For the first time in almost 15 years, the No. 1 ranked team in the country came to Eugene. The Baylor Bears found themselves facing off against a Ducks team that looked unmotivated at times against ranked teams earlier this season.
While it was the first time the No. 1 team visited Matthew Knight Arena, it wasn’t a first in Eugene. The Ducks beat UCLA in 2007 at MacArthur Court on an exciting last second shot by point guard Aaron Brooks. So does Oregon have the intensity required to best the top team in the country in 2021?
They are close, but not quite there. While the Ducks weren’t perfect, their offensive improvement against Baylor gave a lot to be excited about despite a tough 78-70 loss.
Oregon focused on funneling its offense through N’Faly Dante in the first half. His ability to finish around the rim as well as distribute the ball around the arc helped the Ducks boast a 39-35 lead at the conclusion of the first half. While he struggled in the second half, it was a great first half performance by the junior from Bamako, Mali.
Dante finished the game with seven points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Baylor entered this game undefeated at 9-0. Just a week ago, Baylor beat Villanova in such a dominant fashion that the Wildcats only managed to finish the game scoring an abysmal 36 points. The Ducks offense passed that mark with 3:34 to go in the first half.
Despite Oregon’s stellar offensive performance in the first half, Baylor’s 3 point shooting was lights out and kept them in the game. The Bears shot 9/14 from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes. Thanks to this efficiency, the Bears were only trailing by 4 at halftime. They ended the game shooting 12/23 from three.
Guard play ended up being huge in this matchup. De’Vion Harmon had a great performance for an Oregon team that desperately needed a quality win to catapult themselves in the right direction. Regardless of the final result, his 18 points – combined with Will Richardson’s 16 – generated offense the Ducks haven’t seen much this season.
In the second half, turnovers proved to be destructive as the Ducks saw their lead evaporate. Three consecutive turnovers from Oregon allowed the Bears to spark a 12-0 run to put them up by 12. The Ducks wouldn’t really come close to clawing back into the game, due in large part to nine second half turnovers.
“The game really flipped,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “The turnovers really flipped the game.”
With this tough loss, Oregon falls to 6-6 on the season. While this isn’t the start Altman’s squad wanted, this Ducks team has proven they have a lot of fight, and if they can keep up the momentum, they will still be in a position to make noise in March. With another win, Baylor’s undefeated streak improves to 10-0.
The Ducks return to Matthew Knight next Tuesday, Dec. 21 when they take on Pepperdine.
