The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team has had a challenging season, struggling to find their rhythm on offense. With twice as many losses as wins, they found themselves near the bottom of the Big Ten standings heading into the weekend.
Their toughest outing came on February 17, when they posted a season-low score in a 61-44 loss to Minnesota at Matthew Knight Arena. In that game, only five Ducks players managed to score, with Nate Bittle and Kwame Evans Jr. combining for 28 of the team's points. The rest of the squad contributed just 16 points collectively.
Oregon's shooting woes were evident, hitting only 37.7% from the field, a dismal 2 for 20 from beyond the arc, and making just two free-throw attempts. The Ducks, who average a conference-low 64.9 points per game, will need to up their game as they face Southern California at Galen Center in Los Angeles.
Coach Dana Altman emphasized the need for increased energy and effort following the loss to Minnesota, stating, "We’ve got to bounce back and have a lot more energy and play harder. The whole place was dead, and that’s our fault because we didn’t make any shots. We’ve got to get a lot more energy and play a lot harder against USC."
Projected Starters:
Oregon Ducks:
- G Takai Simpkins (12.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
- G Drew Carter (2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
- F Kwame Evans Jr.
(12.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
- F Sean Stewart (7.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
- C Nate Bittle (16.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
USC Trojans:
- G Alijah Arenas (14.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
- G Kame Woods (8.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
- F Ezra Auser (15.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
- F Jacob Cofie (10.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
- F Terrance Williams II (2.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
Looking at USC, the Trojans are coming off two consecutive losses, including a tough 101-65 defeat to No. 10 Illinois.
Forward Chad Baker-Mazara, who averages 18.3 points per game, was sidelined with a knee strain and is questionable for the upcoming game against Oregon. Baker-Mazara was instrumental in USC's earlier victory over the Ducks, scoring 25 points.
This matchup marks the second meeting between these teams this season. In their first encounter, Oregon was without center Nate Bittle and fell 82-77 to USC. Kwame Evans Jr. led the Ducks with 23 points and nine rebounds, but the team struggled in the second half, being outrebounded 23-12 and missing crucial free throws.
Game Details:
- TV Channel: FS1
- Streaming: Fubo, Sling
- Radio: KUGN (590 AM, 98.1 FM), KMTT (910 AM, Portland), KYKN (1430 AM, Salem)
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
- Start Time: 1 p.m.
- Location: Galen Center, Los Angeles
Oregon's Remaining Schedule:
- Feb.
25 - Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 28 - at Northwestern, 11 a.m.
- March 3 - at Illinois, 6 p.m.
- March 7 - Washington, 8 p.m.