7-7 Pac-12) are within striking distance of their eighth straight 20-win season, in fact. And a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance isn't out of the question, with the Pac-12 Tournament looming after the final two weeks of the regular season, a stretch run that begins against Arizona State in Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday (8:30 p.m., FS1).
But with elevated success comes elevated expectations. And after five straight trips to the Big Dance, including last season's Final Four run, being off the NCAA Tournament bubble this late in the season — according to projections, at least — doesn't sit well with the Ducks.
"We can't change nothin' that's behind us," UO coach Dana Altman said Wednesday. "All we can do is work on what's ahead of us. We're not happy with where we're at. All we can worry about is Arizona State, and trying to change that."
Of the Ducks' 10 losses, six have been by single digits. Four of those have come in Pac-12 play, including both games of last week's road trip to Los Angeles, a loss at the buzzer to USC and then an overtime game at UCLA.
The Ducks were able to take some positives from the trip. Altman "liked how we fought, and how we came together as a team," senior transfer MiKyle McIntosh said. But in the end, they were two more close losses, in a season with a few too many of those.
"Our goals haven't changed," McIntosh said. "We still think we have a chance at all the goals we set out to accomplish. We just made it harder on ourselves now."
The Ducks on Thursday will face an opponent that also has missed some opportunities. All seven losses for Arizona State (19-7, 7-7) have been by single digits. The Sun Devils went unbeaten in the nonconference season, but like Oregon have gone .500 in Pac-12 play, tied for seventh in the conference and a game and a half out of fourth place — which is accompanied by a first-round conference tournament bye.
That Pac-12 tournament, the second weekend of March in Las Vegas, now stands as the best opportunity for the Ducks to play themselves into NCAA Tournament consideration. But there's four games left in the regular season to state their case, too, beginning Thursday.
"We've still got a lot of season left," senior Elijah Brown said. "We're just looking forward, trying to finish out as strong as we can. I think we've got a good team; like I've been saying all year, I think we can still make noise."
Following Thursday's game against the Sun Devils, the Ducks will close out the 2017-18 home schedule against Arizona on Saturday (7:15 p.m., ESPN). That will be senior night for four seniors, including graduate transfers McIntosh and Brown.
McIntosh is one of two players to start every game this season, along with point guard Payton Pritchard.
"Even though it was one year, I still felt like I was part of the Duck family," McIntosh said. "(But) I can't really say how the year has gone, because we have to much left to do."
That family atmosphere is what compelled another of this year's seniors, Roman Sorkin, to play out his career with the Ducks, even though playing time was at times fleeting. The native of Israel, who said he may return home to play professionally, said he never considered transferring out.
"I just got close to this place," Sorkin said. "I love the the university, and I feel like part of it. We always say family, and it feels like a family."
The Ducks (17-10, 7-7 Pac-12) are within striking distance of their eighth straight 20-win season, in fact. And a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance isn't out of the question, with the Pac-12 Tournament looming after the final two weeks of the regular season, a stretch run that begins against Arizona State in Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday (8:30 p.m., FS1).
But with elevated success comes elevated expectations. And after five straight trips to the Big Dance, including last season's Final Four run, being off the NCAA Tournament bubble this late in the season — according to projections, at least — doesn't sit well with the Ducks.
"We can't change nothin' that's behind us," UO coach Dana Altman said Wednesday. "All we can do is work on what's ahead of us. We're not happy with where we're at. All we can worry about is Arizona State, and trying to change that."
Of the Ducks' 10 losses, six have been by single digits. Four of those have come in Pac-12 play, including both games of last week's road trip to Los Angeles, a loss at the buzzer to USC and then an overtime game at UCLA.
The Ducks were able to take some positives from the trip. Altman "liked how we fought, and how we came together as a team," senior transfer MiKyle McIntosh said. But in the end, they were two more close losses, in a season with a few too many of those.
"Our goals haven't changed," McIntosh said. "We still think we have a chance at all the goals we set out to accomplish. We just made it harder on ourselves now."
The Ducks on Thursday will face an opponent that also has missed some opportunities. All seven losses for Arizona State (19-7, 7-7) have been by single digits. The Sun Devils went unbeaten in the nonconference season, but like Oregon have gone .500 in Pac-12 play, tied for seventh in the conference and a game and a half out of fourth place — which is accompanied by a first-round conference tournament bye.
That Pac-12 tournament, the second weekend of March in Las Vegas, now stands as the best opportunity for the Ducks to play themselves into NCAA Tournament consideration. But there's four games left in the regular season to state their case, too, beginning Thursday.
"We've still got a lot of season left," senior Elijah Brown said. "We're just looking forward, trying to finish out as strong as we can. I think we've got a good team; like I've been saying all year, I think we can still make noise."
Following Thursday's game against the Sun Devils, the Ducks will close out the 2017-18 home schedule against Arizona on Saturday (7:15 p.m., ESPN). That will be senior night for four seniors, including graduate transfers McIntosh and Brown.
McIntosh is one of two players to start every game this season, along with point guard Payton Pritchard.
"Even though it was one year, I still felt like I was part of the Duck family," McIntosh said. "(But) I can't really say how the year has gone, because we have to much left to do."
That family atmosphere is what compelled another of this year's seniors, Roman Sorkin, to play out his career with the Ducks, even though playing time was at times fleeting. The native of Israel, who said he may return home to play professionally, said he never considered transferring out.
"I just got close to this place," Sorkin said. "I love the the university, and I feel like part of it. We always say family, and it feels like a family."
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