SB Nation - Michael Dunigan

MBB Game 8 Preview: St. Mary's vs. Oregon

dvieira — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:30:14 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

13 days ago: Oregon's E.J. Singler, left, LeKendric Longmire (24) and Michael Dunigan (33) battle Missouri's Zaire Taylor, right, and Keith Ramsey, center, for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

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Game Time: 1pm, Live Stats and Radio

As St. Mary's comes to Mac Court, they are recovering from the news that senior guard Wayne Hunter will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee in the last few minutes of their win over Utah State last Saturday. The Gaels will miss his 12 points per game but more importantly, they will miss his defensive intensity and energy. You don't like to take pleasure in the misfortunes of others, but having Hunter in there would have caused major problems for our guards in ball control and scoring.

A Look at the Gaels

St. Mary's has a great inside/outside game with 6-11 Omar Samhan at center and 6-0 Mickey McConnell at guard. Samhan is a beast near the basket, averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds a game on nearly 60% shooting. A crafty senior, Samhan will look to exploit Oregon underneath early and often. He will pass the ball when needed and that's where McConnell will kill you, shooting 60% from beyond the arc.

Outside of their starters, St. Mary's doesn't have a lot of experience or depth but they do have a good 6th man in Tim Williams. Who steps up for Wayne Hunter will be interesting as the most likely candidates are all freshman in Trey Anderson, Matt Dellavedova, and Jorden Page. Out of those, Anderson and Page are the most likely but have limited experience.

Keys to the Game

1. Michael Dunigan, are you listening to me? Good. Don't get in foul trouble. We need you in there playing your best defense against Omar Samhan. He is prone to turning the ball over but he will get his points. Don't get silly handcheck fouls. Without you in there, he will dominate even more on the glass and kill us. If Dunigan can take him straight up, we can work to take away the Gael's 3 point game.

2. With the Gael defense being so good, Oregon will need to have a good day from the field to stay in it. If the team shoots like they did against Missouri, this one will get ugly fast

3. Rebounding and limiting offensive opportunities will be key for Oregon to get out on the break. With Samhan looking to crash the boards, good box outs and fundamental defense will turn into offensive opportunities if the Ducks can take advantage of them.

Final Thoughts

This would be a great game to have in the win column but my expectations are low coming off the blow out by Missouri and given how good the Gaels have been in recent years. I certainly like our chances more with Wayne Hunter out of the game. We need to come out and be competitive in this game for a lot of reasons, but mainly for the overall mental aspect of the team. Getting blown out for the second game in a row could prove as damaging as last year and we don't want a "here we go again" feeling.

I'm not expecting a win but this game would go far in getting us some momentum in finishing up the non-conference slate. A win here and I feel we have a great shot of ending non-conference at 8-4 or better.

Know Your (Temporary) Rival: Oregon Ducks

Bill C. — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000

Tajuan Porter leads a banged-up Ducks squad to Columbia tomorrow afternoon.

Oregon: 4-2

	UO	Opp
Points Per Minute	2.01	1.60
Points Per Possession (PPP)	1.18	0.94
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.32	1.24
2-PT FG%	50.8%	44.4%
3-PT FG%	37.1%	37.5%
FT%	75.8%	64.1%
True Shooting %	57.1%	52.4%

	UO	Opp
Assists/Gm	14.3	11.7
Steals/Gm	8.5	5.7
Turnovers/Gm	13.0	16.7
Ball Control Index (Assists + Steals) / TO	1.76	1.04

	UO	Opp
Expected Offensive Rebounds	74	71
Offensive Rebounds	85	49
Difference	+11	-22

UO's season thus far:

@Oregon 94, Winston-Salem State 43 (W)
@Oregon 95, UC-Davis 64 (W)
@Oregon 68, Colorado State 53 (W)
@Portland 88, Oregon 81 (L)
Montana 68, @Oregon 55 (L)
@Oregon 89, Montana State 66 (W)

