The Oregon men’s basketball team had aspirations of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament while training this summer.
Loaded with an abundance of young talent in the backcourt and four players standing 6-foot-10 or taller, a trip to the Big Dance seemed feasible.
But after 18 games, it appears qualifying for even the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament will be a test for the fledgeling Ducks.
Oregon (11-7 overall, 3-6 Pac-10) closed out the first half of its conference schedule with an 88-69 loss to Stanford (12-7, 6-3) on Saturday in front of 7,233 fans at Maples Pavilion. It was the Ducks’ fourth consecutive loss and sixth in their last eight games.
Oregon entered the contest having lost 18 consecutive games at Stanford. The Cardinal ended any hope the Ducks had of breaking that streak with a phenomenal first half performance. Stanford shot 20-of-36 from the floor, including 5-of-10 from three-point range, resulting in a 51-25 halftime lead.
The Cardinal set the tone early with its first basket. Junior point guard Chris Hernandez showed his veteran savvy when he got the ball inside against Kenny Love, banking in an 8-footer over the Duck guard and drawing a foul by leaning into Love during his release.
The Cardinal continued to
play like the more experienced team, passing the ball around
on offense until it found a quality shot. While Stanford knocked down one open look after another, Oregon hoisted poor shots and failed to convert its open shots.
Stanford had first-half leads of 10-2 and 37-16 and led by as many as 32 in the second half before Oregon rallied late to make the score reflect a game more competitive than it actually was.
The Ducks also had no answer for Cardinal forward Matt Haryasz, who scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. The junior hit eight of his first 10 shots and beat Oregon post players to seemingly every loose ball.
“It was a bad, bad performance for us,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent told 590 KUGN after the game. “Stanford played a great first half.”
Oregon once again played like a team with no leadership. Kent has repeatedly said the Ducks need sophomore point guard Aaron Brooks and junior forward Ian Crosswhite to play well in order to be successful.
Brooks had another off night, finishing with 11 points, two turnovers and no assists in 24 minutes. The Seattle native came off the bench for the first time this season after being tardy to the pregame dinner, Kent told the Associated Press.
Crosswhite continued his season-long slump, finishing with five points on 2-of-7 shooting and committed two turnovers in 19 minutes.
“You look around the league and the guys who are carrying their teams are veterans,” Kent said. “We’re not doing that for some reason.
“When it was Freddie’s (Jones) turn, he took over. When it was (Luke) Ridnour’s turn, he took over. When it was Luke Jackson’s turn, he took over,” Kent said, referring to the three former Oregon standouts. “It’s (Brooks’ and Crosswhite’s) turn to take it over and they’re not doing it. They’re leaving the young guys hanging.”
Freshman guard Bryce Taylor continued to struggle to shoot the ball, connecting on only one of 11 field goal attempts. The Encino, Calif., native is now 3-of-25 in Oregon’s last three games, including 1-of-9 from three-point range.
Taylor had been taking anti-inflammatories for a right-knee injury he suffered against Arizona on Jan. 20, but said it had not been affecting his shooting.
Malik Hairston continued his solid play of late, scoring 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. The freshman has scored in double figures five straight games.
Chamberlain Oguchi finished with 12 points in 12 minutes for the Ducks, while Ray Schafer added six points.
Stanford had four players finish in double figures, including Haryasz’s 20 points. Hernandez dropped 19 points and connected on four of seven three-pointers, Dan Grunfeld scored 14 points, while Rob Little finished with 10 points.
Next up for Oregon is a trip to Oregon State on Saturday.
Kent said the Ducks need to turn up their intensity level in order to improve during the second half of the Pac-10 season.
“It’s good to have good character and great guys,” Kent said. “But when it comes game time, you have to bring it.”