Photo by: Samuel Marshall/Eric Evans Photo
Reinforcements Ready For Civil War Rematch
02/26/20 | Men's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon played earlier this season at OSU without its two biggest post players but should have both on hand against the Beavers at home Thursday (8 p.m. PT, ESPN2).
Oregon's depth and post presence should look significantly different in round two of the Civil War.
Three weeks after the short-handed Ducks lost at Oregon State, Oregon expects to have its two biggest players available for the rematch in Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN2). Francis Okoro missed the first Civil War for personal reasons and N'Faly Dante has been dealing with a knee injury, but Dante practiced this week with Thursday's game in mind.
A 6-foot-11 freshman from Mali, Dante hasn't played since Jan. 18 due to tendinitis.
"He's somebody that you can throw it to in the post and get a bucket," UO senior point guard Payton Pritchard said. "He's a big body and he's got long arms, so that will affect people going to the rim – it's not going to be an easy shot. And he's a good teammate and competitor, so we need him."
The Ducks surely could have used Dante last time out against the Beavers. In a 63-53 loss on Feb. 8 in Corvallis, the UO men played to a 31-31 draw on the boards — but were minus-12 in the second half. OSU had a 34-28 edge in points in the paint, and had 13 second-chance points compared with four for the Ducks.
Senior Shakur Juiston and freshman Chandler Lawson have done yeoman's work in the post when Okoro and Dante have been absent. But the Ducks have been happy to have the 6-9 Okoro back in the mix since the last Civil War, and are eagerly anticipating the return of Dante.
"Francis has been doing a good job; his block-out numbers are the best on the team," UO coach Dana Altman said. "So he can rebound. … We've gotta do a better job on the boards. He can definitely help us there."
Dante was late to join the Ducks at the beginning of the season, making his UO debut with 11 points against Montana on Dec. 18. His most productive Pac-12 performance was Jan. 9 against Arizona, when Dante had 10 points and five rebounds with two blocked shots.
An explosive finisher at the basket, Dante is also long enough to protect the rim at the other end. Altman said the Ducks will limit his minutes so as not to rush him back, but the team is confident Dante can contribute Thursday despite missing the last month.
"He's been around the game now and around us, so he should be ready," Pritchard said. "We saw what he did when he first came back out against Montana; he made a splash. Hopefully he can do the same thing for us and make something happen."
Thursday's Civil War kicks off a three-game homestand that closes out Oregon's regular-season, with the Bay Area schools visiting next week. The Ducks are a half-game out of first place in the Pac-12 after splitting their road trip to Arizona last week, still in contention for a conference title but also at risk of falling out of the top four and thus having to play on the opening day of the Pac-12 Tournament come March 11.
A year ago, the Ducks had to play on the opening day and won four games in a row to capture the tournament title. But they'd prefer to take care of business over the next two weeks and secure a first-round bye — which the Ducks would do with three wins to close the regular season.
The Beavers, Stanford and California all are in the bottom half of the conference standings. But the Ducks lost on the road to both OSU and Stanford, and had to stave off a late rally to hang on and beat Cal.
"So we know it's not going to be easy," Altman said. "I've tried to impress that upon the guys. We've got to make these games as big for us as they are for our opponents. Hopefully our guys will be able to focus in and do that."
On tap first is a rivalry game against the Beavers on Thursday, and the chance for revenge.
"They're a good team, obviously," UO senior Anthony Mathis said. "This is a crazy rivalry; anybody can win on any given night. So you've gotta bring your 'A' game. Obviously they got us last time, so we need to come with an edge, for sure."
Three weeks after the short-handed Ducks lost at Oregon State, Oregon expects to have its two biggest players available for the rematch in Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN2). Francis Okoro missed the first Civil War for personal reasons and N'Faly Dante has been dealing with a knee injury, but Dante practiced this week with Thursday's game in mind.
A 6-foot-11 freshman from Mali, Dante hasn't played since Jan. 18 due to tendinitis.
"He's somebody that you can throw it to in the post and get a bucket," UO senior point guard Payton Pritchard said. "He's a big body and he's got long arms, so that will affect people going to the rim – it's not going to be an easy shot. And he's a good teammate and competitor, so we need him."
The Ducks surely could have used Dante last time out against the Beavers. In a 63-53 loss on Feb. 8 in Corvallis, the UO men played to a 31-31 draw on the boards — but were minus-12 in the second half. OSU had a 34-28 edge in points in the paint, and had 13 second-chance points compared with four for the Ducks.
Senior Shakur Juiston and freshman Chandler Lawson have done yeoman's work in the post when Okoro and Dante have been absent. But the Ducks have been happy to have the 6-9 Okoro back in the mix since the last Civil War, and are eagerly anticipating the return of Dante.
"Francis has been doing a good job; his block-out numbers are the best on the team," UO coach Dana Altman said. "So he can rebound. … We've gotta do a better job on the boards. He can definitely help us there."
Dante was late to join the Ducks at the beginning of the season, making his UO debut with 11 points against Montana on Dec. 18. His most productive Pac-12 performance was Jan. 9 against Arizona, when Dante had 10 points and five rebounds with two blocked shots.
An explosive finisher at the basket, Dante is also long enough to protect the rim at the other end. Altman said the Ducks will limit his minutes so as not to rush him back, but the team is confident Dante can contribute Thursday despite missing the last month.
"He's been around the game now and around us, so he should be ready," Pritchard said. "We saw what he did when he first came back out against Montana; he made a splash. Hopefully he can do the same thing for us and make something happen."
Thursday's Civil War kicks off a three-game homestand that closes out Oregon's regular-season, with the Bay Area schools visiting next week. The Ducks are a half-game out of first place in the Pac-12 after splitting their road trip to Arizona last week, still in contention for a conference title but also at risk of falling out of the top four and thus having to play on the opening day of the Pac-12 Tournament come March 11.
A year ago, the Ducks had to play on the opening day and won four games in a row to capture the tournament title. But they'd prefer to take care of business over the next two weeks and secure a first-round bye — which the Ducks would do with three wins to close the regular season.
The Beavers, Stanford and California all are in the bottom half of the conference standings. But the Ducks lost on the road to both OSU and Stanford, and had to stave off a late rally to hang on and beat Cal.
"So we know it's not going to be easy," Altman said. "I've tried to impress that upon the guys. We've got to make these games as big for us as they are for our opponents. Hopefully our guys will be able to focus in and do that."
On tap first is a rivalry game against the Beavers on Thursday, and the chance for revenge.
"They're a good team, obviously," UO senior Anthony Mathis said. "This is a crazy rivalry; anybody can win on any given night. So you've gotta bring your 'A' game. Obviously they got us last time, so we need to come with an edge, for sure."
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