Where the Ducks are solid

Hard to tell. While it appears that Portland might be a rather legitimate team, the Ducks' schedule so far has been quite weak, and humongous wins over Winston-Salem State and UC-Davis have made their numbers look artificially great. This does appear to be a rock-solid rebounding team, though huge efforts against the cakiest of cupcakes sways the numbers a bit; they were significantly outplayed down low in the loss to Montana. Meanwhile, their guard play looks quite good if you take out of the equation the fact that Portland's backcourt ran circles around them. In all, if I were to rank the five major categories listed above (FG% offense, FG% defense, BCI offense, BCI defense, and rebounding), I would list their strengths like this, from best to worst:

1. Rebounding
2. BCI offense
3. FG% offense
4. BCI defense
5. FG% defense

This seems like a team with size and decent potential, but their defense has not been great so far, considering the level of competition. If you're allowing a true shooting % of 52.4% against this competition, then at home Mizzou should at least get into the 55%-60% range. Shooting has very much not been Mizzou's strong suit thus far, but this might be a nice slump buster. If the Ducks don't force a turnover (and they'll certainly force some), they're probably giving up a decent look.

Where the Ducks are less than solid

Well, for one thing, chemistry is probably going to be off a bit considering how many injuries and absences they've already had to deal with this season. Five players -- Dajuan Porter (ankle), Joevan Catron (back), Matt Humphrey (knee), Josh Crittle (ankle), and Michael Dunigan (hip) -- have already missed time, which is impressive considering Oregon's only played six games. If they are healthy, they've got a quick backcourt and a big frontcourt, but ... are they healthy? Oregon's press for the most part seems justifiably distracted by the football team and Thursday night's Civil War, but I haven't been able to find out for sure who is supposed to play and who is not. This is their first game in a week, so there's a good chance that everybody will be expected to play. At least that's what I'm going to assume until I hear otherwise.

Anyway, beyond health/chemistry, I guess I covered their main weaknesses above: defense.

Player Stats

NCAA Basketball Stats

Player	*AdjGS/Gm**	GmSc/Min	Line
Teondre Williams (6'4, 199, So.)	13.5	0.53	25.3 MPG, 14.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.7 APG
Tajuan Porter (5'7, 155, Sr.)	12.4	0.47	26.4 MPG, 14.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, 2.0 TOPG
Malcolm Armstead (6'0, 204, So.)	10.7	0.41	25.8 MPG, 7.5 PPG, 4.5 APG, 2.7 RPG, 2.5 SPG
Michael Dunigan (6'10, 242, So.)	10.0	0.68	14.8 MPG, 8.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.3 BPG
LeKendric Longmire (6'5, 200, Jr.)	9.0	0.41	22.2 MPG, 10.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG
Garrett Sim (6'1, 180, So.)	6.8	0.41	16.8 MPG, 7.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.5 APG
Joevan Catron (6'6, 237, Sr.)	6.4	0.30	21.3 MPG, 5.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.5 TOPG
Jamil Wilson (6'7, 209, Fr.)	6.0	0.36	16.8 MPG, 5.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.2 APG
E.J. Singler (6'6, 210, Fr.)	5.3	0.40	13.2 MPG, 3.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.5 APG
Jeremy Jacob (6'8, 225, So.)	3.4	0.23	15.2 MPG, 4.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Josh Crittle (6'8, 250, So.)	1.5	0.19	7.7 MPG, 2.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Drew Wiley (6'7, 215, So.)	0.8	0.10	7.6 MPG, 2.0 PPG
Nicholas Fearn (6'1, 190, So.)	0.7	0.25	6 minutes
John Elorriaga (6'2, 183, So.)	0.6	0.19	6 minutes
Matthew Humphrey (6'5, 185, So.)	0.5	0.07	7.8 MPG, 2.6 PPG

* AdjGS = a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition here) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It redistributes a team's points based not only on points scored, but also by giving credit for assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls. It is a stat intended to determine who had the biggest overall impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.

