In the first practice together since the 64-57 loss to Oregon State on Sunday night, Oregon head coach Ernie Kent felt confident his team would be back and refocused for another tough game this week. The Ducks have already lost back-to-back games twice this year and will have to break that streak if they hope to stay afloat in the Pacific-10 Conference standings.
“If any indication is by how I feel, I would think the guys are pretty focused,” Kent
said Tuesday.
The Ducks may have been focused in preparation for the final Civil War at McArthur Court, but the execution was far from where it needed to be. The crowd — the largest of the season at 8,217 — added to the shock level of the game for many of the young players in their first big rivalry contest.
“I’ve been here, I’ve been through it all and I’ve seen it all,” senior Tajuan Porter said. “So it’s my job to keep them calm and push them though the hard times.”
Porter and Kent both said they expect a quick turnaround from the group and the Oregon State loss will be nothing more than a building block for the rest of the season. Kent also was quick to give praise to his team’s growth over the previous weeks.
“We won six straight basketball games, and we were exceptional on the road in every aspect playing Washington and Washington State,” Kent said.
Regardless of how the remainder of the season unfolds, the two early conference victories on the road will play an intricate part in shaping the Ducks’ character. Kent feels that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
“To go up there and handle ourselves in that environment at Washington where they’ve won 18 straight games,” he said. “You’ve got to give these guys some credit sooner or later, they’ve come some distance and they’ve done a good job.”
Junior forward LeKendric Longmire continued to do a little bit of everything for Oregon on Sunday, with five points, four steals and two rebounds in 19 minutes of playing time. Longmire, one of the few veterans on the Oregon squad, shares a similar role in keeping the team heading in the right direction despite being removed from the starting lineup. He has seen a severe decrease in playing time as of late.
After Sunday’s game, Longmire talked with center Michael Dunigan on the ride home from Mac Court, saying Dunigan needs to take more shots. Against the Beavers, Dunigan was 2-of-2 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line for eight points and eight rebounds.
“Mike has been playing great basketball, and I think the focal point of our offense should be getting the ball to him … two shots is not enough for him,” Longmire said.
If the Ducks are able to find that same focus they had prior to the OSU game, they’ll be in control of their postseason destiny with a wide-open Pac-10 race.
“Anybody can win it right now,” Porter said.
But according to Kent, that late season success will depend heavily on how Oregon wraps up its final year at Mac Court.
“We went out and stole two games on the road and we just gave one of them away,” Kent said. “We don’t want to give any others back, particularly here in this building as we close it out.”
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