Oregon: The Class of the Pac-12 and a Legitimate Final Four Candidate
Chris Boucher, the reigning National JUCO Player of the Year, is averaging 12.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and over three blocks per game for an Oregon team that is red-hot and currently ranked #3 in the RPI.
Midway through Pac-12 conference play, Oregon not only leads the way with a 7-2 league record but also has the look of a darkhorse Final Four team.
The Ducks have won four straight, 11 of their last 13, and just recently wrapped up a very successful trip to the Grand Canyon State in which they snapped Arizona’s 49-game home winning streak on Thursday before taking care of business Sunday at Arizona State.
ESPN’s latest Bracketology update projects Oregon as a 3-seed, but still many seem to be sleeping on the Ducks. Their RPI is 3. Ditto for their strength of schedule. And they haven’t just faced some of the best teams in the country—they’ve beaten them: Oregon is a remarkable 7-2 vs. the RPI Top-50.
While the game against Arizona State on Sunday didn’t represent another opportunity to gain a Top-50 win, the Ducks’ 91-74 victory over ASU was impressive nonetheless, as the matchup had a classic “trap game” feel after Oregon’s mammoth win at UofA just three days prior.
Oregon jumped out to a 13-0 lead, but the Sun Devils had trimmed the margin down to a single point by halftime. In the second half, Oregon exploded offensively, outscoring ASU 54-38 after the break by getting out in transition and knocking down free throws despite shooting into the “Curtain of Distraction”. The Ducks shot it a 65% clip in the second half and put the game on ice via a 9-0 run following a Bobby Hurley technical.
Leading the way for Oregon was 6’10” Chris Boucher, the National Junior College Player of the Year last season at Northwest College in Wyoming. Boucher finished with a career-high 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 7 (!) blocks. He runs the floor extremely well, serves as a great rim protector alongside Jordan Bell, and was 4-of-8 from behind the arc.
Boucher has been a godsend for Oregon this year, making the transition from the junior college ranks to high-level D-1 basketball look too easy. He is technically a senior, however the Ducks plan to appeal after the season and are confident that they will have Boucher’s services for an additional year.
And Boucher is just one member of a three-headed frontcourt that is arguably the most versatile in America.
Sophomore Dillon Brooks has broke out onto the national scene this year, averaging nearly 17 points per game to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. A serious candidate to win Pac-12 Player of the Year, Brooks is the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week and is projected by some NBA Draft services to be a future first-round pick.
It’s not hard to see why: he can score at all three levels, highlighted by an advanced mid-range game, and the Canadian uses his strength to get to the rim almost at will. Over the Ducks’ last six games, Brooks has averaged 20.5 PPG on 53% shooting.
Then there’s senior Elgin Cook, putting up 13.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG while shooting 34% from “three.” With the 6’6” Cook and 6’5” Brooks each playing 30+ minutes a game and holding down the small forward and power forward positions, the Ducks create matchup nightmares for opponents. Sunday served as the latest example, with the trio of Boucher/Brooks/Cook combining for 58 points on just 31 field goal attempts.
Setting the frontcourt up is usually Casey Benson, who lacks in playmaking skills but flaunts a ridiculous 72:13 assist-to-turnover ratio. Benson’s ball security and steady play has somewhat alleviated the pain of Villanova transfer Dylan Ennis being sidelined for the year with a foot injury.
Benson’s backcourt mate, freshman Tyler Dorsey (#38 in ESPN100), is averaging 13.5 PPG while shooting 43.5% from behind the arc. Off the bench, head coach Dana Altman has two guys that could start at many other places in Bell and Dwayne Benjamin (or Snoop Dogg, per Bill Walton).
The Ducks are loaded, rank 9th in offensive efficiency per KenPom, and have Boucher and Bell to erase many mistakes on the defensive end.
If this team continues to be slept on, one might just wake up to find Oregon still playing in April.
Mr. Ball Is Life 