Early-season injuries do funny things to the numbers -- because of the roster shifts, Oregon currently has TEN guys averaging at least 13 minutes per game. That's really tough to do.
Honestly, from Mizzou's perspective the most dangerous player on the court for Oregon could be Michael Dunigan. Vanderbilt used size to extreme advantage against Mizzou, and Dunigan did a nice job in Oregon's last game of banging around, getting to the line and making his free throws. If Dunigan gets hot, either from the field or on the glass (or both), then this game could stay pretty close.
Tajuan Porter has a chance to set the Pac-10's career 3-pointers mark this season. He is a quick guard and good shooter, but I'm curious to see how he handles not only Missouri's bigger guards, but Missouri's much bigger guards. He's giving up eight inches to J.T. Tiller and nine to Zaire Taylor, and while I'm sure he's faced plenty of bigger guards in his day (like, every game of his career), here's where Mizzou's strong defense could take over. If Porter can't really get going, then it's up to younger guys like Teondre Williams and Garrett Sim to knock down outside shots. Both are capable of doing so, but you always want to be able to take away a team's most proven scoring threat, and that's Porter.
Oregon finished with a staggeringly bad 8-23 record last year, but taking a look at the roster, you can kind of see why athletic department may have held onto Ernie Kent for another season. Four of the top six contributors are sophomores this year, with six more at the end of the bench; throw in a couple of freshman contributors (Jamil Wilson and E.J. "Don't Call Me Kyle" Singler), and Oregon's got a ridiculously young team. Porter and Joevan Catron are the only seniors, so this team will be able to continue to grow together for a while.

Keys to the Game

Rebounds. They murdered Missouri in the last game, and if guys like Dunigan and Catron are allowed to not only prevent second chances for Mizzou, but also collect some second chances of their own, then Oregon will stay in this game a lot longer than they should.
The 3-Pointer. Oregon takes 21 3's a game, and Missouri takes 22. Oregon's perimeter defense has been far from amazing in terms of FG% and 3PT%, but you never know who may get hot from one game to another. If the Ducks make over 40% of their 3's and Missouri makes below about 35% of theirs, Oregon could have a chance.
Pace. Oregon likes to play a transition game (though they've only averaged about 68 possessions per game -- Mizzou would prefer closer to 75), with pressure defense and as many fast break opportunities as possible. If they're good at it, they might be able to handle Mizzou's pressure alright and apply some of their own. If they're only decent at it, they will play right into Mizzou's hands and get run off the court. Based on the teams they've played, I can't tell if they're good or only decent ... and I'm leaning toward the latter.

Prediction

I always like Missouri's chances when a team from two time zones away makes a long trip for a game with a weird tip-off time. That's just a really long trip to make for a single basketball game, no? While Oregon could hurt Mizzou on the boards, and while they have a couple of long-distance weapons that could get hot, I can't imagine this game ends up tremendously close. Oregon is still learning how to win again, and Mizzou's ready to take out some frustrations. Mizzou 86, Oregon 67.

MBB Game 6 Recap: Oregon 89, Montana State 66

dvieira — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:43:40 -0000

Tajuan Porter and Joevan Catron were out with injuries but that didn't stop the Ducks from defeating the Bobcats 89-66. The ball movement by Oregon was top notch throughout the game and looked worlds away from last year. Ernie's gameplan was very clear. Get out in transition and crash the boards which Oregon did very well.

It took awhile for Oregon to get aggressive on defense but you could tell when the guys turned it on as MSU started having all kinds of problems finding a rhythm on offense. The reason why it was even close in the first half was because of all the wild, long distance shots the Bobcats were making.

Individual Notes

Michael Dunigan didn't start the game because of his lingering hip injury but played quality minutes and had some great post moves on the block. There were flashes of potential on the block. He still needs to be careful with dribbling but his decision making has improved.

Teondre Williams had another great night offensively with 17 points and 3-4 from beyond the arc. I think Dave said it best in the open thread when he compared him to Freddie Jones with a jump shot.

