Early on, it became clear that the brand of basketball chosen by each squad Tuesday night was big on big.

Washington’s first 14 points came from the paint and Oregon’s lauded size provided by starters Nate Bittle and Brandon Angel appeared a non-factor by the Huskies. Big men Great Osobor and Wilhelm Breidenbach scored 15 of the first 17 Washington points halfway through the first. 

Breidenbach’s day slowed down due to foul trouble, while Osobor carved out a team-leading 20 points, which included four trips to the free throw line. 

On the opposite end, Washington’s bigs posed an entirely different threat, and one the Ducks struggled with so far this season. Oregon’s losses usually came with losing a physical battle against the opposing frontcourt. 

Bittle and Angel kept teams on their toes with an elite pick-and-roll game that, with the added bonus of three-point shooting, proved to be a key to Ducks’ wins. The Huskies’ tandem of big men place each of Oregon’s big duo on islands where they would need to win a physical battle just to set a screen.

Oregon’s stout defense shored itself up as the first progressed, especially with the added strength of Supreme Cook down the stretch of the half. Cook took the pressure off Bittle for a short time and owned the tough assignment of guarding Osobor. 

“It’s about depth, and depth is one of our greatest strengths,” Angel said. “On a night like this, Nate and Jackson [Shelstad] didn’t have their A-game compared to what they had, but we try to pick them up.” 

The 34-32 Duck lead at halftime reflected both the reliance on interior scoring and Oregon’s resurgence against a lower-caliber opponent. 

And almost as soon as it got going, Angel added a strong bucket in the paint to get the Ducks started. Washington struggled to move the ball through the inside offensively to begin the second half, but the Huskies saw their only success from outside during this stretch. 

However, once Washington lost the interior battle, the rest of the offense fell away as well. On the other side, once Oregon started pulling the ball back and exclusively moving it around the arc, the Huskies fought back into the contest and took a small lead midway through the second. 

Three physical post spins from Cook brought him an and-one, a couple more FTs and an easy bucket on consecutive possessions. Cook’s run of dominant interior offense gave the Ducks the lead back.

“Supreme’s a monster, he’s one of the strongest players I’ve played with. The physicality he brings can definitely change a game. He buried people in the post and definitely imposed his will in the paint,” Angel said. “We knew we were getting buckets when we dumped him the ball in the paint.” 

In a contest where Oregon needed to get big in order to ensure victory, the Ducks outrebounded 37-24 and outscored the Huskies 42-38 in the paint. 

Even when Bittle picked up his fourth foul with six-and-a-half minutes remaining, Cook was there to pick up the slack yet again. 

Cook played for four-straight minutes, after which Bittle found himself and his Ducks up seven — the game was tied when Bittle tallied his fourth foul.

The impact of not only the starting big men, but Cook off the bench pushed Oregon past its cross-state rivals and gave the Ducks a much needed win. If Cook hadn’t dominated in his 11 minute stint on court, Washington’s frontcourt could have made the contest too physical. 

“[Cook] was the difference in the game. Supreme gave us something inside that we hadn’t had, he wanted the ball in there. I thought he did a tremendous job,” head coach Dana Altman said. 

But it didn’t and Oregon found a way to secure victory — 82-71.