Through one round of Pacific-10 conference play, the men’s basketball team has certainly taken its lumps, going winless with six of the nine losses coming by double-digit margins.
Much of the trouble can be attributed to defense, as the Ducks have allowed a conference-worst 75.9 points a game while outpacing only Stanford in field goal defense, allowing opponents to convert at a 48 percent clip.
But it isn’t all bad news on the defensive end of the floor, as the Ducks stand second in the league in steals at 8.4 steals per game (UCLA is first with 8.8) and fifth in blocked shots. Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said in a Tuesday morning teleconference with reporters that his young team is starting to make strides on the defensive end of the court.
“The biggest issue is just sustaining the mental play through a whole possession … they’ve gotten better at it, though,” he said. “They’re getting better at staying in it longer and then they’re staying in it better.”
Freshman center Michael Dunigan can be credited with much of the team’s success blocking shots, as he leads the team and stands fourth in the conference in blocks. Junior forward Joevan Catron leads the Ducks in steals and stands seventh in the Pac-10 in that category.
On the offensive end of the floor, it’s not all bad news for the Ducks, either. While they rank last in the conference in field goal percentage (41 percent) and eighth in scoring (69.1 points per game), they are converting 7.4 three-pointers per game on average (third in the Pac-10) at a 36.3 percent pace (fourth in the Pac-10).
Junior guard Tajuan Porter has turned in big offensive performances in the Ducks’ two most recent losses and ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage (91 percent) and three-pointers made (2.6 per game).
“He certainly demands a great deal of attention. He’s a phenomenal guard.” said Arizona State head coach Herb Sendek. “He’s capable of having a big night any time out.”
Oregon faces Sendek’s Sun Devils on Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at McArthur Court. Arizona State is coming off a pair of road losses to the Washington schools last week and is taking nothing for granted, despite the Ducks’ winless conference record.
“We’re going to have to be really good on Thursday night,” Sendek said. “We’re not confused about that at all.”
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