The Oregon men’s basketball team (15-6, 3-6 Pac-12) set a Matthew Knight Arena record on “Phil it UP” Appreciation Knight Saturday, tallying 16 steals in their 78-66 win over the visiting USC Trojans (10-12, 1-8).
“We’re playing as a unit now,” Oregon guard Calliste said, referring to the Ducks’ defense. “Before, it felt like we were just five separate people out there.”
The two halves were about a drastic as any two Oregon has played this season. The Ducks trailed 38-34 after the first half but outscored USC 44-28 in the second. And they didn’t even improve that much shooting the ball or limiting USC’s shooting percentage. The key, according to the Ducks, was their smothering press.
“I thought the press really got us going and (USC) didn’t handle it very well,” Altman said.
Altman said his team was “stuck in the mud” going into halftime. The energy wasn’t there, he said, and the stats reflected it. The Ducks were outshot by 11.3 percent from the field and outrebounded by nearly double in the first half. Without nine first-half steals, Oregon’s comeback chances would’ve been much slimmer.
Oregon’s energy was visibly more intense as soon as the second half started.
After USC center Omar Oraby scored a layup to open the half, the Ducks went on an 18-2 run to go up 56-44. Oregon’s lead would never get smaller than eight after that point, and defense was probably the biggest reason why.
“I feel like each game that we’ve played, we’re getting better,” said Oregon guard Joseph Young, who tallied game-highs in points (21) and steals (six). “The last three games, we’ve been getting better on the defensive end.”
The press was one of the biggest areas of high energy for the Ducks, but the improvement happened everywhere. They shot better. They drove towards the hoop more. They nearly tripled their first half rebounding total, both overall and on the offensive glass.
If one or two plays against UCLA on Thursday went differently, the Ducks would be riding a three-game winning streak right now. But they’ll gladly take two-out-of-three. They’re seeing improvement, and it all stems from their frenetic defense.
This improvement adds a little extra joy to this win for Calliste.
“Just the way that we played, it was that much more satisfying,” he said.
Next up for the Ducks is the No. 1 team in the country, Arizona. Oregon will travel to Tuscon to take on the Wildcats this upcoming Thursday at 6 p.m.
“I told them (Oregon’s players), ‘Enjoy the day tomorrow, watch the Super Bowl and we’ll come back Monday and get ready for our toughest opponent,’” Altman said.
Noteworthy
– Oregon’s 16 steals are the most the team’s had since Dec. 11, 2010 against Willamette, when the Ducks recorded 17.
– Joseph Young’s six steals are also a Matthew Knight Arena record. That number tied a game-high for a Duck this season (Mike Moser had six against Georgetown, the first game of the 2013-14 season).
– Moser got out of a shooting slump, scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting against USC.
– Calliste scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
– Altman said he wants to see more of his players, like Damyean Dotson, attack the rim and shoot more free throws like Young: “I’d like to see Dot get to the rim like that and get to the free throw line. Dot’s a really good free throw shooter.”
– Going into Saturday night, USC was 6-1 this season in games where they led at half.
– Byron Wesley led USC with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415