The Ducks had a plan for how they were going to play Kansas State. They practiced it hard all week and came into Sunday’s game at McArthur Court comfortable and ready to go.
That all changed just minutes before tip-off, when the officials decided that the brace on freshman center Michael Dunigan’s elbow posed a threat to Kansas State players.
Dunigan missed Wednesday’s loss at Utah due to his hyper-extended elbow but was cleared by doctors to play Sunday, as long as he wore the brace.
All of the Ducks’ game planning included having Dunigan back in the middle, so when officials decided they weren’t comfortable with the brace, they had to change on the fly. Dunigan did not play in the game.
“We just had to rebound and get out and run the bigs,” said sophomore guard LeKendric Longmire. “Play like Golden State basically.”
That’s what head coach Ernie Kent wrote on the board in the locker room, just moments before tip-off, and that’s what the Ducks did, forcing 20 Wildcat turnovers and turning those into 25 points on the way to a tight 75-70 victory in front of 8,256 at Mac Court.
“We talked before the game about how we need to play like Golden State because we’re going to be a little bit smaller. Let’s play with a lot of energy, press and run and keep the pace of the game where we needed it to keep them off guard, their big guys,” Kent said. “I thought our guys did a good job of making an adjustment right before game time because we thought that he was going to be allowed to play. To their credit they battled hard.”
Tajuan Porter led all scorers with 28 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 6-of-9 from three-point range.
“It was nice to see him get back on his rhythm,” Longmire said. “Everyone knows how well he’s capable of playing. I was just glad to see him get back on his game.”
The 28 points matches Oregon’s individual scoring mark this season, set by true freshman guard Garrett Sim at Utah.
“I just shot the ball with confidence like I always do,” Porter said. “Sometimes it go in, sometimes it don’t.”
Sim was next for the Ducks with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 2-of-3 from three-point range, while leading the team with six rebounds and adding three assists.
“I’m stepping into every shot knowing that it’s going to go in and trying not to force too much,” Sim said. “They’re all open threes and I’m just getting into a rhythm right now and everything is slowing down for me.”
How does Sim get so open? He said credit for that goes to Porter.
“The defense is always focusing on him so it gets me a lot of open looks,” he said. “If me and him are both shooting the ball really well it’s pretty hard to stop.”
Next up for the Ducks is the Papé Jam Saturday at the Rose Garden in Portland against San Diego.
[email protected]