EJ Singler had a very quiet 8 points and 6 rebounds. He seemed to always be around the ball making plays.

Jeremy Jacob scored the first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Final Thoughts

This was a good, bounce back win for Oregon. We needed this win and we came through in a big way. I was a little worried that we would come out a bit flat after losing two games but Ernie had the team ready to play and they gave a strong effort for the entire game. Six Ducks were in double figures in the win.

Next Game: Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri. Pac-10/Big-12 Hardwood Series. 2pm on ESPNU

MBB Game 4 Recap: Oregon 81, Portland, 88

dvieira — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:00:15 -0000

While most of us were busy trying to will the Oregon Ducks football team to a victory in the desert against the Arizona Wildcats, the men's basketball team spent the evening doing battle with the Portland Pilots at the Chiles Center.

Incoming Rant: Who was in charge of scheduling this game? With the football team looking to grab a shot at the Rose Bowl, why was the men's game not moved to a later time? Those watching the football contest had no shot of getting to the game in Portland. There was plenty of time to get the game moved, even by an hour or two.

I'm not thrilled by any loss but I can accept this one, if for no other reason than because of the talent level of Portland. This isn't a bottom feeder team where we just didn't perform. The Pilots are a team looking to challenge Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference title and make their way into the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon went into halftime with an 8 point lead but the Pilots went on a 15-1 run to start the second half. Last year, that would have been all she wrote for the team but the Ducks battled back, mostly on the hustle and shooting of Malcolm Armstead, who hit two 3 point baskets and a layup off a stolen inbounds play. Oregon was up 72-70 with about 5 minutes to go when Portland went on an 11-2 run to seal the game.

Individual Notes

Malcolm Armstead had a great game, scoring 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and no turnovers. His 8 point burst in the second half kept the Ducks from being blown out and gave the Ducks a chance to win in the closing minutes of the game before Portland pulled away. Not bad for a guy off the bench.

Tajuan Porter went missing in the second half after scoring 13 points in the first half. TP is still hot and cold. If he's going to step up and be that go to guy beyond the arc, the time is now. We need his points and his ability.

Michael Dunigan didn't play in the game due to his hip injury

Jamil Wilson had 3 points and 3 rebounds after starting the game but played limited minutes while spliting time with Jeremy Jacob and EJ Singler.

We had a Drew Wiley sighting who had enough time to play exactly 1 minute of action and drain a 3.

Josh Crittle didn't register any time in the game. For a guy that was one of the brighter spots for the team last year, I can't believe how little playing time he's getting. Is he in the doghouse? Out of shape? Or is it just that the other guys on the team are playing better.

Final Thoughts

I'm about as ok with this loss as I'm going to be. We were in the game, had a good lead and even came back after facing a tough stretch. The team is starting to learn to play together and have that scrappy attitude needed to do well. Playing competitive ball against Portland is a good indication of where this team is. We need to do a much better job defending the 3 point line and Dunigan has become a key component of our defense down low. If he is out for an extended period of time, we'll need someone to step up to fill that role.

Next game: Monday, November 23rd against the Montana Grizzlies from Mac Court in Eugene

Ducks Gear Up for the BTI Tournament

dvieira — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:00:44 -0000

Oregon welcomes Winston-Salem State, UC Davis and Colorado State into Mac Court this weekend, hoping to start the 2009-10 season off on a good note. The BTI Tip-off Tournament is a function put on by Basketball Travelers Inc, an organization with an interesting history. If you plan on going to any of the games, make sure you check the parking situation. Homecoming Weekend can be a challenge on campus with all of the events going on. Let's take a look at the teams involved

A Look at Winston-Salem State

Playing as an independent, the Rams sported an 8-22 overall record last year, most of their games coming against opponents from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Experience will be important as Winston-Salem will look to ride their veteran backcourt of Brian Fisher and Diontae Gibson. Fisher lead the team last year averaging 14 points and 2 steals per game. Gibson represents their 3pt threat, hitting about 35% of his chances. Both are seniors and should see most of the touches. On the block, Paul Davis will look to clean up on the boards. He averaged better than 53% from the field last year but didn't get a lot of chances. Beyond Fisher, Gibson and Davis, the Rams don't have a legitimate scoring threat returning. 9 players are new to the team so there may be issues with chemistry in their first game.

