Oregon held off a pesky Cal team and used an 8-0 run in the closing minutes to pull away from the Golden Bears for a 66-53 win on Thursday night in Berkeley, Calif.

Elijah Brown scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half while MiKyle McIntosh recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Ducks (15-7, 5-4). Freshman Troy Brown Jr. added 16 points, five rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes of play.

Oregon turned the ball over 17 times and was outrebounded 36-31 by the Golden Bears (7-16, 1-9), but weathered every run Cal went on. The Ducks also shot 55 percent from the field and 53 percent from three.

The Ducks shot 63 percent from the field in the first half and led by as many as 15 but they saw their lead slip and went to halftime ahead 34-26. Cal continued to chip away at Oregon’s lead in the second half. A Don Coleman three with 8:39 left in the game made it 47-42.

Try as they might, that was as close as the Golden Bears would get. Oregon pushed its lead back to nine with less than six minutes to go but Coleman brought it back within six after converting an and-one.

Coleman paced Cal with 16 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Following Coleman’s and-one with 5:36 left in the game, Elijah Brown hit a three, which was the beginning of an 8-0 run that pushed Oregon’s lead back to 14. Including Brown’s three, Oregon outscored Cal 13-6 over the final 5:36.

It was an ugly win for the Ducks but a needed one. The win moves them into a tie for fifth place in the conference with Utah and Stanford. The Ducks will face Stanford on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Palo Alto.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

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Oregon (14-7, 4-4) hits the road this weekend for matchups with Cal (7-15, 1-8) on Thursday and Stanford (11-11, 5-4) on Saturday. The Ducks are coming off wins over UCLA and Oregon State and need to keep winning if they want a chance of making the NCAA Tournament.

First up for the Ducks is Cal, one of the only true bottom-feeders in the conference. Among their 15 losses, they’ve suffered a 24-point blowout to Chaminade, an 8-point loss to UC Riverside, and a 25-point throttling at the hands of Portland State.

Cal is challenged offensively and defensively. The Golden Bears rank last in the conference in points scored (64.3 per game) and allowed (79.1 per game). That’s not a winning recipe, and neither is the fact that Cal ranks dead last in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage and defensive field goal percentage.

But regardless of talent, Oregon hasn’t played well in Berkeley, California, the last couple years. Oregon’s Elite Eight team two years ago got blown out by 20 against the Golden Bears, and even last year’s Final Four team needed a Dillon Brooks’ buzzer beater to win.

Don Coleman leads Cal with 16.9 points per game and nabs 1.4 steals as well. Kentucky transfer Marcus Lee (12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds) and freshman Justice Sueing (14.3 points and 5.9 rebounds) provide solid play at the forward spots while 7-foot-1 Kingsley Okoroh anchors the middle, blocking two shots per game.

Oregon will face a tougher test on Saturday when they face Stanford in Palo Alto, California. The Cardinal are looking to get back on track after losing three straight.

The Cardinal have had a wild conference experience so far. They kicked it off by losing to Cal (Still Cal’s only win in the Pac-12), but rattled off five straight wins after that, which included wins over USC and No. 25 Arizona State. But since beating the Sun Devils, Stanford has lost to Arizona, USC and UCLA by 16. If there’s any team that’s been as inconsistent as Oregon, it’s Stanford.

Stanford will pose a large challenge for the undersized Ducks in the form of 6-foot-8 forward Reid Travis. Travis is top ten in the conference in scoring (16.6 points per game) and rebounding (8.4 per game). Supporting him is a balanced attack of reserves. Seven other players average more than 20 minutes and six points per game. Dorian Pickens has been stellar in conference play, averaging 15.6 points and three 3-pointers per game.

Offensively, Stanford can hang with the best in the conference. The Cardinal are currently third in the conference in points per game with 78.2 and they shoot 47.3 percent from the field, the second-best mark in the conference.

Defensively, Stanford allows 77.1 points per game but guards the three well, which could play into their hands against the trigger-happy Ducks. Oregon averages 25 3-point attempts per game but connects on just less than 8 of those (30.4 percent).

A win over Cal should be expected this year. Stanford will be the real challenge. A win over the Cardinal would be incredibly beneficial to Oregon’s resume. A loss would only widen the margin between them and the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon tips off against Cal at 6 p.m. Thursday on Pac-12 Network. Saturday’s game aginst Stanford begins at 2 p.m.  and will air on Fox.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

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Oregon is expected to hire  Aaron Feld, an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Georgia, as the Ducks new strength coach, according to Fox Sports1’s Bruce Feldman.

