Oregon battles Tom Izzo and Sparty closely at first, fades late.
I’ll preface this by saying that moral victories don’t matter when it comes to W-L records, and it won’t help anyone get into the postseason.
That being said, I mentioned in the last article that moral victories, or at least the attitude of this current team, is the only thing we can really focus on in this otherwise lost season.
With five straight losses under their belt and missing Nate Bittle for a month and Jackson Shelstad for the season, showing they still care enough to battle will tell you what Altman’s current team is really about.
They did so against Michigan, especially in the first half.
A similar script was followed against MSU.
Oregon was down only 2, 28-26 at halftime against another Top 10 team firmly in the Final Four discussion.
In the end, though, they didn’t have the firepower to keep up for a full 40 minutes, and fell 68-52.
Leading 38-35 in the second half, Oregon turned the ball over four consecutive times, aiding a 25-6 Spartan run that put the game on ice.
Aside from Takai Simpkins, who tallied 15 points, the Ducks got no significant offensive production in their lowest offensive output of the season.
It was the second time in the last three games the Ducks couldn’t even hit 60.
Things won’t get any easier the next couple weeks either. Oregon welcomes UCLA to town next week after the Bruins just knocked off Top 5 Purdue in Los Angeles.
Speaking of the Boilmakers, Oregon travels to West Lafayette the following week.
Once again, the primary focus here is the mindset and fight Oregon brings to each game. With the potential multitude of returning impact players next year coupled with incoming 5-Star wing Taj Ariza, building for next season (mentally as much as physically) is the primary focus.
Category: General Sports
