Non-conference games are overlooked.
They usually should be, like when Oregon (2-0) eased past Montana (1-1) 79-48 at Matthew Knight Arena on Friday night. Those games aren’t about the double-digit difference on the scoreboard; They’re about the 40 minutes of time given to try to glean an understanding of the team’s identity. Any early-season momentum a team is able to assemble is an added bonus.
Oregon showed its effort in a comprehensive win that helped to define a team searching for identity. It didn’t matter who was on the other end: Dana Altman and his group produced efficient offense, secure defense and displayed depth in a win that won’t mean anything in March — but means everything now.
Altman went with the same initial five that earned his squad victory on Monday night: Jackson Shelstad, TJ Bamba, Kwame Evans Jr., Brandon Angel and Nate Bittle. Bittle earned his second start of the year, despite questions surrounding the situation at center following the departure of N’Faly Dante.
An inauspicious start — three game stoppages in the first six seconds came due to a game clock issue — gave way to a strong half. Bittle grabbed four rebounds and made a 3-point shot before the first media timeout, and the Ducks put up nine points from four different scorers. When Bittle exited with 14 minutes to play in the half, the Ducks held their momentum with a eight-minute, 15-2 uninterrupted run.
“You can look at the plus-minus (seven Oregon players finished over +10), and that’s not a tell-all,” Altman said of the Ducks’ performance with Bittle off the floor postgame, “(and) we’ve got to have some guys looking over their shoulder. They all want to play 40 minutes.”
Montana didn’t bring its best to Eugene. The Grizzlies were troubled from three on Monday against the University of Hawai’i-Hilo — they shot 18.2% on 22 efforts — but that frustration leaked inside the 3-point line on Friday night. Four days removed from putting up 92 points on the Vulcans, the Grizzlies were held scoreless for over nine minutes in the first half. During that time, they also turned the ball over to the Ducks six times.
“I’m a competitor,” Bamba said postgame. “If you put me on their best player, which was supposed to be number one (Kai Johnson), he’s gonna have a long night.”
Johnson, who put up 27 against Hawai’i-Hilo, had zero points.
“But it’s a team effort,” Bamba (14 points, 2 assists in 18:25) continued. “It wasn’t just me guarding him — it’s gonna be everybody. Without them, I can’t do it.”
The double-digit lead built by Oregon’s complete game allowed Altman to showcase the depth he’s praised in preseason early on. The Ducks ended the first half with all nine players who appeared over eight minutes played.
“I can go harder (now),” Evans Jr. said. “Last year was way different than this year. We’ve got a deeper bench and we can use more players, so you don’t really have to conserve energy.”
Bittle (17 points, nine rebounds in 25:50) punctuated the half’s end as he started it: With a 3-point swish.
The second half wasn’t really about the score. Sure, the Ducks dominated the Hoodoo hustle boards. Sure, they put up 35 points. But, what the second half was about was focus.
Barely four minutes into the frame, Evans Jr. (six points, seven rebounds in 23:40) turned the ball over — a misplaced ball across the top of the arc. Altman turned around and slammed his hand down on the ad board. With five minutes gone, the coach who has spent the last 15 seasons in Eugene was so far up the sideline that his sneakers were sticky from the traction mat at half-court. After nine, the Ducks spent half the media timeout in their stance, waiting for the Grizzlies to return to the floor.
It’s effort — rooted in Altman’s desire to push into his players as he adapts to a smaller, faster group. It’s Evans, who Altman said on Monday, “Sometimes has a tendency to coast,” diving for a loose ball up double-digits.
After 15, Altman in his glasses stood on the court with his arm around Shelstad (seven points, four assists in 24:11), offering something beyond the game. A minute later, he screamed “CUT!” as Mookie Cook stood still at the top of the arc. It didn’t stop. With 20 seconds left, Jamari Phillips drove down the court and turned a 28-point lead into 31. Altman leaned back ever-so-slightly on the advertising board.
Oregon hosts the University of Portland (1-0) on Tuesday night. Tip is set for 8:00 P.M.
