When it was first announced, Oregon’s “Deep in the Woods” slogan was subject to its fair share of ridicule. It did not seem to befit a team that was picked to finish last in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Yet, on Thursday, it proved to be the perfect description of a Washington State team that looked hopelessly lost on Oregon’s colorful new floor.
The Cougars fell victim to a 69-43 blowout, turning the ball over 15 times and shooting just 25.9 percent in the game. Junior guard Klay Thompson, who leads the Pac-10 in scoring at 22.4 points per game, was held to just 12 points in a 4-13 shooting performance.
For Oregon head coach Dana Altman, it was a simple matter of closing out and making shooters feel uncomfortable.
“Klay is such a good offensive player,” Altman said. “You can’t let those guys get open looks.”
This was a point of emphasis in practice throughout the week, and the players certainly recognized how it paid off.
“We worked on our rotations,” junior guard Garrett Sim said. “That took away a lot of easy shots tonight.”
Also important, however, was something Altman constantly preaches: energy.
“I thought our activity was really pretty good, we didn’t give them too many open looks, too many rhythm jumpers. A lot of that was just guys playing hard.”
Indeed, there could be no questioning Oregon’s effort Thursday night. Players flew around the court, often poking the ball loose on defense and leaving Cougar players flummoxed.
“I thought we set a good tone early,” Altman said. “We had lots of good communication; the guys were communicating well with each other and flying around the court.”
As a result, Oregon held Washington State to just 23 points in the first half on 21.4 percent shooting from the field. At one point, the Cougars had gone more than ten minutes without hitting a field goal.
“That’s just Coach’s style of play,” senior guard Jay-R Strowbridge said. “We’re going to be a hard-nosed team, beat them up and down the court, and we’re starting to buy into the system.”
This style was on particular display in the opening moments of the second half, when the Ducks forced two consecutive turnovers in the opening minute. At one point, Cougars head coach Ken Bone became so enraged that he stormed onto the court, nearly bumping into an Oregon player in the process.
That opening minute marked the beginning of an 18-2 run for Oregon, effectively putting the game away with nearly a full half left to play.
It was the mark of a team that has taken another step in its evolution, and Altman made sure to give his players credit for their improvement.
“We are a lot different team than a month ago,” Altman said. “We have made lots of progress. The guys are working well with each other, we’re a better team.”
Oregon is no longer a pushover, and Washington State found out the hard way on Thursday night.
Deep in the woods, indeed.
Ducks still not 100 percent
Forward Jeremy Jacob was out of the lineup Thursday night. The junior is still dealing with a nagging knee injury that has plagued him throughout the season. Altman was unsure of whether Jacob would be able to play Saturday afternoon against Washington.
Freshman guard Johnathan Loyd also took a nasty fall against the Cougars, and his status for Saturday is questionable.
Regardless, Altman appears to have found a comfortable rotation with the men that are available.
“Tonight, with the exception of not having Jeremy Jacob there, our substitution patterns were pretty good,” Altman said. “Joevan (Catron) and E.J. (Singler) really played well in the middle. Tyrone (Nared) just made some really athletic plays for us.
“Guys are playing well together.”
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