LAS VEGAS – At one point this season, the Oregon Ducks held a 2-8 Pac-12 record and were a promising team lost at sea. A lack of size -- resulting in a lack of defense -- coincided with struggles with team chemistry.
2014 Pac-12 Tournament, Day 1: Oregon keeps streaking
A quick-hit look at Oregon’s building momentum, Delon Wright’s all-around play and the peculiar sights of basketball in Las Vegas.
Ethan Miller
It would seem those issues have been alleviated.
Oregon dealt Oregon State a 88-74 loss in the 7-10 seed matchup of the Pac-12 Tournament and will advance to play second-seeded UCLA on Thursday. The eighth win in a row came as the Ducks' bench unit outscored the Beavers' second unit 46-6. Coach Dana Altman gave nine players at least 10 minutes of play, and the depth has added an element to both sides of the ball.
“I thought our depth was a big factor in our game,” Altman said at MGM Grand Garden Arena. “I thought our group that came in ... really turned up the defense. We get down 10 to start the ballgame. The press and the defense helped turn us around there. We were able to guard 94 feet a lot, which I thought helped wear down their offense.”
Sharpshooter Jason Calliste scored 17 on just five field goal attempts, complementing starting guard Joseph Young's 19 points.
Meanwhile, Oregon saw sophomore point guard Dominic Artis look like his old self for maybe the first time this season. Suspended for nine games to start the year for selling shoes provided to him through the school, he's struggled to find a niche this year despite playing heavy minutes as a freshman.
On Wednesday, he scored 10 points but also made an impact by dolling out six assists. The 23 minutes played allowed Altman to rest senior starting point guard Johnathan Loyd as the Ducks attempt to make a run to the title game.
“DA’s a good kid. It’s killing him he’s not playing well,” Altman said. “I told him, I’ve had a lot of players go through this, maybe not quite as long a stretch, but a lot who go through it. He came back and tried to do too much. He had six assists in the first half. He waited and waited until he had the shot he wanted. He waited for great opportunities himself and focused on his defense.”
And if Artis and his bench crew continue this trend, the Ducks will be a tough out Thursday and beyond.
Performer of the day: Delon Wright, Utah
There’s a special breed of player that you need to follow all the time to appreciate so you know when stats don’t tell the full story.
How good is Utah Utes guard Delon Wright? The entirety of his activity on both offense and defense is often missed, but then consider what the box score is leaving out. In Utah's 67-61 win against Washington, Wright recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. The little brother of Dorell Wright might be a bit on the thin side, but he's maybe the most unique player in the Pac-12.
Seen and heard
Famous faces: Former Oregon State forward AC Green is probably still a straight-edge dude, which makes his visit to Vegas ... intriguing. The Beavers also got a visit from former running back Steven Jackson.
Garbage fun: On the other side of the court, the guess here is that the Oregon mascot, Puddles the Duck, had a few too many margs at the pool -- yeah, it’s warm enough for that to be plausible. He got caught in an MGM garbage can.
Questionable do: Dominic Artis’ haircut should stay in Vegas with everyone else’s mistakes.
.@bomani_jones please explain to me what's going on with Dominc Artis hair cut for Oregon.. pic.twitter.com/NEaxYkdASB
— PM (@petermazzocco) March 13, 2014 Yep, we’re in Vegas
I hope this guy lights up his stogie and security can do nothing about it. pic.twitter.com/yUeOfervO5
— AZ Desert Swarm (@azdesertswarm) March 13, 2014 What is Sean Miller's Vegas name? pic.twitter.com/G0yXTZfrtX
— AZ Desert Swarm (@azdesertswarm) March 13, 2014 Oh, Andy Enfield's Vegas name. pic.twitter.com/EVLEFyyGf2
— AZ Desert Swarm (@azdesertswarm) March 13, 2014 Fun fact of the day
Try to find a more accomplished human being than Utah alum Nolan Bushnell, the founder of both Chuck E. Cheese and Atari. This doesn’t have much to do with basketball, but it certainly was a shocking Pac-12 history lesson during one timeout.
Quotable
Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak on the Utes’ chances against No. 1 seed and nationally fourth-ranked Arizona: “It’s the one team in the Pac-12 that we’ve not won a basketball game against, and we got a lot of booby prizes along the way, consolation prizes and ‘atta-boys’ and ‘way to go.’ We’re not the favorites. I like that element. Don’t have nearly the nervous feeling I had maybe leading into this (Washington) game, and hopefully our guys are feeling the same thing.”
Full results
No. 8 Utah Utes 67, No. 9 Washington Huskies 61: Wright filled the box score, but it was Dakarai Tucker hitting a three with less than a minute to play that broke a 60-all tie and pushed the Utes past the Huskies, earning them a 3 p.m. ET matchup against Arizona to open Thursday action.
No. 5 Colorado Buffaloes 59, No. 12 USC Trojans 56: USC guard Byron Wesley scored 23 points but missed a final heave that would have forced overtime. The Buffs survived behind Askia Booker's 21 points and four assists, and Colorado plays No. 4 California at 5:30 p.m. ET.
No. 7 Oregon Ducks 88, No. 10 Oregon State Beavers 74: The streaking Ducks shot a ridiculous 80 percent in the second half to pull away from OSU. A date with the UCLA Bruins is on deck for Dana Altman's crew.
No. 6 Stanford Cardinal 74, No. 11 Washington State Cougars 63: Washington State made it a game for the most part, but Stanford guard Chasson Randle poured in 20 points to hold off the Cougs' upset bid. The Cardinal faces ASU in the second round.
Here’s a link to the full bracket and schedule.
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