| 20 March 2011
In winning their opener in the College Basketball Invitational, the Oregon Ducks kept the Weber State Wildcats perimeter-oriented offense at bay. They will have to be similarly successful against the Duquesne Dukes, which enters 19-12 with a dangerously balanced attack.
Senior forwards Bill Clark and Damian Saunders are their best, most experienced players. Clark leads the team averaging 16 points per game and ranks third in team history with 224 three-pointers and 125 games-played. This season he has made 37 percent of his three-pointers, shooting 46 percent overall, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing three assists per game. Yet, his all-around play and experience is minimal compared to that of Saunders, who holds school records in steals, blocks, games-played, and games-started. Saunders performance in the first round against Montana illustrates just how well-rounded he is.
He had 11 points, five rebounds, five steals, and five blocks in 27 minutes.
These two define threatening, but they aren't all Duquesne has to offer. Like them, junior guard B.J. Monteiro is unselfish, can shoot the three, scores in double-figures on average, grabs rebounds, and blocks shots. Freshman T.J. McConnell is their starting point guard, averaging 10 points and four assists per game. He has made 50 percent of his field goals, including 40 percent of his threes, and had 15 points, six assists, and four steals against Montana. Added to the list is Seth Johnson, a sophomore guard who has sparked the Dukes many times this season. He had 17 points against Montana, scoring seven during a first-half 22-2 run. Clearly, the talent and efficiency on Duquesne is plentiful.
“They run our stuff,’’ Oregon coach Dana Altman said last week, as reported by The Oregonian. “And a lot of things they run, they run a lot better than us.’’
Utilizing Duquesne's depth will be key, as it was in defeating Montana.
"What we did is we went with a platoon system, play more like a hockey line and try to utilize our depth," Dukes head coach Ron Everhart said, as reported by The Missoulian. "We felt that from a depth perspective we could maybe wear these guys down a little bit if we could make it an up-and-down game."
Though Oregon has played an uptempo style in the past, slowing the pace may be the ticket to victory. Ten Dukes played ten or more minutes against the Grizzlies. The Ducks can't stop them from doing that, yet they can minimize the damage done by those ten, particularly in transition. Oregon's defense has been inconsistent this season but will need to be at its best and most aggressive to beat Duquesne. They led the Pac-10 in turnover margin, forcing three more than they commit. Winning the turnover battle and capitalizing off them is pivotal.
The Dukes shoot only 62 percent from the free-throw line on the season, so putting them on the charity stripe may not be a bad strategy, especially if the game is close late. For the Ducks to put Duquesne in this situation, their quartet has to once again produce. Joevan Catron, E.J. Singler, Jay-R Strowbridge, and Malcolm Armstead did during their Pac-10 Tournament run and in their win over Weber State in the opening round of the CBI.
Both teams are small in height, both struggled at the end of the season, both are currently in a groove, and both look to extend their season.
These two teams are very similar, but it's the Oregon Ducks who have the toughest challenge ahead of them.
photo: daylife
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