Oregon’s first look under interim head coach Tony Stubblefield came in an exhibition against Seattle University on Thursday evening, and the night carried the kind of swings that tell you a team is still figuring itself out.
The Ducks opened with a quick 5-0 burst, only to watch Seattle answer and build a 12-5 lead with 13 minutes left in the first half. Oregon steadied from there, worked its way back, and eventually tied it at 19-19 with 8:24 remaining. From that point until halftime, the game stayed tight, with Oregon taking a 36-35 edge into the break.
The second half looked like it might belong to the Ducks. Over the first six minutes, they ripped off a 17-5 run and stretched the lead to 53-40 with 14:08 left.
Then Seattle flipped the script. The Thunderbirds answered with a strong run of their own, grabbed a 59-56 lead with seven minutes to go, and never gave it back, closing out a 71-65 win.
Offensively, Oregon looked mostly competent when it could get into its sets. There was plenty of movement in the half-court, and the structure showed up when the Ducks were able to settle in.
The bigger issue was pace. Seattle sped the game up and made it tough for Oregon to get comfortable on that end.
The free-throw line also loomed large. Oregon reached it often enough, but finished just 18-27, leaving nine points behind in a six-point loss. That kind of gap is hard to ignore, exhibition or not.
The Ducks will get another chance to show progress when they face the Utah Utes on Wednesday the 21st.
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Oregons New-Look Roster Already Has A Problem To Fix
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Oregon May Be Losing Grip On A Quarterback They Wanted Badly
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The latest signs, though, have made this one a little tougher to read for Oregon. Kentucky appears to have picked up momentum in Boyds recruitment, helped in part by new head coach Will Stein, even as Oregon stays involved and plans to bring Boyd to upcoming home games. For a program that has yet to secure a commitment in the class, keeping pace in a battle like this matters, especially with a quarterback target who could shape the early feel of the group. [Read more 🡒]