‘Rank us!’ challenged Brennan Rigsby’s emphatic dunk that put Oregon ahead in the second half. ‘Rank us!’ urged Jackson Shelstad’s 3-point shots on either side of the halftime interval. ‘Rank us!’…echoed the Oregon Ducks’ cry, lost to the abyss in a 86-70loss to Colorado late on Thursday night in Boulder.
The (for now) unranked Ducks (13-4, 5-1 Pac-12) missed out on the opportunity to add an valuable away win to a growing portfolio of victories as they march on atop the conference despite the loss. N’Faly Dante continued his return to full health, but the Ducks were unable to overcome the Buffaloes (13-5, 4-3 Pac-12) when he was off the court.
Dante (7 pts, 1 ast, 5 reb in 19 min) made his first start since the season-opener against Georgia on Nov. 6. The 7-foot center, whose return from a knee injury is progressing after limited minutes last Saturday against Cal, added a new dimension to the Ducks’ game. Despite running into foul trouble early — he had three in the first half and sat out the end of the period — he was the by far most influential player on the court for Dana Altman’s Ducks. The center ended the game as the only player with a positive plus-minus value (+/- measures by how much the team outscored its opponent with the player on the court; Dante finished with +10 while the next-closest Ducks were Mahamadou Diawara and Kwame Evans Jr. with -2).
Early uncontested 3-point shots from Colorado dampened Duck spirits — KJ Simpson and Cody Williams splashed to extend leads after Oregon made aggressive pushes in the first minutes. The Ducks responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead at 20-18, but couldn’t sustain it as the Buffs matched it with an 11-0 run of their own.
Oregon ended the first half with eight turnovers — off which Colorado managed 17 points — and left the Ducks staring at a nine-point deficit. The first half doubled their total turnovers from five days ago against the Golden Bears, where they finished with just four, and senior Jermaine Couisnard, who head coach Dana Altman called the team’s leader, had three of Oregon’s first-half errors.
The second half started strong for Oregon, though, as they capitalized on multiple Colorado turnovers to follow up Shelstad’s 3-point shot that ended the first half and pulled the game within three points in just 90 seconds of action. Oregon’s star freshman guard was matched shot-for-shot in the game by the Buffs’ five-star forward. Williams (23 pts, 3 ast, 3 stl in 32 min), a true freshman like Shelstad, made his case with timely shots that ended Oregon runs time and again.
Oregon pressed into the lead with a second half 7-2 run, but it was immediately answered by a 7-0 run by Colorado — the Ducks saw chance after chance diverted whilst the Buffs found nothing but net.
The situation was epitomized by a heaving Dante, who tugged at his jersey before stumbling down the court just to be on the receiving end of a Williams layup. Without the Malian center, Oregon had little answer. Dante exited the game for fellow Malian Mahamadou Diawara, who immediately fouled out, the third time he has done so this season.
With their star sitting by, and junior center Nate Bittle unable to replace him, Oregon watched the Buffs’ lead grow to an insurmountable total. Bittle, who has been working his way back from a wrist injury, did not make an appearance despite rumors that he would see his first minutes since November. The 7-footer warmed up with the team but will wait to make an impact — much like Dante had to do. But if Bittle can return, he could provide a height solution for the Ducks off the bench.
Substitutes provided a boost for Oregon for much of the game; the Ducks’ bench (finally a strength after being mauled by injury for the season’s early months) supplied nearly half (32) of the team’s 70 points. The Buffs’ subs only tallied 12 of their 86. It was an unmistakable opportunity for Oregon.
Despite that, the challenge proved too much right now for a Ducks team that – it must be reminded – is still working their way back from the injury crisis that dominated the season’s early months. Oregon is 1-12 in Boulder, and while the shouts from Eugene to rank the Ducks may be quieted for a moment, opportunities abound. They’ll face three of the conference’s current top five in their next three games (Utah, Arizona State and Arizona) before confronting a USC team that looks a whole lot stronger than the one that Oregon comfortably pushed aside less than a month ago. Whether or not the Ducks can take advantage of those chances — something they didn’t do tonight — will determine whether they’re dead or dancing in March.