Even though the Rams have size on the front line, Davis is 6-9, 195lbs and he will get most of the action. Oregon will have a big advantage, both in speed and strength. With most of the action running through the guards, it will be imperative for the Duck bigs not to get in foul trouble. Defense and the transition game should win the game. In a half court set, dish and kick should be open if the Ducks choose to exploit it.

Breaking down UC Davis

Playing in the Big West Conference, the Aggies played to an overall record of 12-18. Head Coach Gary Stewart is in his 7th year as coach and came to UC Davis from UCLA where he worked under Steve Lavin during the 2002-03 season. 3 starters are back, including Joe Harden and Mark Payne who were both named Second Team All-Big West Conference last year. Harden is listed as a 6-8 guard (yes, a guard) who averaged 15 points and 7.2 rebounds a game last year. Payne, another 6-8 guard, averaged 10.4 points and 6 rebounds per game and shot an amazing 68% from the field. The Aggies have quite a bit of experience with a tough front line.

Oregon will have their hands full guarding the post, especially if Harden and Payne are moving the ball. All of the offense runs through them with Dunigan, Catron, Wilson and Jacob taking the brunt of the action. Without a 3 point threat, Oregon should be able to help in the post to create turnovers and run the ball. Managing fouls will be a key component for the Oregon strategy so Payne doesn't get room to distribute the ball.

A Look at Colorado State

CSU had an abysmal season last year, finishing 9-22 overall and 4-12 in the Mountain West Conference. The only bright side may be that almost everyone is coming back for a second turn. Big time threat Marcus Walker is gone but 6-9 junior Andy Ogide is back. Ogide averaged 10.2 points per game. Outside of Ogide, there isn't a lot of help. Jesse Carr is coming back from injury which may help provide an outside threat but CSU is rebuilding and just isn't in very good shape right now.

Final Thoughts

The Ducks should be able to run away from all the teams in the tournament and come out with victories in each contest. Ernie was smart in his scheduling. Just like in exhibition, each team has some unique tests that will challenge Oregon's abilities in different areas. Winston-Salem has a strong backcourt, UC Davis has an excellent frontcourt and CSU is more balanced. Talent and ability should help the Ducks prevail but these teams are a definite step up from the exhibition contests we've seen so far.

MBB Exhibition Game 2 Preview: Lewis and Clark vs. Oregon

dvieira — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:00:29 -0000

A Look at the Pioneers

Lewis and Clark makes the trip down I-5 to clash with the Ducks of Oregon at Mac Court as the men's team looks to tighten up their play in their second and final exhibition game. The Pioneers were 12-6 overall with a respectable 6-3 in the Northwest Conference, a conference that includes George Fox, Linfield, and Willamette. Josh Kollasch will be back at guard who averaged abou 14 points per game last year but did not shoot a high percentage from the field. James Hollins should run the other guard spot and will contribute scoring opportunities to the team as well.

Lewis and Clark provides a different set of challenges for Oregon than their first game against Concordia. While Concordia looked to go inside, the Pioneers will look to score from their perimeter players. Garrett Sim and Tajuan Porter have to step up big time given their performances last Sunday. Oregon will have a significant advantage in the paint which should provide a number of opportunities on the boards. Offensive rebounds shouldn't be a problem but I'll be happy if we don't have very many.

Keys to the Game

1. Get TP, Garrett Sim and LeKendric Longmire involved early and in rhythm. Coming off a tough shooting night for the three of them, it would be great to see some progress shooting the ball and overall fundamental defense. TP, in particular, should look to get some confidence.

