SB Nation - Oregon Ducks

RPI WATCH: 12/06/09

BracketCat — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:20 -0000

by Orlin Wagner - AP

Dominique Sutton, as predicted, pretty much did this to the Cougars all night long — and now the Cats are knocking on the door to the Top 25. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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Quite a bit of basketball action yesterday, mostly among our non-con opponents — most of whom won, thankfully.

And the Big 12 virtually is assured of winning the Hardwood Series outright for the first time, holding a 6-2 record after Saturday's games and with Kansas scheduled to bash UCLA's brains in this afternoon.

Game results after the jump. Also, be sure to vote in my quick poll. I'm interested in seeing where Wildcat Nation's sentiments lie on this one.

Current Kansas State Record = 7-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 10

Current Kansas State SOS = 17

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30: Win at UW Milwaukee (69-64)
Western Illinois (3-5, 0-2) | RPI = 301: Loss to South Dakota State (80-74)
Boston (2-6) | RPI = 162
Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18: Win over Southern Miss (81-79)
Dayton (5-2) | RPI = 45: Win over Lehigh (89-71)
IUPUI (7-2, 2-0) | RPI = 79: Win over NDSU (86-74)
FHSU (5-1): Win at Nebraska-Omaha (79-68)
Washington State (6-2) | RPI = 153: Loss at Kansas State (86-69)
Xavier (5-2) | RPI = 77
No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12: Win at Santa Clara (66-63)
Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82: Win over UL Monroe (74-46)
UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273: Loss at Michigan (67-53)
Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222: Loss at Detroit (69-62)
South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143
Missouri (5-2) | RPI = 92: Win over Oregon (106-69)
No. 19 Texas A&M (7-1) | RPI = 19
Colorado (5-3) | RPI = 226
No. 2 Texas (6-0) | RPI = 2
Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26: Win over UTSA (61-55)
Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105
No. 1 Kansas (6-0) | RPI = 38
Nebraska (5-1) | RPI = 81
Iowa State (6-3) | RPI = 187: Loss at Cal (82-63)
Oklahoma (4-3) | RPI = 206
Texas Tech (8-0) | RPI = 42

Poll

Have the Cats done enough to deserve being ranked in this week's Top 25?

Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series Tally - Weekend Edition

Evan Pfaff — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:15:09 -0000

Big 12 Pac-10 Hardwood Series (Photo courtesy big12sports.com)

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This count will be updated at the completion of each game of the Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series this weekend. Feel free to comment on any game.

Official Tally

Big 12 - 8

Pac 10 - 2

UPDATE: Big XII Wins Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series!

Game dates, times and recaps listed below the Jump

(All times Central)

Sunday, November 29

Nebraska - 51
USC - 48
Recap

Thursday's Games

Texas Tech - 99
(12) Washington - 92
OVERTIME
Recap

(2) Texas - 69
USC - 50
Recap

Baylor - 64
Arizona State - 61
Recap

Friday's Games

Oregon State - 74
Colorado - 69
Recap

Saturday's Games

Missouri - 106
Oregon - 69
Recap

Kansas St.- 86
Washington State - 69
Recap

California - 82
Iowa St. - 63
Recap

Sunday's Games

Kansas - 73
UCLA - 61
Recap

Oklahoma 79
Arizona 62
Recap

Wednesday, December 16 Games

Oklahoma St at Stanford - 10pm

Tuesday, December 22 Games

Texas A&M at Washington - 10pm

Poll

Which is true?

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.

Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series Tally - Friday Edition

Evan Pfaff — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:15:08 -0000

Big 12 Pac 10 Hardwood Series (Photo courtesy big12sports.com)

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This count will be updated at the completion of each game of the Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series this weekend. Feel free to comment on any game.

