When Pac-12 play began in late December, the Oregon men’s basketball team took a short trip north to face the Washington schools. To hear head coach Dana Altman revisit the latter game against the Huskies before practice on Tuesday, little went right for the Ducks that night.

Yet, as Oregon (16-7, 7-4 Pac-12) prepares for its rematch with the league-leading Huskies (16-7, 9-2) on Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena, there aren’t many glaring areas in need of improvement since the two teams last met. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205335431@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/MBasketball/2011-12-stats/HTML/WASH.HTM@@
The Ducks outrebounded Washington 36-34, including a 15-6 advantage on the offensive boards, and both teams committed 15 turnovers. Those two areas have been year-long points of emphasis for Altman, but neither proved to be the determining factor against Oregon’s rivals to the north. @@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/440080.pdf?ATCLID=205354444&SPSID=4297&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
It was Washington’s execution on offense that had the Ducks battling uphill from the outset. The Huskies made 12 of their 20 field goals in the second half — 6-for-8 from beyond the arc — to finish the game with a 53.7 percent shooting clip. By comparison, Oregon shot a woeful 32.3 percent with senior Devoe Joseph, the team’s unquestioned top offensive threat, going 1-for-13 from the field. @@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/440080.pdf?ATCLID=205354444&SPSID=4297&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
“They’re a gifted team, and they do a good job,” Altman said. “They get after you defensively; they’re pretty good on the boards. Like I said, we’re going to have to play awfully well (to win).”
Last time out, Washington freshman Tony Wroten burned the Ducks for 17 points, five assists and four rebounds as one of four Huskies to finish in double-digit scoring. Sophomore guard C.J. Wilcox came off the bench to score a game-high 24 points, while sophomore Terrence Ross and junior Abdul Gaddy contributed 11 and 12 points, respectively.
Wroten, a 6-foot-5, 205-pounder out of Seattle, and Ross, 6-6 and 195 pounds, figure to be the best two-guard combination in the Pac-12. Wroten’s 16.7 points per game is the third-highest mark in the league, while Ross’ 15.2 ranks fifth. But it’s players like Gaddy (4.7 assist per game, second-most in the Pac-12) and Wilcox (90.2 free-throw shooting percentage, best in the Pac-12) that make the Huskies such a tough 40-minute matchup. @@http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/wash-m-baskbl-mtt.html@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/MBasketball/2011-12-stats/HTML/WASH.HTM@@
“They’re definitely very talented players,” Oregon sophomore Johnathan Loyd said. “Wroten can get to the paint at will, he can finish really well — he’s real athletic.
“Terrance Ross is the same way. He can shoot from the outside. They’re both really well (balanced), but we have to do our best to contain them so we can win this game.”
As many remember, Ross was teammates with Kentucky sophomore Terrence Jones at Portland’s Jefferson High School. The duo originally committed to play for the Huskies together, before Jones accepted John Calipari’s offer to join the Wildcats. @@http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/kty-m-baskbl-mtt.html@@
Now sophomores, both Portland natives are thriving, if at opposite ends of the college basketball spectrum.
Ross came on late as a freshman, earning honorable mention all-conference honors before being named to the Pac-10’s All-Tournament team with former teammate Isaiah Thomas.
According to Altman, Washington would have been further along at this point in the year had Thomas returned for his senior season. Instead, the Tacoma, Wash., native now plays for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, while the Huskies were forced to play catch-up with 18-year-old Wroten running the show.
“They started the year slow because of that,” Altman said. “But now they seem to be picking up traction and figuring our their roles. If Isaiah would’ve been back, they would’ve been really good from the start. They just had a little time to adjust, and now they’re playing very well.”
The Huskies enter Thursday’s contest with a five-game winning streak and have won 11 of their last 13 outings. But the only time the Huskies have played in Matt Knight Arena, they came away with an 81-76 loss last February. The Ducks are hoping for more of the same this time around. @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/MBasketball/2011-12-stats/HTML/WASH.HTM@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205031056@@
“We’re going to have to play hard, definitely,” senior Garrett Sim said. “They’re a talented team, and we’re all excited. We know how big this game is.”