The Oregon men’s basketball team is in a situation they should be used to by now. The season is on the line and that’s been a common occurrence for the Ducks in the recent weeks.
Tonight, their NCAA Tournament chances will likely hinge on whether or not the Ducks (18-12 overall, 9-9 Pacific-10 Conference) can defeat Washington State (23-7, 11-7) in each team’s first game of the Pac-10 Tournament.
But the Ducks don’t exactly have that frame of mind. They still want to repeat as the tournament champions.
“We definitely feel like we have to win more than one game,” LeKendric Longmire said.
The Cougars have already beaten Oregon twice this season, but Oregon coach Ernie Kent has said in the past that it’s fairly difficult to beat another conference team three times in a single season. This time around Kent sees other reasons for optimism, though he wouldn’t share what they were.
“There’s some things that I just believe in that’s giving us an opportunity to have some success,” Kent said.
For the seniors, they certainly don’t want tonight to be their final game, though some feel they play better in these pressure-packed situations.
“I think we just like those one-and-done situations where our backs are against the wall,” senior forward Maarty Leunen said. “Just let it all go for one game.”
Maybe that could help the Ducks, or maybe Washington State is simply making up for the 13-game losing streak against Oregon that was finally snapped in a 69-60 victory over Oregon in Pullman, Wash., on Jan. 8.
Either way, Oregon knows it has to slow down Washington State’s offense. Kent said the team played poor defense in both contests against the Cougars and need to get stops to have any hope of advancing.
This time around, however, the Ducks have been using LeKendric Longmire as their secret weapon. Longmire defended Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless at times during last Saturday’s game, getting in the head of the freshman Wildcat. While he’ll use the same tactics against the Cougars, he’s not sure if he can make them into headcases the way he did with Bayless.
“Whatever it takes to win, that’s what I plan on doing,” Longmire said. “If I have to play the heady defense with them, then I’d be willing to do so.”
Both Cougar guards senior Derrick Low and junior Taylor Rochestie burned the Ducks in the teams’ two matchups. In Eugene, the two combined to score 37 points.
“We have to work on shutting down their two main guys,” Longmire said.
And for Oregon’s offense, they need to change their usual strategy against Washington State’s zone. The Cougars tend to clog the lane which means the Ducks can’t drive the ball as much.
“We know that when you have open shots, you have to take them,” Longmire said.
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