GOOD
– The Oregon men’s basketball got some reinforcements on Tuesday as Dominic Artis and Ben Carter returned to action after serving nine-game suspensions for selling team gear. The Ducks beat UC Irvine at Matthew Knight Arena by a final score of 91-63 to improve to 10-0 on the season. Artis scored five points, dished out three assists and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Carter scored four points and tallied four rebounds. The Ducks wrap up non-conference play with home games against BYU on Dec. 21 and Morgan State on Dec. 29.
– Oregon volleyball outside hitter Liz Brenner was named a second-team AVCA All-American on Wednesday, the second time in her career the Oregon junior has earned second-team honors. Brenner led the Ducks to a 20-12 record this season, topping the Pac-12 with 4.67 kills/set. After taking about a week off following the volleyball team’s final game of the season, Brenner returned to the court on Monday, this time for basketball practice.
– Tuesday’s matchup between Oregon and UC Irvine set the stage for one of the more bizarre photos that you’ll see this college basketball season. Oregon guard Johnathan Loyd is listed at 5-foot-8. At one point in the game, he guarded UC Irvine freshman center Mamadou Ndiaye, who stands at 7-foot-6 and is the tallest player in college basketball this season. The matchup created this gem, which ended up making the rounds on Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and Deadspin:
@oregonMBB UC Irvine's Mamadou Ndiaye (7' 6") battles Oregon's Johnathan Loyd (5' 8") in the paint. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/ZTgBNvo0YP
— Brian Davies (@daviesphoto) December 18, 2013
BAD
– Quinn Bailey, a three-star offensive tackle who had been a potential Oregon recruit, verbally committed to Arizona State on Tuesday via Twitter. Bailey is currently a senior at Higley High School in Arizona and is listed at 6-foot-5, 280 pounds.
I've officially decided to commit to play football at Arizona State University #ASU #godevils
— Quinn Bailey (@Qbailey99) December 17, 2013
UGLY
– A scary hit took place Tuesday night in the NHL when Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson took out Philadelphia Flyers center Brayden Schenn. Wilson accelerated to ram Schenn from behind into the boards and a scuffle ensued between the opposing teams immediately afterwards. Wilson received a five-minute major and ejection for charging while Schenn did not return to the game.
Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch