Ducks Rolling

Their closest game since a five-point OT win over Tennessee in the Maui Classic, with a recovering Dillon Brooks limited,  has been the buzzer-beating thriller against UCLA, on Brooks' final three in Eugene to open the PAC-12 schedule.

Oregon is not only winning, it is blowing teams away, thanks to hustle on defense and a kind schedule of home games to start the season.

Last night the Ducks hammered Oregon State, a team playing with its best player sidelined.

Perspective: OSU lost to Savannah State at home in December, a team Oregon brushed aside 128-59 a week earlier.

In other words last night's Civil War in college basketball's oldest rivalry was predictable, and Oregon came out strong, leading 21-0 before OSU scored a basket.

With their winning-streak at 14 in a row, my Oregon Ducks sit at 16-2 and 5-0 in conference, tied with Arizona at the top.

Things are about to get serious.

Cal comes to Eugene Thursday night and an Oregon victory would tie its record for consecutive wins in a season.

Can Oregon keep it going?  Cal is a good team, and Stanford, the Ducks' opponent Saturday, is no pushover either.

The Ducks will have some battles on the road, at UCLA and Arizona in particular, and the swing through the Rockies at Utah and Colorado will be tough, but Oregon has a chance to be very good if:

1) They continue to share the ball.

2) Their rebounding and defense holds up against the best bigs still ahead of them.

3)  Their overall shooting improves.

The last is a key.  Oregon's shooting, from the field and the line, will have to pick up if the Ducks are to challenge the Bruins and Wildcats. I don't know if the consistency will come, especially on the road when the basket looks smaller and the crowds are hostile.

We'll see, I'm excited.

EDIT:  I just looked at the Oregon schedule again.  The Ducks play the Arizona schools just once this season, and the games are in Eugene!  Holy shit.  That's a huge item.


TS