Official Tally

Big 12 - 8

Pac 10 - 2

Game dates, times and recaps listed below the Jump

(All times Central)

Sunday, November 29

Nebraska - 51
USC - 48
Recap

Thursday's Games

Texas Tech - 99
(12) Washington - 92
OVERTIME
Recap

(2) Texas - 69
USC - 50
Recap

Baylor - 64
Arizona State - 61
Recap

Friday's Games

Oregon State - 74
Colorado - 69
Recap

Saturday's Games

Missouri - 106
Oregon - 69
Recap

Kansas St.- 86
Washington State - 69
Recap

California - 82
Iowa St. - 63
Recap

Sunday's Games

Kansas - 73
UCLA - 61
Recap

Oklahoma 79
Arizona 62
Recap

Wednesday, December 16 Games

Oklahoma St at Stanford - 10pm

Tuesday, December 22 Games

Texas A&M at Washington - 10pm

Poll

When will the Pac 10 win their first game of the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series?

Oregon it is

Sam @ WWAHT — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:54:09 -0000

More photos » by Rick Bowmer - AP

7 days ago: Oregon's LaMichael James (21) celebrates with teammate D.J. Davis (10) after scoring against Oregon State in the second quarter during an NCAA college football game Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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With a 37-33 triumph in the Civil War, Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks are your Rose Bowl adversaries. I have to say, I actually like this match-up. Not because I think Ohio State matches up exceedingly well with Oregon across the board, but because it's almost guaranteed to be a great game. I just can't see either team laying down and taking the afternoon off. If it isn't close, I'll be shocked.

I think this game is actually rather analogous to last year's game against Texas in the Fiesta; the 'Horns were a potent, if slightly unbalanced offense, while the Buckeyes were coming in with most of the nation expecting them to get rolled again off of another conference championship season. Obviously, I don't think that'll happen, for a couple of reasons:

1. Ohio State destroys opposing rushing attacks not named Navy.

2. Oregon's passing attack is the third worst Ohio State has seen all year, ranking ahead of only Navy and New Mexico State.

That said, the Ducks boast by far the best rushing attack Ohio State has played since the Navy game, presently standing at 8th-best in the nation. The only others that come close are Wisconsin (18th) and Illinois (25th). Ohio State limited both attacks very well, but neither of those teams feature players as explosive as Legarette Blount and LaMichael James, and Masoli runs with John Clay power from the QB position. After watching Oregon State miss multiple tackles in the backfield tonight, I'm actually rather confident Ohio State can win this battle. It'll be strength versus strength, and we should be able to tell early on how the game will go by how much of a push Ohio State gets at the point of attack.

Defensively, Oregon is fairly stout for a Pac-10 outfit. Statistically, they're 27th in the country in total D, but just 44th in scoring D and have given up 19+ points in 9 games this year. They are vulnerable where Ohio State is strong, having given up 14 touchdowns on the ground and holding only four opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing. If the Ohio State offensive line plays as well as it did against Iowa and Penn State, the ground game might be a walk in the park. If I had confidence that Ohio State could do anything through the air against pretty much anyone, I'd be much more confident about predicting a win.

One concern: Spread teams had success later on in the season moving the ball against Ohio State. Fortunately for us, I don't think Masoli is quite the passer Joey Elliot was, and he's only marginally better as a thrower than Tate Forcier at his best. Masoli is not a robo-QB like Colt McCoy, and he's roughly as mobile as the Texas signal-caller. That said, he's also more liable to take off, can run over defenders like no QB I've ever seen, and he's downright deadly in the read-option game.

Other concerns:

1. Tresselball with a vengeance

2. Offensive line blubbin' up in the bowl break

3. It's the Rose Bowl, and we're the Big Ten representative, so....

Prepare yourself for more "YET ANOTHER BUCKEYE BCS BLOWOUT" talk from the mainstream press, of course. Anyone who has watched either team will know that each has its merits and its weaknesses, and the football gods have ordained that each squad's strength be tested against the other squad's strength. Looks like a classic in the making.

Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series Tally - Thursday Edition

Evan Pfaff — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:30:48 -0000

Big 12 Pac 10 Hardwood Series (Photo courtesy big12sports.com)

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This count will be updated at the completion of each game of the Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series this weekend. Feel free to comment on any game.

