The Oregon men’s basketball team doesn’t have a 6-3 overall record like the statistic sheets show. And the Ducks aren’t off to a 1-1 start in Pacific-10 Conference play either.
If you take a closer look, Oregon is 8-1 overall and off to a perfect 2-0 start in conference play.
Oregon’s only loss this season has come against then-No. 5 ranked Kansas in Kansas City, Mo. That was a game that no one really expected Oregon to win anyway.
But a loss to Alabama by one point on national television at the Las Vegas Showdown — that didn’t really happen did it?
And a loss to UCLA after Oregon had won the last five contests against the Bruins, including last year’s Pac-10 Tournament semifinals and the overtime victory spurred by senior Luke Jackson’s super-human-lacerated-finger-13-stitch 27-point performance.
Did Oregon really let UCLA go on a 22-2 run on Sunday and run up the score as the Ducks watched in confusion?
Well, yes, both happened. But, they weren’t supposed to happen.
Oregon is continuing to learn how to adapt to the many combinations that Oregon head coach Ernie Kent puts on the floor. With two freshman in and out of the starting lineup due to injuries, it has left the Ducks questionable in games, much like the one against UCLA.
Oregon is now a team desperately in need of a point guard. With freshman Aaron Brooks out, sophomore Brandon Lincoln will need to do more than just rise to the occasion.
Although senior James Davis should, in turn, get more playing time and if he can continue to be spot-on from three-point range, the Ducks will be fine.
Some Ducks are still finding their roles on the team, but sophomore Ian Crosswhite has comfortably found his. Crosswhite has dramatically improved from last season as he now shoots nearly 85 percent from the free-throw line and is Oregon’s second leading scorer (14.4 ppg).
Redshirt freshman Jordan Kent had an impressive defensive performance against the Bruins on Sunday.
Coach Kent is likely to give his son more playing time at the wing position with Brooks out and in the event that Davis plays the point guard spot.
Most important will be if the real Oregon basketball team shows up to play rival Oregon State at Gill Coliseum on Saturday night.
The real Duck team isn’t one that will let the Beavers go on a 20-point run. The real Oregon team isn’t one that will allow a three-point lead with one minute left to slip away as it did against Alabama on national television.
No, the Oregon men are none of those things.
In the sports world those games are what we call mulligans, redos, do-overs or best-out-of-threes.
In reality, those are the games that make coaches pull their hair out when they review game film. The games that keep an All-American up all night long wondering how he couldn’t create plays for his team.
The real Oregon men’s team is the one that is capable of leading the nation in three-point shooting percentage. That’s the team that tied the Chiles Center record against Portland, hitting 15 from downtown and 14 against USC in the next game.
The real Oregon team is the unselfish team that will go and get 20 assists a game.
A team that will hit Davis for the three even when he isn’t open and let him create.
The real Oregon team is the one in which Jackson and Crosswhite show up every night and combine for 40 points and 20 plus rebounds.
The real Oregon team will win its 10th straight game in the rivalry matchup against the Beavers on Saturday. The real Oregon team will be 9-1 and 3-0 in conference after this weekend.