Feld replaces Irele Oderinde as Oregon’s head strength and conditioning coach. Oderinde left the program on Sunday to join Willie Taggart’s staff at Florida State.

Feld joined Georgia’s staff in 2015 and served as assistant director of strength and conditioning. Before Georgia, Feld was the Director of Strength and Conditioning for all 13 sports at Northern Alabama. Prior to that, he worked as a strength and conditioning volunteer at Alabama in 2014, the same year that Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal was serving as Alabama’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach. Feld also worked with Alabama-Birmingham for two seasons.

While strength coaches don’t often hold the spotlight, Feld certainly did during the College Football Playoff. His mustache caught the attention of broadcasters and he quickly went viral.

Magnificent pic.twitter.com/TONImXfGGt

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) January 9, 2018

No matter what happens tonight, I know this: Georgia's assistant strength & conditioning coach @coachfeld has won the mustache national title. pic.twitter.com/cNj3cAxzYK

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 9, 2018

In college, Feld played long snapper at Mississippi State. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and holds a Strength and Conditioning Coach Certification (SCCC) from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.

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Oregon’s coaching staff of the future is starting to come together.

The program officially announced on Monday that three assistant coaches signed contract extensions. Defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, offensive coordinator, quarterback and tight ends coach Marcus Arroyo and associate head coach and defensive run game coordinator Joe Salave’a all signed extensions. Leavitt’s new contract runs through the 2021 season, while Arroyo and Salvae’a’s run through the 2020 season.

“We are thrilled we were able to extend Jim, Marcus and Joe’s contracts,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said in a press release. “All three have been impactful in establishing the direction of our program as both teachers and mentors for our players. They have been key in helping build our momentum, both on the field and in recruiting.”

Leavitt will earn $1.7 million annually as part of his four-year extension that expires Jan. 3, 2022. He earned $1.15 million his first year at Oregon. Leavitt’s buyout in his new contract would be $500,000 if he were to leave before Jan. 31, 2019, but would drop to $250,000 after that date. Those buyouts would be waived only if he leaves to take the head coaching job at Kansas State.

Shortly after Willie Taggart left for Florida State, reports surfaced that Leavitt would follow him to Tallahassee, Florida. The heavily-sought after Leavitt is known for his recruiting prowess and success at rebuilding programs. In his first year at Oregon, he improved the Ducks’ defense from 126th to 42nd in the country.

Arroyo, who Cristobal named offensive coordinator and main play-caller, will earn $750,000 next year, an 87.5 percent increase from the $400,000 he made this year. He’ll make $825,000 in 2019 and $850,000 in 2020. His buyout would be 20 percent of his guaranteed salary at the time of the departure but would be waived if he were taking a head coaching job at a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.

Arroyo is largely credited with helping Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert develop into one of the top quarterbacks in the conference this season. Herbert threw for 1,983 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games as a sophomore this season.

Salave’a will earn $650,000 annually through the 2020 season, a $100,000 raise from the $550,000 he made this season. His buyout is similar to Arroyo’s in that he would owe 20 percent of his contract if he were to leave but could have that waived if he took a head coaching job or becoming a defensive coordinator at an FBS school.

Under Salave’a, Oregon boasted the 26th ranked rushing defense in the country and the second-best rushing defense in the conference,

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

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Oregon and Portland State boast very different storylines so far this season.

The Ducks, looking to reload from last season’s Final Four run, have performed below their expectations, while the Vikings, who boast a fresh team full of transfers, have played far above theirs. Oregon is still piecing together its team and still trying to figure out what its identity is. The road has smoothed some recently — Oregon had won two straight — but many issues remain and it could be awhile before the Ducks plays their best basketball.

Portland State came into Wednesday’s matchup with an 8-2 record, still riding the high from its impressive PK80 performance. The Vikings were the surprise team of the tournament and used that momentum to rattle off three straight wins since that weekend.

They looked to make it four straight wins on Wednesday night with hopes of beating the in-state Ducks for the first time since 2009. A win against the team eight months removed from a Final Four run could signal a shift in the power structure of Oregon college hoops, if not for just one season.

Despite either team’s non-conference performances, Oregon showed why it’s still the best college basketball team in the state on Wednesday. The Ducks beat the Vikings 95-84 at Matthew Knight Arena in a game that resembled a track meet more than it did a basketball game. Five Oregon players scored in double-figures, led by Elijah Brown’s season-high 22, to lead the Ducks (8-3) to their third straight win and snapping Portland State’s (8-3) four-game win streak.

