Tipoff: 7:00 PM, Radio, Satellite, Internet (Live Audio/Video & Stats)
The Oregon men's basketball team has found its way into the cellar of the lowly Pac-10's standings, and this time, they're all alone. With six games to go—including four at Mac Court—before the Pac-10 Tournament, the Ducks (12-12, 4-8 Pac-10) are in desperate need of momentum. And tonight's match-up with struggling Stanford at home couldn't have come at a better time.
Since beating the Ducks at Maples Pavilion just under a month ago for like the 400th time in a row, the Cardinal (11-14, 5-8) has hit the skids, dropping five of its last six. The Ducks, on the other hand, swept the SoCal schools in their last home stand, and have won their last three against the Cardinal at The Pit . Oh, and I should also mention Stanford is 0-10 on the road this year. With conference leader Cal coming to town on Saturday, what Oregon needs is a winnable game to get things going in the right direction before the conference tourney.
And this is about as winnable a game as the Ducks are going to see for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean they should win.
If Oregon stands a chance tonight, it'll need to stop Landry Fields and Jeremy Green, something the Ducks weren't able to do in Palo Alto last month. Fields, who leads the Pac-10 in scoring at 22.5 points per game, dropped a career-high 32 points to lead the Cardinal to an 84-69 win over the Ducks in Round 1. Green chipped in a cool 25. Translation: Those two absolutely killed us.
In addition to cozy Mac Court, the Ducks will also have the added benefit of Matthew Humphrey, who sat out 12 games earlier this year—including the Stanford game—due to a knee injury. Humphrey is averaging 9.4 points in five games since returning. The Ducks also get LeKendric Longmire back, who returns from unspecified academic deficiencies for tonight's game.
Keys to the Game:
Shut down Landry Fields. It seems like a pretty simple and specific goal, but Fields is Stanford's best player, and it was all Landry against the Ducks earlier this season. Stop him, and the Ducks should roll. But it's easier said than done.
Rebound. No, seriously, rebound. The Ducks have been out-rebounded in seven of their last 10 games, and (not at all) coincidentally they've lost eight of them. On the flip side, however, Oregon is 10-2 when out-rebounding their opponent. Stanford is not a terribly great rebounding team, averaging 33.9 boards a game. The Ducks, who are averaging 32.7 rebounds a game, need to win the battle of the boards. Period.
Tajuan Needs A Break-Out. Tajuan Porter is in a funk, and he knows it. He has only scored in double-digits twice in the last nine games. With the senior guard's exciting, albeit streaky, career winding down, it's time for another Porter hot streak. And we Duck fans should hope it's tonight.
Conclusion
The Ducks have an opportunity to right the ship and close out the regular season with momentum. With four of their last six at home, it's possible for them to get hot. But they really need to step up. I think the Ducks can get a much-needed win tonight, and for the next four hours, that's all that matters.
GO DUCKS!