In a season that’s been muddied by inconsistencies, stained with erratic performances against teams that present as underdogs which overshadow the promising showings against quality opponents, one thing has remained steady.
The Oregon men’s basketball team can’t handle pressure.
It bottles up in the face of any full-court press or tight zone defense. It’s an unshakeable phenomena that’s plagued the plot of Oregon’s (15-12, 9-7) season, as well as Wednesday night when the leading scorer, the program’s building block, was a no-show.
That’s right. Fifth-year point guard Will Richardson had zero points and took three shots.
“We had a couple chances to knock them out, and turnovers really hurt us,” head coach Dana Altman said. “We’ve got experienced guards, but we didn’t score with our guards.”
While the Ducks fought on the boards, they fooled around and let the Washington Huskies (14-13, 6-10) linger long enough to pounce when it mattered most. The Huskies’ surge — led by Keyon Menifield’s career-high 27 points — carried into overtime as they outlasted the Ducks 72-71, nailing shut a coffin that was teasingly ajar.
For a while, the outcome of this Ducks’ campaign was up in the air, but now it’s clear they’ll need to win the Pac-12 Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament. It’s a fate that had been coming, a bed they laid for themselves as the mistakes that have scourned them throughout were present once again.
“We’re probably a tough scout because you don’t know who’s going to show up and who’s not going to show up,” head coach Dana Altman said after practice on January 31.
Two weeks later, they still can’t get it to click in unison.
On Wednesday night, centers N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle prodded the boards to the tune of a plus-12 rebound margin. In the final seven minutes of regulation, Bittle positioned himself well for two offensive rebounds and turned them both into put-backs.
Dante led the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and his putback layup gave the Ducks a one-point advantage with 50 seconds to go in the extra period.
That was just before the Huskies’ Jamal Bey responded by scooping home a left-handed layup that flipped the score again, marking the 24th lead change of the night. Still, time allowed the Ducks a chance to make it 25.
With a timeout in his pocket, Altman let his veteran-laiden lineup play out the final possession. It imitated many of the ones they administered down the stretch in the second half and overtime, especially when Washington switched to its 2-3 zone.
Rather than swinging it around the arc, Oregon’s perimeter ball handlers mimicked the timid tone that its leader Richardson set. And fittingly, the ball ended up in his hands with five ticks remaining.
Reluctantly, he drove to the basket and attempted a layup that was lucky to scratch the undergarments of the backboard. The miss found the hands of Menifield, who chucked the ball in the air as time expired.
It was a final possession, a last-ditch, wayward attempt by a player who’s lost any semblance of confidence at a time when it’s vital, and one who peaked when the team was barren of options to keep the Ducks afloat.
Just before the new year turned, Richardson enjoyed an 11-game stretch where he averaged 17.4 points per game and 6.2 assists, while playing 38 minutes a night. Regardless, the Ducks went 6-5 as they dealt with an injury bug that sidelined Bittle and guards Jermaine Couisnard and Keeshawn Barthelemy, among others, while junior forward Rivaldo Soares struggled to find his offense averaging just 7.5 ppg on a 34.9% field goal clip.
Now that script has flipped. It was present on Wednesday, and in the Ducks’ loss to No. 4 UCLA on Saturday when Richardson had just five points — which at the time was the most pivotal game of the season before its result gave that mantle to Washington and the fifth-year senior produced another clunker.
Along with Dante’s 19-point performance, Couisnard — who’s averaged 12.9 ppg since returning — poured in 18. Forward Quincy Guerrier added 13 off the bench and while Soares only had six points, he led the team with a plus-minus of 11.
As his teammates are finding their stride, Richardson’s losing his. It’s a slump that, in another version of this Ducks’ season, could have been overlooked. If the Ducks hadn’t taken losses at the hands of Utah Valley, UC Irvine, Stanford, Colorado and now Washington, their performances against top teams such as No. 2 Houston, No. 4 UCLA and wins against No. 8 Arizona and USC would lift them into the postseason.
Therefore, Richardson’s shortcomings this past week are untimely, to say the least. After the win against USC seven fleeting days ago the Ducks had the chance to embark on a stretch-run against a favorable set of opponents to make their case for an at-large bid. Instead they reverted to the team they’ve been all season, coming up short in two crucial spots.
“We want to be in the tournament, that’s the main goal,” Guerrier said. “So we just got to keep going. Our energy’s going to be the key to us winning.”
That goal now all but relies on winning the Pac-12 Tournament. They’ll turn their focus to facing Washington State on Sunday at 4 p.m. as they try to build momentum for a run in Las Vegas.
