Oregon Ducks
2014-2015 Overall Rank: #49
Conference Rank: #6 Pac-12
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Oregon has had some decent seasons lately, culminating with a win in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Ducks had a bad stretch right in the middle of the 2013-2014 season, but pulled it together at the end of the year and got a nice win over BYU in the tournament before falling to Wisconsin. However, Coach Dana Altman has a ton of rebuilding to do right now. Due to a couple graduations, a few transfers and some dismissals, the Ducks roster will look very different in 2014-2015.
2013-14 Record: 24-10, 10-8
2013-14 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Dana Altman
Coach Record: 97-46 at Oregon, 507-289 overall
Who’s Out:
Eight regular contributors are moving on for one reason or another. In the frontcourt, the big loss is Mike Moser. The former UNLV transfer ran out of eligibility after averaging 13.2 points and a team high 7.7 rebounds for the Ducks last season. Waverly Austin was the usual starter in the post, but averaged just 10.6 minutes per game. He was a good shot blocker though. Richard Amardi provided much of the depth in the frontcourt during lone season with UO, averaging 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds. Ben Carter added a few more minutes in the post when eligible as a sophomore, but now even he is gone. The losses in the backcourt are just as significant. Damyean Dotson and Johnathan Loyd were regular starters, with Dotson averaging 9.4 points and Loyd running the show and dishing out 4.7 assists per contest. Jason Calliste was one of the best sixth men in the nation. He knocked down over 50 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and averaged 12.7 points per game. The last of the eight key departures is reserve point guard Dominic Artis, who lost his starting job to Loyd.
Who’s In:
With so much turnover, the Ducks are obviously going to have to rely heavily on their newcomers. But this is a talented group who should be up for the job. Perhaps the most important newcomers are those who can run the point. Casey Benson and Ahmaad Rorie are both freshmen point guards, but it is Rorie who has the most potential at the moment. Shooting guard Dillon Brooks and small forwards Jordan Bell and Dwayne Benjamin will play minutes on the wing. Benjamin, a high scoring junior college transfer, has the experience to step right into a starting role and the talent to be one of the top scorers on the team. Center Michael Chandler is also a junior college transfer who should make a big splash this season. The 6-10, 240 pound junior will not likely be a major scoring threat for the Ducks, but he is solid on the glass and defensively.
Who to Watch:
Joseph Young and Elgin Cook, the only two returning players who averaged over seven minutes per game last season, will have to be leaders of this team. Young is not a bad piece to build around. He led the team with 18.9 points per game and knocked down 41.5 percent of his shots from long range. If Young had not returned for his senior season, which was certainly a possibility, this team would have been in serious trouble. But, as it is, Oregon has their go-to-scorer and a proven a clutch shooter. Cook, a 6-6 forward, had a promising debut campaign and averaged 6.7 points off of the bench. He was playing his best basketball in the NCAA Tournament too, so he should be able to build off of that success.
Final Projection:
It always seems like Oregon loses a lot and brings in a lot of talent. It has usually worked out pretty well. This year may be more extreme than usual, but the potential talent coming in is impressive. The eligibility of Lyle would go a long way. If Young has to move onto the ball and spend time running the show, the usually potent Oregon offense could sputter. By February and March this should be an extremely dangerous team, but whether or not they can reach the NCAA Tournament depends on how quickly this group comes together. The Pac-12 is not going to be easy and those games in November and December will have huge implications come March.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Ahmaad Rorie, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Joseph Young, Senior, Guard, 18.9 points per game
Dwayne Benjamin, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Elgin Cook, Junior, Forward, 6.7 points per game
Michael Chandler, Junior, Center, DNP last season
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.9 (8th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 74.1 (276, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.9 (45, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.9 (193, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.6 (52, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.9 (26, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.2 (6, 1)
Rebound Margin: 1.0 (157, 7)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (60, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (91, 7)
Madness 2014 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#33 Jaquan Lyle
#66 Jordan Bell
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