2. Continue to refine the offense and develop additional scoring threats. Jamil Wilson had a great first game. No regression. Get him some good looks and let him use his talent to get some good looks. Michael Dunigan needs to dominate down low and look to be a defensive stopper.

Final Thoughts

This game should be just as much of a blowout as Concordia but that doesn't mean we should take this game lightly. We have a lot to work on before we open the season next Friday and we need to refine our play. Having continuing shooting woes from the guard position will only hurt us more as the season drags on and we need to prove to others (and ourselves) that we have a legitimate threat from outside they key. This is the game we need to start refining our strategies with.

MBB Exhibition Game 1 Preview: Concordia vs Oregon

dvieira — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:00:33 -0000

5:00 pm Pacific at Mac Court Radio Only

A Look at the Cavaliers

Concordia University comes to Mac Court on Sunday for an exhibition matchup with an Oregon Ducks Men's Team that looks to put a forgettable 2008-09 season behind them. Let's be frank on what this match up is. This is a way for the Ducks to work on some skills in a game style environment against a team that just doesn't have the caliber of athletes to compete with a Pac-10 team for a long.

Concordia hails from the Cascade Collegiate Conference, the same conference that is home to Northwest Christian University where former Duck Ben Voogd is playing his senior season. Last year was a bit of a disaster for the Caviliers, going 10-20 for the year and 4-16 in conference. They've already played an exhibition game at the Chiles Center against the Portland Pilots, losing 106-78 with 6 Pilots scoring in double figures.

Alex Tiefenthaler is a 6-9 senior playing the middle and should provide an interesting test for Michael Dunigan and Josh Crittle. Alex was named to the Cascade Collegiate Conference Preseason Men's Basketball Team for 2009 and averaged 16.4 points and led the team with 8.1 rebounds a game. He is also a threat to shoot the three ball, hitting a little under 40% from beyond the arc. He shot 8-13 from the field with 19 total points at Portland in the loss.

Offensively, Concordia likes to work the ball around and look for shots in the paint, using up time on the clock in the process. Oregon will provide quite the contrast in style as the Ducks will look to run on rebounds and in the transition game. The speed and talent advantage for the Ducks should take over the game, especially if fundamentals improve from last year. Taujan Porter should be able to get nearly any shot he wants with his athleticism.

Keys to the Game

1. Use the talent and athletic advantages to dominate. Oregon has a clear edge in talent and athleticism in every facet of the game. Facilities are better, coaching is better and the competition that the Ducks have faced from last year is better. Tajuan Porter needs to run all over the court, getting his teammates involved. Dunigan and Catron need to attack the rim and continue to attack the rim by going through the defenders.

2. Fundamentals. I want to see better, overall fundamental play from the team as a whole. In some regards, this team is still learning to play with each other but with a year under their belts, it's time to step up. Play better, take care of the ball and work as a team.

3. Don't let Concordia think they can hang with Oregon. Get out early, run the ball and get easy buckets. Oregon needs to control the tempo and this game should get out of hand quickly in Oregon's favor.

Final Thoughts

Exhibition games generally don't mean a whole lot but I'm betting this Oregon team will just be happy to get out on the court against competition that doesn't also wear a Duck uniform. Ernie has quite the task ahead of him in turning around a program that a horrible year in 2009. This game starts that journey and we'll see what kind of impact Mike Dunlap has had on the players. I don't see this game being competitive but I don't want it to even been in question. If this game is close, we should have grave concerns for the season, even against a down Pac-10 Conference.

Quack Fix: Hoops media day; Steele still predicts Emerald Bowl for Ducks.

JConant — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:42 -0000

Well, ready or not, it's time to start putting some focus on the upcoming Pac-10 basketball season. Today's Quack Fix is a little soft on football coverage - no surprise halfway through a bye week.