Official Tally

Big 12 - 8

Pac 10 - 2

Game dates, times and recaps listed below the Jump

(All times Central)

Sunday, November 29

Nebraska - 51
USC - 48
Recap

Thursday's Games

Texas Tech - 99
(12) Washington - 92
OVERTIME
Recap

(2) Texas - 69
USC - 50
Recap

Baylor - 64
Arizona State - 61
Recap

Friday's Games

Oregon State - 74
Colorado - 69
Recap

Saturday's Games

Missouri - 106
Oregon - 69
Recap

Kansas St.- 86
Washington State - 69
Recap

California - 82
Iowa St. - 63
Recap

Sunday's Games

Kansas - 73
UCLA - 61
Recap

Oklahoma 79
Arizona 62
Recap

Wednesday, December 16 Games

Oklahoma St at Stanford - 10pm

Tuesday, December 22 Games

Texas A&M at Washington - 10pm

Poll

Who will win more games in the series?

Pac-10 Weekly Wrap - Washington stays on top

Nuss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:47:53 -0000

Welcome to the latest edition of the 2009-2010 Pac-10 Weekly Wrap, which looks at the state of the conference's hoops featuring my personal power rankings and analysis of the state of each team. It's a day late (we'll usually do it on Monday), but hopefully worth the wait.

The last week was better for the conference than the first couple, but not by a whole lot. On to the rankings and recaps. Guess who's climbing the charts?

1. Washington

Rank last week: 1
Record: 5-0

Nine days between games made for a rusty Washington team against Montana, their only game of the week. The Huskies escaped the Griz with a four-point win after trailing much of the game. I wouldn't read too much into this game, as Montana is a pretty decent Big Sky team with some nice talent.

Bright spot: The Huskies absolutely shut down Montana's best player, Anthony Johnson. He's a Pac-10 talent, and that should be as encouraging as anything. They nearly let the other guys beat them but that can be tightened up. This team still has the potential to be very good defensively.

Question mark: Who is going to lead this team? Quincy Pondexter looked superb through the first four games, but disappeared against Montana's zone. If he wants to be the man, he's got to assert himself in all situations. That's something they've got to sort out before Pac-10 play.

2. California

Rank last week: 2
Record: 4-2

I guess there's really no reason to move them down, given the results: a pair of blowout wins over terrible competition. But I did consider moving them down because Harper Kamp is likely to miss the rest of this season, and Theo Robertson is still on the shelf. This week will tell us a lot -- they really ought to handle New Mexico, Iowa State and Pacific pretty easily if they're as good as everyone wants to think they should be. We'll see.

Bright spot: Despite the loss of Kamp and with a woefully thin front line, the Bears have been one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country. Hard to believe that didn't make more of a difference against Syracuse and Ohio State. One has to think it'll start making a difference soon.

Question mark: What in the world is their front line rotation going to look like the rest of this season without Kamp? That'll be a huge issue.

3. Arizona State

Rank last week: 3
Record: 6-1

Close loss to Duke combined with two decisive wins -- over a depleted LSU and Arkansas Pine Bluff -- all away from home solidify the Sun Devils as the third best team. However, I'm not sold they can stay here. They were eventually overwhelmed by the Blue Devils' talent, and their win over the Tigers had as much to do with LSU running out of gas as anything else.

Bright spot: The Sun Devils are proving that there still is some talent left in the wake of the departures of James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph. Derek Glasser has been especially impressive -- not bad for a guy who was originally supposed to be a walk-on at USC.

Question mark: Just because there's still talent doesn't mean everyone has been replaced. The Devils have been one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country so far, even giving up 44.5(!) percent offensive rebounding to Arkansas Pine Bluff. Yeow.

4. Washington State

Rank last week: 5
Record: 6-0

How far can Klay Thompson carry the Cougs? That will likely be the question going forward. The Cougs face their toughest stretch of the early season, including trips to The Kennel and Manhattan, Kan.. This will either be a big boost to the team, or put them in a postseason hole they'll spend all season digging out of.

Bright spot: Did you know that Reggie Moore has a 133 offensive rating? That's really, really good. He is just simply not playing like a freshman.

Question mark: What's going to happen on a night when the other team takes Klay away? Who will score? There are options, but nothing proven. We might find out tomorrow night.

