With just two games remaining in the regular season, the Oregon men’s basketball team has an opportunity to grasp a top-four seed in the Pac-12 tournament with a win over Colorado tonight at Matthew Knight Arena. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&SPID=235&SPSID=4294@@
The Ducks (20-8, 11-5 Pac-12) are coming off an emotional Civil War victory over Oregon State in Corvallis last weekend, and have won four of their last five outings. Entering Thursday night’s contest, Oregon and Colorado (19-9, 11-5) sit in a tie for fourth in the conference standings behind Washington, California and Arizona. @@http://pac-12.org/SPORTS/BasketballM/Standings.aspx@@
The mood in practice has remained the same over the last month as every game has been considered a must-win. Senior guard Garrett Sim  — who scored a season-high 25 points Sunday against the Beavers — said he would like to see more performances like the Civil War win from the Ducks moving forward. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=235&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205387749@@
“I think once the season’s over, I’ll look back and that will be a good moment for me,” said Sim, who eclipsed the 1,000-point career scoring mark last time out. “But, you know, I’m kind of hoping that we have some better moments to come in the near future. It’s a big weekend for us this weekend and everyone knows it.”
There’s no question there’s a sense of revenge among the Oregon players this week. The last time the two teams met, in Boulder on Feb. 4, junior forward E.J. Singler was called for a foul on Colorado’s Nate Tomlinson with one second left in a tie game, and Tomlinson sealed the game by making the first foul shot and deliberately missing the second as the clock hit zero. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=235&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205374539@@
The controversial call handed Oregon its second loss on the road in conference play.
“I believe we got robbed on the road,” senior forward Tyrone Nared said. “But it is what it is. We’re going to come with a little urgency and make these last two home games count so we can find a good spot in the (Pac-12) tournament.”
Senior guard Devoe Joseph paced the Ducks with 18 points against Colorado, with Olu Ashaolu contributing 17 points and nine rebounds. Singler registered his fourth career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds in that game.
Transition defense was a point of emphasis for the Ducks in practice this week, knowing that Colorado has a similarly experienced backcourt. Senior Carlon Brown and freshman Spencer Dinwiddie are both 28-game starters this season, while Tomlinson has started 27 games as well. In the last meeting with the Ducks, that trio accounted for 33 points, eight assist and five steals. @@http://www.cubuffs.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=257&SPSID=3891&DB_OEM_ID=600@@
“We gave them a lot of second shots and some open looks,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We did a lot of things well at times, but all in all I thought we could have played a little better and I’m sure they felt that way.
“I think both teams have improved since then, so it should be a pretty good game.”
Five seniors to be honored after Saturday’s game
Sim, Joseph, Nared, Ashaolu and Jeremy Jacob will play their final home game on Saturday afternoon when Oregon hosts Utah in the Pac-12 finale. Though Sim is the only four-year player on the Ducks’ roster, each of the five has made an impact during their time at Oregon.
“We’ve got a good group,” Altman said. “They’ve all taken different paths to get here. It’s good to have all five of those guys. They’ve meant a great deal to us here. I sure hope we can finish out for those guys.”
Jacob joined the Ducks as a sophomore in 2009 and has started in 40 games over the last three years. Once the most consistent scoring threat in the low post for Ernie Kent’s final team, Jacob has been hindered by knee injuries the last two seasons. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=3748532&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Nared joined the program last fall and started 21 games for the Ducks. He’s been used primarily in a reserve role this season after struggling to overcome an early knee injury. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=204965537&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Joseph and Ashaolu came to Eugene for their senior seasons after being teammates as prep players in Canada. Joseph transferred from Minnesota and Ashaolu from Louisiana Tech, and both players have played pivotal roles for Oregon this season. Many consider Joseph in the running for Pac-12 player of the year. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185537&Q_SEASON=2011@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185494&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Sim, of course, is the only remaining member of the coveted 2008 recruiting class. He’s played in 130 games, starting 95 and has made a career-best 56 three-pointers as senior. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1603562&Q_SEASON=2011@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/MBasketball/2011-12-stats/HTML/CONFLDRS.HTM@@
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs since I’ve been here,” Sim said. “But you know, this group of guys, I’m thankful to be with them. And the five seniors we have, they’re all great guys.”