“We knew we were going to have our work cut out for us,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “Those guys can score.”

Both teams were able to produce at a high rate, but it was Oregon that got the crucial stops when it mattered most. The Ducks closed the first half on an 18-4 run and took punch after punch from the Vikings down the stretch in the second half. Bryce Canda scored 26 of his team-high 31 points in the second half as he single-handedly kept his team in the game. He scored 18 of the Vikings’ last 24 points.

But Oregon matched the Vikings almost bucket-for-bucket when it mattered. After having some trouble with Portland State’s full-court press in the first half, the Ducks whipped the ball around the court coming out of the break, attacking each crack in the Vikings’ defense. The aggressive approach led to open shots and Oregon finished with 27 assists on 32 made baskets.

“We were able to string together some stops, able to talk on defense and we were just trusting in each other,” forward Paul White said. “The press, we started to find holes in it and luckily we got some easy baskets from it.”

White finished with 15 points, while freshman Kenny Wooten continued his strong play of late with 18 points, five rebounds and six blocks off the bench. Fellow freshman Troy Brown finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, one assist shy of what would’ve been Oregon’s first triple-double in 15 years.

“I messed up his triple-double, by the way, so I definitely apologized for that,” said Elijah Brown, who missed a layup late in the second half that would’ve secured history for Troy.

Payton Pritchard chipped in 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for an Oregon team that travels to Fresno State for its next game. The Bulldogs have won seven straight and are undefeated at home. They welcome the Ducks on Saturday for a 3 p.m. PT tip-off.

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The Elijah Brown that came out on Friday night was the player that Oregon thought they were getting.

The grad-transfer from New Mexico averaged over 20 points a game during his two years with the Lobos, yet he has struggled to find his role for the Ducks so far this season. He entered Friday’s game averaging 12.9 points while shooting under 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from three.

All those season averages rose after his performance on Friday, arguably his best of the season, during Oregon’s 95-65 victory over Colorado State.

Brown rode a hot-shooting second half to a 20-point, five-rebound, six-assist game. He didn’t miss any of his six shots in the second half and looked as comfortable as ever in Oregon’s offense. It’s good timing, too, since Oregon’s struggles reached a boiling point last week when the Ducks dropped three of their last four games. Brown helped steady the ship on Friday night and his teammates hope more of these performances are in store for the grad-transfer.

“Tonight was big for him,” point guard Payton Pritchard said. “He hasn’t been shooting it like Elijah normally has been, and I’m hoping tonight that that’s how it is every game.”

Brown is the latest in a long line of transfers that Oregon has utilized under head coach Dana Altman. Joe Young, Dylan Ennis, Dwayne Benjamin, Elgin Cook, Chris Boucher, the list goes on. But while all those of the past fit in rather seamlessly, it’s taken time for Brown to adjust to his new role.

He carried New Mexico’s offense and played with the ball in his hands a majority of the time. He’s had to change his playing style with the Ducks, which, coupled with the learning curve of playing with four new starters, caused some early season struggles.

While the numbers say otherwise, those struggles reach a peak during PK80 two weeks ago. He scored at a high rate, but his shooting percentages dipped. At times, he looked indecisive, not sure of whether to pass or shoot. That issue has plagued him all season, except for Friday night. Brown played confidently and decisively, and it made a difference.

“I thought he was really patient tonight,” Altman said. “Very efficient, 7-for-9 [shooting], 4-for-6 [from three], five rebounds on the defensive end, some of those were big in the first half, and then six [assists] and one [turnover]. I’d take that stat line any night.”

Brown only took three shots in the first half and went into halftime with only two points and four rebounds. But unlike in other games, he didn’t let his lack of scoring dictate his play, a problem Altman said has contributed to his struggles on both the offensive and defensive end.

With 10 minutes, 47 seconds left in the game and Oregon leading 63-45, Brown had already made both of his shots in the second half. He then proceeds to score 11 of Oregon’s next 14 points, including three 3-pointers. By the time Brown made the last of his four threes, Oregon led by 30 with just over seven minutes left to play. He wrapped up his appearance with three more assists before being subbed out with 5:23 left to play and Oregon up by 36.

While it might be too much to ask for Brown to put up these kinds of numbers every night, he finally showed on Friday the kind of player he can if he plays up to his potential.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

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In this first episode of the Emerald Basketball Podcast sports editors Jack Butler and Gus Morris break down how the retooled Ducks have looked this year. Following some early losses the two discuss the team’s dynamic and explain how some new faces have impacted the team at the early stages of non-conference play.