5. Arizona

Preseason rank: 4
Record: 3-2

Wisconsin and Vandy are both good teams the Wildcats lost to last week, but they needed overtime to beat Colorado. Could have been a really bad trip to Maui without the win over the Buffs. When we say the Cougs will go as far as Klay Thompson can take them, we could say the same about Nic Wise and the Wildcasts.

Bright spot: Wise looks as if he desires to be the man for UofA. Good thing, because it's a young team that needs a strong leader.

Question mark: The Wildcats gave up an absurd amount of free throws in Maui. Aberration, or sign of things to come?

6. Oregon

Preseason rank: 7
Record: 4-2

Think this is too high after losing back-to-back games against Portland and Montana? That loss to the Pilots doesn't look nearly as bad anymore, and the loss to Montana might not either after the Griz nearly beat Washington, too. Obliterating Montana State was good.

Bright spot: Michael Dunigan is back. The Ducks really need him, and are going to continue to need him. He provides an advantage up front in a a conference more or less devoid of big men.

Question mark: The Ducks play three games in two weeks. Can they stay sharp, especially with upcoming games against quality opponents such as Missouri and St. Mary's on the docket. For the second year in a row, it looks like the Ducks might be a victim of scheduling too aggressively.

7. Stanford

Preseason rank: 8
Record: 4-3

Beat Virginia -- we don't have to tell you how far that goes in these parts -- and take Kentucky to overtime? Perhaps we underestimated Johnny Dawkins and his merry band of scholars.

Bright spot: The Cardinal have the same thing going for them that the Cougs do -- a great scorer who can explode on any given night. Landry Fields is averaging 23 points and 9 rebounds. That's good.

Question mark: We're still not sure we actually believe the Cardinal are for real. Can their nonexistent front line really be that small of a factor.

8. Oregon State

Rank last week: 10
Record: 2-3

After the public flogging we gave the Beavers last week, they came up with a nice win over George Washington. Nice job for OSU.

Bright spot: They survived yet another horrible offensive performance to beat GW. This is going to be a constant struggle for the Beavers all year long.

Question mark: Three of the Beavers' five games have been played at 68 possessions or more. What the heck? That's way, way too fast for that team. Perhaps some of their problems come from that.

9. USC

Preseason rank: 9
Record: 2-2

Beat Coppin State, lose to Nebraska. Not a lot to learn here again.

Bright spot: The Trojans are still shooting the ball well -- 28th nationally in 3-point percentage.

Question mark: For as well as they're shooting the ball, they're dead in opponent 3-point field goal percentage.

10. UCLA

Preseason rank: 6
Record: 2-4

What the heck is going on in Westwood? Can't win a game in your own tournament? Your starting center is transferring? Wowzer. If Ben Howland squeezes a berth out of these guys, it'll be considered his greatest coaching acheivement.

Bright spot: They beat Princeton. Yay!

Question mark: Too many to count. Way too many.

Quack Fix: Lots of Civil War talk, Dennis Dixon and some recruiting updates

ntrebon — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:00:55 -0000

by Rob Carr - AP

11 days ago: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon outruns Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Trevor Pryce (90) for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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With the Civil War only three days away, there's lots quack out there. Let's get straight to it.

