The penultimate home game (for visiting Ducks fans, that means second to last) of the season! You all have to come out to Haas tonight. You HAVE to. Seriously, pursuant to the Cal Fan Relocation Act Of 2012 signed by Governor Brown just yesterday, you are all legally required to spend tonight and also Saturday night at Haas Pavilion. Finally, some bi-partisanship up in Sacramento! There is hope again!
To learn more about our opponents, Mr. Money Bags, sorry, I mean the Oregon Ducks, we talked to our friends over at Addicted To Quack. They run a great site over there. Many thanks to David Piper of ATQ for helping us out with these answers. Check them out after the jump and GO BEARS!
1. Who is the player on offense for the Ducks that Cal fans should know about?Oregon's offense really revolves around three players, and they're all perimeter oriented. Devoe Joseph, the Minnesota transfer, has been Oregon's most consistent scorer averaging almost 16 a game. He's not a guy that finishes at the rim, but he's a pure shooter, and one who is great not only at catch and shoot, but at creating his own shot. Most fans know EJ Singler by now, he's the guy that the offense really runs through. He both gets to the rim and sets up other players. He's going at about 15 a game and is the reigning conference player of the week. Garrett Sim is more of a catch and shoot guy, but he's really improved, and he'll go into stretches where he hits anything. Oregon is kind of an enigma offensively. Despite being a perimeter oriented team that relies mostly on the jump shot, rank near the top of the conference in both offensive efficiency and at getting to the free throw line.
2. Who is the player on defense for the Ducks that Cal fans should know about?
Oregon's not so great at the defense, but the one guy to really know is Tony Woods. The 6'11" center is on pace to shatter the school record for blocks, and makes up for a lot of mistakes with his ability to patrol the lane.
3. What the hell happened in the Washington game and why should Cal fans live in abject fear of it?
Oregon went completely gangbusters from the field, and Washington decided to leave their effort in Seattle. Oregon is a great shooting team, and goes off like that from time to time. That said, Oregon never plays well in Berkeley, and Mike Montgomery actually tries to coach defense, unlike Lorenzo Romar. There are reasons to believe Oregon can win this game, but I wouldn't bet on it. And definitely not in a blowout.
4. Dana Altman: Great coach or the greatest coach?
The jury is out. He's clearly an improvement, x's and o's wise, from Ernie Kent. Nobody had any business winning 20 games with the sorry roster that we put on the floor last season, nor being in contention for the conference title with this year's squad. But half of his recruiting class, including his prize recruit, jumped town after only a few games. Oregon will be competitive under Altman, but he needs to show that he can recruit and retain top talent to get the Ducks where they want to go.
5. Tell me more of this Carlos Emory.
Carlos Emory was a JUCO All-American last season, and when he came to Oregon, we thought he was an instant impact kind of guy. He had a rough first 20 games, and almost fell out of the rotation completely, but has had a major impact in the last five, averaging 11 points and almost seven boards in that stretch. He could potentially be the piece needed to take pressure off the big three and make this a more complete team (piece on Emory from earlier in the week:)
6. How much does Phil Knight pay the men's basketball players?
Clearly not as much as the football players.