If there were one thing to attribute to the Oregon men’s basketball team’s turnaround over the past three weeks, shooting would be at the forefront.
When Oregon defeated USC on Jan. 13 for its first conference win of the season, the Ducks shot above 40 percent from the field for the first time in their last six games. During those six prior contests, Oregon’s shots simply did not fall, and only against Washington did the team even get above 34 percent as a team (39.3 percent).
Yet when the lights came on at Matthew Knight Arena and Oregon defeated the Trojans, the shooting woes subsided, and for good measure, have stayed at bay.
“We’re a much different team than we were back in early January,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “I’ve said I like the progress that we’ve made during the month of January, and now we just hope to continue to improve through February.”
During the Ducks’ last three games at Oregon State (50 percent), Stanford (43.4), and California (44.8), team shooting has dramatically improved from the field and the perimeter. The Ducks haven’t matched their season-high showing of 10 made three-pointers, but have recently come close.
The team converted on nine three-pointers against the Beavers, another nine in Palo Alto, and eight in the loss to Cal. The improved shooting has bumped Oregon’s season numbers to 41.3 percent from the floor and 32 percent from beyond the arc.
And as the final home stretch approaches — Oregon plays five of its last eight games in Eugene — shooting will be a key focus. Especially with the talent and depth expected to challenge the Ducks from both Washington State and Washington.
“We’ve got good teams coming in so we’re going to have to play awfully well,” Altman said. “Being at home doesn’t, in itself, do anything for us. We’re going to have to do awfully well.”
During the Bay Area road trip last weekend, Oregon junior Malcolm Armstead broke out of a slump that hindered his performance on the court dramatically this season. Coming into the year, Armstead was expected to be one of the Ducks’ go-to players, but fell into a funk a few weeks in.
When Oregon traveled to Seattle on Jan. 6, Armstead played only 15 minutes off the bench going 0-for-4 from the field. It was the first time he did not start, and has not returned to the starting lineup since.
He has, however, changed his focus off the court, and the dividends have started to pay off on it.
“Changing my mental approach,” he said, “just playing more loose, more free, just having fun.”
In the Stanford game, Armstead came off the bench to score 10 points, grab five rebounds, and dish out four assists during his 25 minutes of playing time. Two nights later in Berkeley, the junior scored a season-high 16 points and recorded six assists.
“I likes Malcolm’s aggressiveness the last week,” Altman said. “He had another good practice (Tuesday).”
The changes off the court, Armstead said, were a long time coming.
“Kind of changing my life around, talkin’ to God more,” Armstead said. “I feel like people was already tellin’ me to clear my head, so it was a matter of me wanting to step in and do it.”
He’s certainly done so these past couple weeks, and as Oregon kicks off their final stretch, his spark off the bench will prove pivotal. Fellow junior Tyrone Nared, a 6-foot-8 junior college transfer from Monroe College, has also improved his play.
Nared recorded his first career double-double against Cal, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
“I like the way Tyrone’s coming on,” Altman said. “He kept us in that California game with some of his offensive rebounds.”
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Armstrong looks to spark Oregon bench against Washington, Washington State
Daily Emerald
February 1, 2011
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