You don’t really know what you have until it’s gone. The 23rd-ranked Oregon men’s basketball team learned that quickly Saturday.
After perhaps the bloodiest injury in Oregon basketball history, Luke Jackson needed 13 stitches on his right index finger (non-shooting hand) after suffering a laceration in a win Thursday over against Washington. With his hand wrapped, Jackson watched from the McArthur Court bench Saturday as the Ducks faced Washington State; it was the first time Jackson sat out a game since his sophomore year at Creswell High School.
The only Pac-10 player ranked in the top-10 in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game, Jackson will miss Oregon’s next two games at UCLA and USC, and perhaps more.
“It’s more or less going to week-by-week than day-by-day,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said of Jackson’s return. “We’ll see what happens when we get back from the L.A. trip (next week).”
The Ducks (14-4 overall, 4-3 Pacific-10 Conference) clearly missed their second-leading scorer and top rebounder against the lowly Cougars — at least initially. Washington State (5-12, 0-8) hit 13-of-26 shots in the first half and held a surprising 32-31 lead at the break.
“You don’t realize how many little things you miss,” Oregon point guard Luke Ridnour said of Jackson. “It’s tough to adjust (to his absence) right away. All you can ask for is everyone to play hard.”
Andre Joseph started in Jackson’s place, but was 0-for-4 from the field in the first half.
“There was a difference without him out there,” Joseph said. “He’s such a good all-around player. It takes awhile to adjust.”
Yes, it certainly took some time, but the Ducks figured out how to win without Jackson. Ridnour, who played all 40 minutes, scored 24 of his 28 points in the second half as Oregon held on for a 76-66 win over the Cougs in front of a sold-out Mac Court crowd.
The Ducks had just four turnovers in the second half (13 total) and used a harassing defense to nab 14 steals, including a career-high five steals by Joseph.
“Obviously we missed Luke Jackson out there, but I thought it was a good game to get out of the way, not having him with us, before we get out on the road,” Kent said. “We were a little bit off our game (Saturday), and Washington State was right there with us. It gave us an opportunity to win a game a different way.”
Oregon won without Jackson, with tough defense, and by hitting 19-of-19 free throws, including 11 from Ridnour.
With Joseph, normally the Ducks’ spark off the bench, now in the starting lineup, the team’s depth will be tested on the road — where the Ducks have struggled this year.
“We need everyone to step up,” Joseph said. “No one man can do it.”
“You don’t replace a guy like Luke Jackson,” Ridnour said. “I’m trying to help fill that spot, but it’s a learning experience, and in the end, I think it might help us.”