The Oregon men’s basketball team will be playing for more than a win when it hosts Cal on Thursday.
While the game might just be another Pac-12 game, the 2016-17 Ducks (16-2, 5-0 Pac-12) will look to etch their name into the Oregon record book. An Oregon win would be the program’s 15 consecutive victory, tying a 104-year old program record for most consecutive wins.
“It’ll be hard to get done,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said on Wednesday. “Cal’s had a lot of success here. … So we’ve got our work cut out for us — no doubt about it.”
If a different history repeats itself, Oregon’s current win streak could come to an end. Last year when Oregon played in Berkeley, the Ducks were ranked No. 11 in the nation — the same ranking they currently hold. Cal upset Oregon by a 83-63 final.
“You can’t sleep on other teams. … You’ve got to take one game at a time, and one step at a time,” guard Tyler Dorsey said. “If we want to win the Pac-12, we can’t let any games go. Your record can change in one week, so you can’t take a week off.
“Every week is critical.”
This year, Oregon square off a length Cal (13-5, 4-2 Pac-12) team. Three Golden Bears, who average over 15 minutes a game, stand 6-foot-11 or taller. Ivan Rabb (6-foot-11), Kingsley Okoroh (7-foot) and Kameron Rooks (7-foot-1) combine to average 23 rebounds and six blocks per game.
“They’re a great offensive rebounding team so we are going to have to focus on blocking out and playing defense,” forward Chris Boucher said on Wednesday. “We know how important their offensive rebounding is so we are going to focus on that today (in practice).”
The best of the bunch is sophomore Rabb, a projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. He’s averaging 17.3 points and 14.2 points per game since conference play began six games ago. He’s also posted a double-double in five games.
The Golden Bears don’t just rely on Rabb, though. Guard Charlie Moore is one of the quickest guards in the Pac-12 and averages 14.6 points per game while Jabari Bird — a former four-star recruit — is averaging 13.4 points per game.
“He (Bird) can definitely be deadly from three,” Dorsey said. “He got hot on us at their house last year. He’s definitely a streaky shooter so we can’t let him get going.”
The Ducks will look to avenge last year’s loss with a deeper roster. Five different players average double-figures while freshman Payton Pritchard (8.3 points a game) is coming off a 17-point performance versus Oregon State.
The Ducks will look to counter Cal’s height and offensive rebounding prowess by sending out 6-foot-9 Jordan Bell, 6-foot-10 Boucher and 6-foot-11 Kavell Bigby-Williams. Combined, the three players grab an average 18 rebounds a game while Bell and Boucher each average over two blocks per game.
Tipoff between the Ducks and Golden Bears is set for 6 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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