SB Nation User Blog: dvieira

MBB Gameday Open Thread: Lewis and Clark vs. Oregon

dvieira — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:48:58 -0000

Who: Oregon Ducks vs. Lewis and Clark Pioneers (Exhibition Game 2)
Time: 6pm PST
Location: Mac Court, Eugene, Oregon
Media: Radio Only

The men's basketball team gets another exhibition game to show their stuff and refine their skills before the non-conference schedule starts. Here's to hoping that TP and Garrett Sim can hit lights out from the field and get on track for the season.

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

dvieira — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:48:05 -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.

Nick Aliotti talks about the loss to Stanford

dvieira — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:41:05 -0000

Nick Aliotti talks about the loss to Stanford

Postgame Reaction Open Thread: Oregon vs. Stanford

dvieira — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:53:18 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

3 days ago: Stanford linebacker Shane Skov (11) celebrates after bringing down Oregon's LaMichael James during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Browse more photos »

Tough to stop Toby Gerhart. The guy is the real deal and the only positive I took from his play against us is the fact that he's a senior. Offense did it's job but maybe for the first time all year, the defense just didn't show up. Leave your thoughts in the thread below.

Oh and another thing, we still control our own destiny to get to the Rose Bowl.

Media Wednesday - Looking Back at the 2007 Stanford Game

dvieira — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:28:05 -0000

Today, we look back at the last time the Oregon Ducks went to play the Stanford Cardinal on the Farm in Palo Alto. The year was 2007 and I was just one of the many Duck fans that made the trip. The stadium was about half green/yellow and half red with plenty of open seats. I personally remember the Duck fans in attendance chanting "Beat the Tree" in glorious reference to the Houston game from earlier in the season. Here's a look back at that game.

MBB Exhibition Game 1 Recap: Ducks 99, Cavaliers 61

dvieira — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:17:45 -0000

The men's basketball team got off to a nice start with an exhibition win on Sunday at Mac Court. 5 players scored in double figures and almost everyone got some meaningful playing time. This game went how it was supposed to. Get the guys in the gym under game-like conditions and see how they respond. How much can you learn from your first game against a vastly inferior opponent? I've got a couple things.

1. Jamil Wilson is going to have an immediate impact this season

2. Our shooting woes haven't gone away during the summer

The Ducks were very active in the hustle department. We won the rebound battle with 62 rebounds. Yes, you read that right. 62 rebounds in the game, 31 offensive and defensive rebounds respectively. Even though our shooting was off, the team was crashing the boards, getting after second chance opportunities. We also caused 22 turnovers, translating those turnovers into a respectable 34 points.

Offensively, I thought we shot ok, just not great. We averaged 43% for the game but most of that game from a bad first half. The second half had a decent field goal percentage at 46% but this is Concordia. We shouldn't be shooting under 40% at any time during the game, let alone for a half. Garrett Sim and Tajuan Porter both had tough nights in the shooting department, teaming up to decrease the overall percentage for the team. Take those two out and the team shot around 48%, even including Lekendric Longmire's 2-8 from the field. Sim and Porter won't have this type of game every night but certainly discouraging against this type of competition.

Player Notes

Jamil Wilson came to play tonight and was certainly the star of the show shooting 7-10 from the field with 17 total points and contributing 4 steals in only 18 minutes on the floor. This guy is a beast at the power forward spot and should provide a great option for the team offensively and defensively.

Malcolm Armstead also had a great night, shooting 50% from the field with 14 points. He also spread the ball around, racking up 4 assists.

Tajuan Porter had 2 points on 1-5 shooting with 3 assists and 4 turnovers in 20 minutes. I'll give him a pass for having a bad night but this is his senior season. It's time to step up.

Joevan Catron appears to have found is groove, throwing down 12 points with 0 turnovers. Remember when he would get the ball in the post last year, take a dribble and promptly travel, turning the ball over? I like this new and improved Catron. Keep it up big man.

Final Thoughts

The Ducks took control of the game early and took care of business in a game that they should have won. I especially liked the defensive intensity on Alex Thiefenthaler who only shot 3-11 from the field and had 8 points in 26 minutes. Great defense in the middle took Alex out of his game. This was the first game of a long season. Don't read too much into the statistics but there is a lot to be encouraged about in Jamil Wilson and Malcom Armstead. There's a lot of time for TP and Sim to get things together.

MBB Exhibition Game 1 Preview: Concordia vs Oregon

dvieira — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:55:33 -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.

It’s the greatest scene that I’ve ever seen in College GameDay, That early in the morning, that man...

dvieira — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:24:09 -0000

It’s the greatest scene that I’ve ever seen in College GameDay, That early in the morning, that many people. That makes it special.

Lee Corso on coming back to Eugene via Gameday's Gamer - by George Schroeder

Media Wednesday - The Pick Heard 'Round the World

dvieira — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:11:00 -0000

Mark Sanchez has moved onto the NFL but it was just 2 years ago where he was charged with leading the USC Trojans down the field in the waning seconds of the 4th quarter. USC was down by 7 and the Oregon Defense had to come up with a way to stop the storybook ending. There was a storybook ending alright, it just wasn't for the Trojans.

I would be remiss if I didn't add this video as suggested by PaulSF. Apparently Pete Carroll didn't appreciate Mike Bellotti challenging his challenge.

Postgame Open Thread - Oregon @ Washington

dvieira — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:27:39 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

17 days ago: Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli throws against Washington in the first half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Browse more photos »

Here's your chance to talk about the Oregon victory at the "Mistake by the Lake". That makes 6 in a row over Washington and we remain in the drivers seat for the Pac-10 Championship. What went right, what went wrong and who is your MVP for the game. We'll get a more detailed recap up later.

Oh and here's to you jtlight. I should never have doubted your prediction of a blow out

Poll

Who is your MVP?

Jeremiah Masoli

316 votes

Kenny Rowe

24 votes

Javis Lewis

4 votes

Nate Costa

5 votes

LaMichael James

163 votes

Other (explained in comments)

9 votes

521 votes | Poll has closed