Last year, the Oregon men’s basketball team couldn’t stop California. Not even McArthur Court, with all its atmosphere, could help the Ducks slow the Golden Bears.
But this is a different Oregon team.
But this is a different California team.
Cal is 10-2 on the season and fresh off a win over No. 14 Stanford — the Ducks’ opponent on Saturday. The Golden Bears lead the conference in many defensive categories, including scoring defense, steals, turnover margin and blocked shots. On Sunday, the Bears held the offense-minded Cardinal to just 31.9 percent shooting from the floor.
“It’s great to talk about, it’s great to put it on paper, it’s great to put your hands in a huddle and say you’re going to play hard,” Cal coach Ben Braun said about his team’s tenacity on defense. “It’s another thing to go out and do it. I hope our players realize that no matter how good you are, that it’s something that you can’t just turn on and off.”
Oregon, on the other hand, has blossomed this year with team unity, and while it has improved on the defensive side of the ball, the most impressive numbers have come on the offensive end.
The Ducks lead the conference in points per game, as they average 88.1 per contest. They lead in several other categories, including field goal percentage, three-point percentage and scoring margin. They blow out their opponents by an average of 20 points per game.
Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said his team’s improved play comes from its balance.
“The two Lukes (Ridnour and Jackson) are going to have themselves ready to play every night,” Kent said. “Chris (Christoffersen) is going to be there every night, Robert (Johnson) has been a consistent force, and Freddie (Jones) needs to be there every night.”
Three of the five players Kent mentioned — Jackson, Ridnour and Jones — are averaging in double figures.
Cal’s offense comes from two main sources, junior forward Joe Shipp and senior center Solomon Hughes. Shipp averages 14.4 points per contest, and dropped 31 on poor Fresno State in a 97-75 California win in December. Hughes averages 11.4 points per game, but is questionable to play tonight because of a strained knee.
“Joe is a scorer, not just a shooter,” Braun said. “He’s putting the ball on the dribble, he’s going to the basket, he’s scoring in transition. He’s been finding ways to score.”
Oregon’s opponent on Saturday, Stanford, features one of the nation’s most prolific scorers who just happens to give the Ducks hissy fits. Casey Jacobsen, an All-American last season, scored 33 total points in two victories over Oregon last year.
“He’s a great player,” Duck senior guard Anthony Norwood said of Jacobsen. “We’re definitely going to have to be on our horse and ready to go against him. But our intensity level is going to increase with that kind of player on the floor.”
The basketball team will also get a chance to see Teyo Johnson, the 6-foot-7 sophomore forward who burned the Ducks as a wide receiver for the Stanford football team. Johnson tallied 95 receiving yards and a touchdown in Oregon’s only loss of the season, but it was his two-point conversion in the fourth quarter that really keyed the Cardinal win. Now, the Oregon basketball team has a chance to somewhat avenge the football loss.
For the record, Kent has not beaten Stanford in eight tries as Oregon coach.
But this is a different Oregon team.
E-mail sports reporter Peter Hockaday
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