This episode was produced by Alec Cowan.

The post Podcast: Emerald Basketball: The season so far appeared first on Emerald Media.

For the second time in as many years, Oregon is searching for a new head football coach.

In the wake of Willie Taggart’s departure for Florida State, which became official on Tuesday, Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens held a press conference to discuss Taggart’s exit and where Oregon’s football program would go from there.

Mullens said he was “disappointed” in Taggart’s choice to leave the program after only one season.

“We sat down a year ago and we made a commitment to him. He made a commitment to us,” Mullens said. “We did everything to support our commitment to get here today, and I’m disappointed.”

Mullens confirmed the report that Oregon did offer Taggart a contract extension — the offer was for $20 million over five years, up from his original contract of $16 million over the same span — before the Civil War on Nov. 25 and that Oregon and Taggart had remained in contract talks up until yesterday. Taggart rejected Oregon’s offer, instead electing to accept Florida State’s reported offer of $30 million over six years.

According to Mullens, Florida State initially contacted Oregon on Thursday to inform Mullens that they were going to “reach out” to Taggart. Taggart called Mullens later that day to inform him that Florida had done so.

On Friday, and then again on Sunday, Taggart told the media that he and Florida State were not in contact. Mullen’s’ statement on Tuesday contradicts that.

Taggart then hit the road on Sunday night for a week of recruiting. He was in Arizona on Monday, when he reportedly met with Florida State officials. Multiple reports surfaced on Monday saying that Taggart had accepted Florida State’s offer, but none were confirmed.

That changed on Tuesday when Taggart flew back to Eugene and called a team meeting, where he told the Ducks he would be leaving for the Florida State job. Shortly before meeting with the team, he met with Mullens and informed Oregon’s AD of his decision.

“We met and he said, ‘This is a family decision, it pulls at my heartstrings, and I feel like I gotta got be the head coach at Florida State,’” Mullens said.

Multiple reports also surfaced on Tuesday that defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt would accompany Taggart to Florida State, but Mullens refuted those claims.

“No one has mentioned that to us,” Mullens said. “Willie said, the only thing that we talked about was that the staff would remain intact until December 16 so that these kids could enjoy the fruits of their labor during the year and be rewarded with a bowl game. No one has mentioned anything to me about Florida State and Jim.”

Co-offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal was named the interim head coach. While many believe that he is a legitimate candidate to fill that position in a full-time role, Oregon will proceed with its second coaching search in two years.

Mullens said that while he doesn’t have a timeline for when he wants to name a new head coach, the search is already underway. He said that Oregon would use the same search firm it employed last year that netted Taggart for the Ducks.

“We’ll be very thorough, and we’ll make sure we find the next great leader for Oregon football,” Mullens said.

As far as what Oregon is looking for in its next head coach, Mullens said that the program wants to try to replicate what this year’s staff created.

“These are hard jobs,” he said, “and what we’ve seen is the energy of this staff, and what it means on the recruiting trail, what it means inside this building and what it means in the community and we wanted somebody who can replicate that.”

Rob Mullens addresses the media following Taggart’s departure from UO https://t.co/c9sm4guRTm

— Gus Morris (@JustGusMorris) December 5, 2017

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

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Oregon head coach Willie Taggart walked into the press conference room on the third floor of the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex with a smile on his face, ready to answer questions about Sunday’s news that Oregon earned a spot in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 16.

Taggart wanted to keep the conversation around his team’s postseason outlook, but questions inevitably came up regarding coaching rumors that have tied Florida State and Oregon’s first-year head coach.

For the second time in three days, Taggart dodged questions about those rumors amid discussing Oregon’s selection to the Las Vegas Bowl. He said plenty around the Ducks’ first bowl berth after missing out on one last year, but stuck to giving non-answers when pressed on his coaching situation.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Taggart said when asked whether he would be Oregon’s coach for the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 16, the same answer he gave on Friday when asked if he would be Oregon’s coach next season. “Nothing has changed.”

Taggart was pressed further, being asked about fans’ concern that he’s not giving a yes or no answer.

“I can’t give you something that I don’t have,” Taggart said. “I can’t even tweet anymore without it being something else.”

Taggart was referencing his tweet on Saturday that raised more questions than answers regarding the situation.

The uncertainty even caused a four-star recruit pulled his verbal commitment from Oregon on Saturday. Taggart was asked about this as well, if there’s any rush to make a decision to ease the minds of worried fans and recruits. Taggart elected to punt on that question, too.