Ernie Kent is fairly candid about the pressure he feels to right the ship following last year's 8-23 record. The Ducks start practice Friday night, and Kent had a lot to say about the growth of his team when he sat down with the R-G's Ron Bellamy.
Bellamy offers a few other notes from Oregon's media day.
Evidently Bellamy was winning the day among local beat writers. He writes that post players Nicole Canepa and Ellyce Ironmonger are learning to find a place in Paul Westhead's up-tempo system.
Bob Clark of the R-G gives us an in-depth introduction to E.J. Singler. The freshman from Medford has a lot of things going for him, including a well-established comfort zone for playing at Mac Court.
Of course, we're not completely lacking football news. Rob Moseley gives us links to the latest bowl projections. I would normally pass on this stuff, but I see Phil Steele still isn't a believer. He predicts Oregon will go 2-4 in the second half. What's odd is he has Cal running the table starting this week. Seriously, Phil? Are you even considering how these teams look on the field week to week? Cal's going to beat Oregon State, Arizona, and Stanford, but Oregon will lose to all three?
Gary Horowitz of the Stateman Journal caught up with Chip Kelly, who says the Ducks will remain focused week-to-week right through the civil war. Funny...Kelly said he congratulated the team Wednesday for being half-way-through Pac-10 champs. Evidently some of the guys clapped in celebration, until they realized Chip was being sarcastic.
In case you missed yesterday's practice notes.
Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian reports that former Duck lineman Mark Lewis has been signed to the Seattle Seahawks' practice roster.

As always, if you stumble upon some good, please share in the comments. [UPDATE -jtlight] I've added some videos after the jump, incliding a bunch of basketball team interview and Chip Kelly on PTI, so make sure to check them out.

Chip Kelly on PTI

Coach Kent Media Day Interview

Tajuan Porter Media Day Interview

Michael Dunigan Media Day Interview

Drew Wiley Media Day Interview

LeKendric Longmire Media Day Interview

Ernie Kent Punishments for Crittle, Dunigan and Williams Made Public

dvieira — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:54:20 -0000

The University of Oregon sent out a release today regarding the punishment handed down by Ernie Kent to Josh Crittle, Michael Dunigan and Teondre Williams. You may recall that they were up to some shenanigans at Alton Baker Park a couple weeks back. All three were assigned community service as part of team disciplinary actions. That punishment is in addition to whatever fine they may have to pay given the outcome of the misdemeanor charges against them. Ron Bellamy has a write up about it. Here's the meat of it...

--Crittle, Dunigan and Williams began working with Eugene's Greenhill Human Society last Friday.
--All three will also attend a Humane Education class.

Very good pick of an organization by Kent and crew. Given the nature of the crime, working with animals that haven't had an easy life of it seems like a good "parenting" move. That being said, the punishment could have been a lot worse for the three involved.

Poll

Was the appropriate punishment handed down to Josh Crittle, Michael Dunigan and Teondre Williams?

Yes, Kent got it right

85 votes

No, the penality was too harsh

2 votes

No, they should have been punished more

31 votes

Let's take it to Judge Jshufelt on Shufelt's Court

9 votes

127 votes | Poll has closed

Thank You Ernie! But your Pac-10 Title is in Another Arena: Wazzu 62, Oregon 40

dvieira — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:18:22 -0000

General Observations

Boxscore

As much as I love the game of basketball, and as much as I love the Oregon Ducks, I am so happy the season is over. In a lot of ways, the game against Washington State summed up all of the feelings I've had about the team this year. Inexperience, turnovers and mental mistakes plagued us through the entire game. We did some things right but we did a lot of things like we have all year. Washington State was the worst possible team for us to play in the first round matchup-wise and not only did they kill us on the court, they just happened to be ending the season playing some of their best basketball. A recipe for a first-round exit. Great. Oregon never led in the game, and even though they made some good runs, they couldn't put together a consistent effort to stay in the game. Here are some thoughts from Ernie....

Offensively we were completely out of sync. We turned the ball over way too much. We couldn't score inside. We weren't scoring outside. TP was about the only guy on the floor getting anything done. So many missed layups and scoring opportunities. More so, so many basketball plays on the floor that are there to be made that we're not making right now. With a team that plays defensive like they play, you've got to make basketball plays. We left a lot of plays out on the floor.