In today's Register-Guard, Adam Jude has a feature article on Kenny Rowe and Eddie Pleasant and the need for them to pressure Oregon State QB Sean Canfield. In what should be a good matchup for Oregon, the Ducks are second in the conference in sacks while the Beavers are second-to-last in sacks allowed.
Mike Tokito is running a series of stories looking at intangible aspects of the Civil War matchup that may affect the outcome. Today's story looks at non-offensive touchdowns. While Oregon has scored six touchdowns on either special teams or defense this year, Oregon State has yet to score one.
The Oregonian's Aarron Fentress takes a look at how former Ducks and Beavers that are now NFL teammates are preparing for Thursday's showdown. There are ten NFL teams that feature players that played collegiately in Eugene or Corvallis, which is quite a few more than I would have guessed.
In Sunday's print edition of the Register-Guard, Rob Moseley writes about two pairs of brothers who play for the Ducks: the Butterfields (Brian and Ben) and the DiVicenzos (Mike and Chris). Moseley notes that all four players were walk-ons until this season, when the two older brothers (Brian and Mike) earned scholarships.
Getting almost as much attention as the game itself is how the Autzen crowd will behave on Thursday night. George Schroeder had a column on Sunday where he discussed how fan behavior affects Oregon's reputation. Schroeder notes that Mike Bellotti is concerned about the issue, as Thursday's game will feature an increased security presence.
Of course, while previewing Thursday's game, it's hard not to bring up last year's outcome. John Hunt has a blog entry up in which he asks whether or not Oregon's offense can approach the level of production achieved in last year's Civil War. And, OSU's rivals.com site is looking back at the top five Civil Wars of the decade and coming in at #5 is 65-38.
And, as many of you noticed (evidenced by the almost 500-comment thread from last night), Dennis Dixon made his first NFL start for the Pittsburgh Steelers last night. I was only able to watch the first the three quarters but, from what I saw, Dixon looked pretty good with a 33-yard TD pass and a 24-yard TD run. Unfortunately, Dennis' one turnover led to the winning FG by Baltimore in overtime. Still, not a bad performance in his first start playing against the Ravens on the road.
Finally, DuckTerritory has a series of premium recruiting articles (subscription required). First, 2011 dual-threat QB Jerrard Randall (Scout: 3-star) has the Ducks as his early favorite despite not yet having an offer from Oregon. Randall looks like he might be the latest Oregon recruiting target from the state of Florida. Next, is a story on four-star linebacker Shaydon Akuna, who is hoping to set up a visit to Oregon soon. Finally, there is a collection of recruiting notes up from Friday, featuring the latest info on Gabe King, Christian Thomas and others.

After the jump are a couple of videos, so check them out.

Jeremiah Masoli on the Civil War

Civil War week: Chip Kelly

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 6 Preview: Montana State vs. Oregon

dvieira — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:17:35 -0000

Game Time: 7:30pm PST, OSN/Comcast Sports Net (which means technical problems and cutting to a Blazers Retrospective)

We've lost two in a row, one of those losses against a team we definitely should have beat. After what the Portland Pilots did to UCLA this week, I feel a bit better about our performance at the Chles Center. As for Montana, I still feel sick about it. This is another week however and it's time to move on. The basketball season is a marathon, not a sprint and even though we lost a game we should have won, it won't matter too much in the grand scheme of things. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and look forward to actually seeing a game on television

A Look at the Bobcats

Playing in the Big Sky conference, Montana State is 2-2 after a 70-66 win over San Francisco in the bay area on Wednesday. There isn't a lot of depth on the team with most of their starters playing extended minutes. Forward Bobby Howard will be coming off one of the best games of his career, shooting 9-11 from the field for 21 points including 3-3 from beyond the arc. Eric Rush, a 6-5 guard, provides a considerable mismatch for any team and represents the other major scoring threat for the Bobcats.

This is a team that shoots very well all over the court, averaging 48% from the field and over 40% from beyond the arc. Oregon needs to play fast and limit halfcourt opportunities for Montana State. If the Ducks can play sound, straight up defense, it should help to limit their field goal conversion percentage. The Bobcats don't shoot well from the free throw line which will give Oregon an advantage.

Keys to the Game

1. Run, Run, Run! Oregon needs to use their superior depth to run Montana State out of the gym. With the starters for Montana State playing so many minutes, you can be sure that they will want to slow the game down a bit to keep themselves fresh.

2. Play strong, in your face defense. The Ducks have to be disciplined on defense to make sure opportunities at jump shots are limited looks. If Montana State gets in a rhythm, it will be hard to stay in the game.

3. Control the boards. Defensive rebounding will be an important aspect of this game. Limiting Montana State to one shot per possession is huge for getting out on the run and controlling the tempo of the game.

Final Thoughts

Catron and Dunigan are again questionable for this game. Oregon has superior talent but how they will deal without the low post presence they provide will be very interesting. On paper, Oregon should win this game but it could be very close depending on how much defensive intensity the Ducks play with. If TP and company can get their shot going, look for a run and gun tempo with the Ducks running away with it.