“There’s no decision to be made. What are we talking about?” He said. “I’m clear in talking to our recruits and our players. Make it no bigger than what it is.”

A reporter also asked Taggart what he tells recruits with this level of uncertainty surrounding him and the program. Specifically, if this situation muddies the waters when he’s speaking with recruits.

“It don’t when you tell them the truth,” Taggart said. “It’s really not that hard or complicated. You just tell them the truth like I tell you guys the truth; you ask a question, I answer it for you. I probably don’t answer it the way you want me to, but I answer the question. You just be open and honest with them. That’s what I’ve been saying the whole time.”

Bowl Preparation

When he wasn’t dodging coaching questions, Taggart gave some insight Oregon’s approach for the Las Vegas Bowl.

He said the team will not practice this week since the players have finals. Taggart and his staff will hit the road to recruit instead. Taggart also said that he hasn’t talked with Royce Freeman or any other potential Duck NFL prospects about sitting out of the Las Vegas Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft.

The Las Vegas Bowl also forces Oregon to reschedule one of its biggest scheduled recruiting weekends. The Ducks were set to host all of their recruits and top targets on Dec. 15 but will have to reschedule with the Las Vegas Bowl slated for Dec. 16.

Watch Sunday’s press conference in its entirety here.

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

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Oregon needed a strong performance to bounce back from its disappointing showing at the PK80 Invitational over the past weekend. The Ducks didn’t play well in any of their three games facing stronger competition for the first time this season but took the experience to learn and mature.

The Ducks figured to take those lesson into the rest of their non-conference schedule, starting with Boise State on Friday night.

But Boise State’s Lexus Williams had other plans in mind.

His one-handed halfcourt runner found nothing but net as time expired to lift the Broncos (7-1) over the Ducks, 73-70 on Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena. The loss puts another dent into Oregon’s (5-3) young season, and it brings the Ducks’ nation-leading 46-game home-winning streak to an end.

“To lose a game like that, for this team, it felt like we needed this win,” forward Paul White said. “For us to lose in that fashion, it hurts.”

White finished with nine points in 22 minutes before fouling out with 55 seconds left in in the game.

The game appeared to be going to overtime when Payton Pritchard drove coast-to-coast and banked in a layup with 3.1 seconds remaining to tie the game at 70.  But then Williams received the final inbound on the left side of the court, took two dribbles, cut inside, took one more dribble and hoisted from the middle of the ‘O’ at center court.

Swish.

The frenetic Matthew Knight Arena crowd groaned in agony, almost drowning out the sounds of the lingering buzzer, as the Broncos buried Williams in a dog pile while the Ducks walked off the court in disbelief.

Boise State stunner!

A buzzer-beater ends Oregon’s 46-game homecourt winning streak, which was the longest in the nation. #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/EcP8VoTtr8

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 2, 2017

“[That ending is] Something I’m going to remember because I could’ve stayed with him,” Pritchard said. “I mean, yeah, I knew it was going in right when he shot it.”

Williams’ shot ended a back-and-forth game that saw 15 lead changes, nine in the second half alone. With 9:23 left in the game, Oregon held a seven-point lead. But Boise State charged back with a 16-2 run to jump ahead 64-58.

Oregon began to claw its way back. An Elijah Brown three with 2:07 left made it 67-66 and sparked the Matthew Knight Arena crowd back to life. The 7,688 in attendance stayed on their feet for the rest of the game.

A minute later, Brown sunk two free throws to give Oregon what would be its last lead of the game at 68-67. The game reached a break-neck pace in the closing minutes as both teams fought tooth and nail to gain an advantage. Oregon had three chances on its second-to-last possession, with the game tied at 68, to take the lead but Roman Sorkin’s three missed, as did both of Keith Smith’s rushed putbacks.

In the madness, Sorkin fouled Boise State’s Chris Sengfelder who hit both of his free throws to put the Broncos up 70-68 with seven seconds left. Pritchard answered with his coast-to-coast layup, and Williams responded with his 47-foot prayer.

“Not much you can really do, I guess, from halfcourt,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard finished with a game-high 28 points. Brown had 17 and MiKyle McIntosh added 8 before fouling out with 6:40 left in the game.

For a team not playing its best early in the season, this loss hurt a little extra for the Ducks. They’ll have a week to regroup before they host Colorado State on Dec. 8 at Matthew Knight Arena.

“We gotta be men about this situation,” White said. “We gotta take this punch in the chin and move on.”

Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris

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