A lot of the "basketball plays" Ernie is referring to are hustle and muscle plays from the guys. Going for rebounds was a big factor in the game as the guys were losing battles for the loose balls. Washington State was winning almost all the battles, not just physically but understanding what to do in the exact situation and reacting. Oregon still, even at this late part of the season, isn't reacting to the ball. Too much thinking out there, not enough playing basketball. The Cougars just play solid defense and don't make too many mistakes. When they do make mistakes, you have to capitalize on them and we just didn't do that.

Ernie on the off-season

We've got a grueling, grueling, grueling Spring and off-season coming this way with this group because we got a LOT of work to do...LOT of work to do.

You get the distinct impression that the off-season road is going to be pretty long for Oregon. Not just for players, but coaches as well. Ernie didn't sugarcoat the issue at all. The team will get a week or two off for finals and rest from the long season. After that, back to work fixing the issues from this season. Ernie implied that they knew a lot of the issues coming into the season. That fact doesn't surprise me as much as why it wasn't publicized more. By whatever force, most fans were led to believe that we would be "ok" and at least be middle of the Pac-10. I'm not sure if this was a bad job of setting expectations by Ernie and crew or whether the media got out of hand in their predictions. Ernie hangs his hat on "winning in the off-season" so hopefully the summer will prove to be a winner for Oregon.

On bringing in a strength and conditioning coach

Now we have an opportunity to change Josh Crittle's body even more so. Michael Dunigan, when he takes off his shirt you probably laugh because he doesn't have any muscle there, any bulk there. We got a chance now to put some muscle, put some bulk on him. Garret needs bulk, Drew Wiley needs bulk. Major bulk on Matt Humphrey(s). Those guys have to get size now, they have to get bigger, they have to get stronger.

When I heard Ernie talking about changing Crittle's body, all I could think of was this. So many plays this year break down to not having the size and muscle to execute. Having the size to go up underneath and get a foul or a bucket without getting the ball stripped will save us 10-15 points a game if not more. I'm not sure why Ernie insists on calling Matt Humphrey, Matt Humphreys but he does it every interview. To be honest, I wouldn't mind having more than one if it meant we had his energy, defense and hot shooting ability.

This is a terrible way to end the season for those guys but as TP did a great job of in the locker room says "You know, my senior year is NOT going to be like this and it starts with the off-season" and it really does. It starts with Joevan, LeKendric and TP. They've got to do a nice job of leading this team, but at the same time we have 3 great players coming in the door that are chomping at the bit just to get in the door. Even those three guys, I told them right now. There is nobody that is protected in terms of a scholarship, in terms of "I've got my scholarship so I'm going to be a starter this year". No no no no no. You have your scholarship and you're going to have to earn your opportunity to get out there on that floor again. TP being the exception to that.

A little competition doesn't hurt. With the recruits coming in next season, it serves us well by pushing the existing guys on the team. Ernie also alluded to the new recruits being able to contribute more right away, not out of necessity, but of luxury. I'm encouraged by what Ernie is saying. He's telling us the right things and seems to understand the gravity of the situation.

Stat of the game: 20 points for Tajuan Porter, 20 points for the rest of the team

Some more interesting facts about the game, Taylor Rochestie was 1 of 5 from the field with 4 points in the game. TP did an awesome job defending him the entire game. His 6 assists was double what the entire Oregon team had for the game. The Ducks had no answer for Aron Baynes. 7 of 8 from the field, 6 for 6 from the line for 20 points. Josh Crittle did not have a good game at all. 3 points, 5 turnovers. Catron seems to have hit some sort of wall. Another tough game for him going 2 of 6 from the field with 3 turnovers.

And just to prove who won the poll from before, if Wazzu only dresses Casto, Forrest, Baynes and Rochestie in the game, the Cougars still win 48-40.