Opposing guards have killed the Oregon men’s basketball team during its current four-game losing streak. Oregon State’s Roberto Nelson, Stanford’s Chasson Randle and Anthony Brown, California’s Jordan Matthews and Colorado’s Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker all scored over 20 points while making more than 50 percent of their shots against Oregon.
The Ducks (13-4, 1-4 Pac-12) won’t get a break in the backcourt, either, when they take on Washington (11-8, 3-3) Thursday night.
C.J. Wilcox averages 19.7 points per game (second in the Pac-12), with a shooting slash line of 45.7/88.9/41.5 (field goal/free throw/three-point percentage).
“He’s one of the best scorers in the league,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “He’ll be a handful, there’s no doubt about it.”
Oregon guard Damyean Dotson said he, Joseph Young and Jason Calliste will likely be the main Oregon players to guard Wilcox. Altman wasn’t as specific but said he plans on rotating defenders on Washington’s senior guard.
The Huskies guards drop off from Wilcox, but backcourt players like Andrew Andrews, Nigel Williams-Goss and Mike Anderson all play the next highest minutes and have produced this season (Andrews has struggled shooting the ball, however.)
But Oregon is one of the few teams that can match the Huskies in that area, especially at attacking the basket. Just ask their head coach Lorenzo Romar.
“Dominic Artis last year was one of their best guys at getting to the rim,” Romar said in Tuesday’s Pac-12 media teleconference. “Even though Young can really shoot it, he can get there. I can go on and on. They have a number of guys who can get to the basket.”
Washington’s and Oregon’s frontcourts are also similarly constructed. Each team rebounds and blocks shots at the almost exact same rates, and most of their key big men stand around 6-foot-8 or 6-foot-9. Both teams are also in the dregs of the NCAA on defense.
While the two teams might appear to be mirror images of each other, Oregon does have a sizable advantage on offense. The Ducks are 86 spots higher than Washington nationally in points per game (Oregon ranks third) and 162 spots higher in field goal percentage. Washington might be deep at guard, but Oregon has outperformed them this season, especially shooting the ball (Dotson, Young, Calliste and Johnathan Loyd have all made at least 46.7 percent of their field goal attempts this season.)
Plus, the Ducks won’t have to worry about a huge front line protecting the rim, a luxury they haven’t enjoyed for most of Pac-12 play.
“We’re not quite as undersized against them,” Altman said, “so hopefully we’ll be able to get to the basket a little bit more and create a few more things on the offensive end.”
But Washington won’t be an easy out, especially with the game being played in Seattle. Their three conference victories came against Colorado, Utah and Arizona State — all above-average teams. If the Ducks continue their defensive woes and/or struggle on offense like they did against Oregon State (37.9 percent from the field), their plunge into the depths of the Pac-12 will continue.
“(Washington’s) a good team,” Altman said. “Lorenzo does a good job, so they’ll create different problems than the problems we’ve faced the last couple weeks.”
Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415