3 Thoughts: The Oregon Ducks fall to the Michigan Wolverines
By Daniel Tran
1. The Oregon Ducks will be one of the scrappiest teams this year.
When the Oregon Ducks lost 4 of their starters, 3 players to rape allegations, and 1 recruit due to admissions issues, everyone (including myself) thought they were destined for the bottom of the Pac-12 barrel. Not only did they win their first 3 games by a gaudy average margin of +23 points, they pushed the 19th ranked team to the brink with their star player, Joseph Young, going 5-16 from the field.
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The way the Ducks kept the game so close tonight was their rebounding. Though their roster currently has no players over 6’7, they always find a way to grab boards, especially on the offensive side of the court. Tonight, Oregon grabbed 15 offensive rebounds; one rebound below their season average. They didn’t do it against Hodunk State, either. This Michigan Wolverine squad is a well-coached team with capable rebounders that were being beat to the ball by more athletic, hard crashing pogo stick forwards.
With all those extra possessions the Ducks got, they turned a game where they could’ve easily been blown out into a slug fest where they actually had a chance to win if not for timely shooting by the Wolverines and foul trouble that put Michigan in the bonus early. Expect the Ducks to continue this trend the whole year.
2. They will be in trouble if Dwayne Benjamin misses an extended amount of time though.
Late in the 2nd half, JuCo transfer and Oregon forward Dwayne Benjamin left the game after he rolled his left ankle attempting to drive to the basket. He was unable to put any pressure on it and looks like he will miss some time.
Benjamin was one of the spearheads in Oregon’s attack on the offensive glass, grabbing 3.0 offensive rebounds per game and 8.7 total rebounds per game, accounting for a team leading 18.4% of the teams total rebounds. It will be tough to make up for his production on the glass if he misses an extended amount of time.
As mentioned above, Oregon has an extreme lack of size on its roster. If they lose the 6’7 Benjamin, their depth at the forward position will turn from kiddy pool to pothole puddle.
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3. Oregon needs to be more disciplined on defense.
Dana Altman’s teams have never been known to take their foot off the gas pedal when they are on defense. He loves rushing teams into bad decisions with his ¾ court trap and generally having players play as aggressive as possible to force turnovers. Fortunately when it works, there are a lot of fast breaks for Oregon and a lot of exciting basketball. Unfortunately if it doesn’t work, it sends teams to the foul line. A lot.
Michigan attempted 29 free throws tonight, making 23 of them. Oregon has been averaging 19 free throw attempts against per game. That is a lot of opportunities for teams to get easy points on them. A lot of that can be attributed to getting fouls early and putting teams in the bonus with a significant amount of time left in the game.
If Oregon cuts down on their fouls in this game, they have a great shot at pulling the upset. Instead, Michigan got to flex its 76.2% free throw shooting percentage and pulled away for the win. In other words, play defense with your feet, not with your hands.
Conclusion
Though they were the smaller team, the Oregon Ducks outrebounded the Michigan Wolverines 36-24 and kept the game close enough to nearly steal it in the end. Unfortunately, timely shooting from the Wolverines and early foul trouble doomed the Ducks to a loss against the 19th ranked team in the nation. Rebounding machine Dwayne Benjamin left the game late with an ankle injury that, if serious, will leave the Ducks without their best rebounder and one of their best hustle players. However, after watching this game, it is tough that argue that Oregon won’t be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the nation.