No. 11 Oregon’s 69-52 victory over Stanford on Saturday gave the Ducks a school record 16th consecutive victory. Oregon set the record without their best player, Dillon Brooks, who was sidelined after he sprained his foot against Cal.
The win was easy. Business as usual for the Ducks.
“I didn’t even know until the Pac-12 [Network] guys told me,” said Chris Boucher, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Before the game, Brooks was signing autographs and taking photos with fans while his team was warming up while his foot was in a walking boot. His absence from the upcoming game cast a shadow and raised many questions.
Who would step up to lead the offense? Will the Ducks struggle without Brooks again?
After the blowout of Stanford, the Ducks answered unequivocally — everyone and no.
The Ducks got off to a rocky start with two turnovers on the first two possessions. Then, the 3-point barrage began. Tyler Dorsey, Payton Pritchard and Dylan Ennis knocked in three quick ones. At the half, the Ducks were 8-of-17 from beyond the arc and held an 18-point lead. The question then was: Dillon who?
“We’re closer as a team,” freshman point guard Payton Pritchard said. “We play better with each other. I think we’ll be ok.”
Ennis and Boucher took the lead on offense in the first half with Brooks out. At the half, the Ducks had 10 assists on 14 field goal, and they were shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc.
In the second half, it was everybody’s ball game. Different players played well at different times. They all contributed in a variety of ways.
In total, Pritchard, grabbed a career-high eight rebounds to go with seven assists. Dorsey shot 50 percent from 3-point range and added two blocks. Casey Benson contributed five assists, and Bell scored 11 points. In total, four Ducks reached double digits.
Even without Brooks on the floor, ball movement remains a focus for the Ducks. They ended with 18 assists — but committed 19 turnovers — possibly the only negative to come from the win.
“Those turnovers won’t travel,” head coach Dana Altman said. “19 turnovers is just unacceptable — real sloppy.”
Chris Boucher returned to the starting lineup after spending Pac-12 play coming off the bench.
Two of his points came from a dribble drive that ended with an emphatic dunk reminding everyone how good he can be.
HIGHLIGHT | Chris Boucher drives hard to the bucket for the two-handed jam! #GoDucks https://t.co/ChyFUZVcDJ
— Oregon Basketball (@OregonMBB) January 21, 2017
“You definitely have more minutes and more time to get hot,” Boucher said. “I felt like it didn’t really change what I had to do.”
Despite the win, the best news for Oregon fans came before the game. It was reported that Brooks’ foot injury was just a sprain. There is no timetable for his return, but a sprain is significantly better than a break, which would most likely have ended his season.
“I was happy,” Boucher said. “He called me right away as soon as it happened and he was like, ‘It’s not broken.’ We’re just happy he’s coming back soon.”
Follow Jack Butler on Twitter @Butler917