Ducks Seek to Define Identity Sunday

EUGENE, Ore., – More than halfway through Pac-12 play, the Oregon men's basketball team's identity is still a bit of a mystery.

The Ducks (15-8, 5-5 Pac-12) are hoping to figure out who they are when they take on Washington State (9-14, 1-10) Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena (5 p.m., ESPNU).

The last two games the Ducks have played – Stanford and Washington – have resulted in two strikingly different performances.

Last Saturday, the Ducks dropped a tough one to the Cardinals, 96-61, in a showing that lacked rhythm both offensively and defensively. There seemed to be a mutual consensus among the team that the level of effort put forward needed to be better.

"It's a game played with young men," said head coach Dana Altman. "Sometimes they don't respond the way you want them to."

After the game, Altman told the players that one loss does not define the team, but how they respond does. The Ducks took Altman's message and ran with it.

In their following game against Washington at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday, the Ducks were a completely different squad. There was a newfound energy among the players, and the team seemed recharged and fearless.

Behind a solid defensive performance, the Ducks held the Huskies to only 40 points – the fewest points UW has scored against UO since 1945 – in a 65-40 Oregon victory.

"All in all we just played much harder," said Altman. "Much more focus and much more communication. I thought our activity was really good."

The Ducks were led by performances from freshmen Troy Brown, who matched his career high with 21 points, and Kenny Wooten who recorded a career high seven blocks while also adding 12 points and five rebounds. This type of game is one that showcases what the Ducks are capable of doing when everyone is firing on all cylinders.

Despite the high level of play put on display against Washington, the contrasting inconsistency between the Oregon's performance against Washington and Stanford leaves the identity of this year's team unclear.

"We were just a different team [Thursday]," Altman said. "Now the challenge is, who are we? Are we the team that played Saturday, or the team that played tonight?"

Strong showings from younger players, like Wooten and Brown, are a good sign for the Ducks as they look to rely on a multitude players moving into the later part of conference play.

A recurring theme throughout the season has been a heavy emphasis on defense. Against Washington, Oregon had a season high 42 deflections which translated into high offensive productivity for the Ducks and gave them some cushion.

"That's always our game plan," said Brown. "To come out and start playing defense really hard to set the tone … and just trying to keep that mentality throughout the game."

This is the mentality the Ducks will need have when they go head-to-head with the Cougars Sunday.

Despite facing some adversity in Pac-12 play, Washington State will be a challenge for the Ducks. WSU is one of only two teams who have taken down 11^th-ranked Saint Mary's this season. The Cougs can also shoot from behind the arc, and currently lead the Pac-12 in three-point field goals made at 11.3 per game.

It is important that the Ducks look at Sunday's game as an opportunity to begin and figure out who they are as a team. They undoubtedly have the capability to define themselves as the team that dominated Washington Thursday night. It just depends on whether or not they can perform up to that level again.

"[Washington] is just one time that we did the things that we talked about doing," said Altman. "We have to do that again on Sunday."

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Players Mentioned

Troy Brown

Kenny Wooten

University of Oregon Athletics