FanPost

Five Takeaways from the Ducks' Win vs. WCU

The Ducks defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts 107-83 on Wednesday night in the team's second game of the season (ATQ recap here). Here are five takeaways from the game:

  1. Altman appears to have hit the jackpot with Moser and Young: Joseph Young has missed one free throw this year in 28 attempts (96.4%), and is averaging 30 points a game. Mike Moser, meanwhile, is averaging 20.5 points a game to go along with per-game averages of 3 assists and 6 rebounds. While some of these numbers are likely to go down (I'd be surprised if Young continued to average 30 points a game), these two guys staying consistent at or near this level seriously helps the Ducks make a legitimate run at the Pac-12 title.


  2. Defense has room for improvement: There have been several times in the Ducks' last two games where the opposing team was able to find a man with an open look at a three-pointer. Oregon was able to get away with this a little more against Georgetown (1-15, 6.7% 3PT) than against the Catamounts (9-20, 45.0% 3PT), but neither really did a ton of damage. A better perimeter shooting team will scorch the Ducks if the defense does not improve.


  3. Waverly Austin still needs a lot of work: While his performance against WCU was nowhere near as bad as his stat line against Georgetown (0 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover and fouling out in 9 minutes), it still didn't turn many heads: His only FG attempted (and made) was a dunk, and he went 3-6 from the charity stripe while pulling down five rebounds and two steals. It's a move in the right direction, but if Austin does not continue to improve the Ducks will have some serious problems in the middle.


  4. Rebounds, rebounds, rebounds: While the Ducks and Catamounts tied in total rebounds (29), WCU more than doubled Oregon on the offensive glass (12 to the Ducks' 5). The Ducks did out-rebound Georgetown, but offensive rebounds were almost even (Oregon had 16 to Georgetown's 14). When you start to face the caliber of talent that the Ducks will see in Pac-12 play, you need to maximize your opportunities for second chance points while minimizing your opponent's chances. Part of this rests on Austin, but everyone could arguably step up when it comes to boxing out and hitting the glass.


  5. This team is going to score points: The last time the Ducks scored 100 points was in March of 2012 against Iowa in the NIT (108 points). Add in an 82-point performance against a solid Georgetown team and the fact that Dominic Artis still hasn't played yet, and the forecast looks good for the Ducks' offense.

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