For the first time in his career, Oregon’s Dillon Brooks tabbed Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. Brooks, who recently helped No. 16 Oregon sweep the Arizona schools for just the third time in school history, received the nod from media members who cover the league.

In the past two games, Brooks has averaged 21.0 points on 50 percent shooting (15-of-30) as the Ducks became the first school in four years to sweep Arizona and Arizona State. Additionally, Brooks played a major role in snapping the Wildcats’ 49-game winning streak at the McKale Center, the longest active in the nation.

Against Arizona, Brooks dropped a game-high 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting en route to a 83-75 win last Thursday. On Sunday, against Arizona State, Brooks followed up with 18 points and six rebounds in a 91-74 blowout win.

Currently, Brooks leads the Oregon with 16.6 points per game, which is good for fifth in the Pac-12.

Next up for the Ducks is another tough test against Utah (17-5, 6-3) on Thursday, Feb. 4 (6 p.m. PT, FS1 and Colorado (17-5, 6-3) on Sunday, Feb. 6 (1 p.m. PT, ESPN2).

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The No. 23 ranked Oregon men’s basketball team will attempt to do what few teams have in the past couple years Thursday: knock off Arizona at the McKale Center. The No. 18 ranked Wildcats, despite coming off a 74-73 loss at California, are riding a 49-game home winning streak. For those keeping tabs, that’s the longest home winning streak in the country.

“It’s a big game, crazy atmosphere,” Elgin Cook said. “I’m confident in our team. We don’t really care about their winning streak.”

Airing on ESPN 2 at 6 p.m., this matchup is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated conference games of the season. Arizona may be the top ranked Pac-12 team nationally, but Oregon will head into this game on top of the conference standings.

As of late, the Ducks have struggled mightily against Sean Miller’s powerhouse program. To be exact, they’ve lost the last three games by an average of 26.6 points. Additionally, Oregon was held to 38.5 percent shooting and lost the rebounding battle by 14.7 on average.

“We didn’t rebound with them, their strength inside really hurt us,” Dana Altman said about last year’s struggles against Arizona. “We had a good three-year stretch against them, but they sure got us last year.”

If the Ducks want to escape Tucson with a win, they’re going to have to minimize second chance points and limit the veteran trio of Gabe York (13.9 PPG), Ryan Anderson (14.9 PPG) and Kaleb Tarczewski (10.7 PPG) as much as they can.

Fortunately for Altman and his players, Arizona’s second-leading scorer Allonzo Trier (14.8 PPG), who is ailing a broken hand suffered against USC two weeks ago, will be indefinitely out for this game.

“We just have to continue to do what’s been working,” Casey Benson said. “Outwork our opponents, rebound, defend has been what’s getting us victories. As long as we keep rebounding and defending, we’ll be right there in the end.”

While Oregon is just 1-4 on the road this season, its current level of play is starting to reflect a team that may be close to peaking. Since its conference opening road loss to Oregon State, the Ducks have rallied to a 5-1 record.

“It’s better to peak now, so it can last for a longer time,” Dillon Brooks said. “We got second in the Pac-12 last year and we peaked a lot later. Our time will come.”

In the last four games, Oregon has averaged 84.8 points, shot 50.6 percent, and 44.3 from 3-point range. Brooks has led the team with 20.3 points on 53.8 percent shooting and is 7-of-16 from long range. Chris Boucher has added 17.0 points on 68.4 percent shooting.

The Ducks are going to need both of them to continue their hot streaks tonight if they want a chance to remain atop of the standings and end the nation’s longest home winning streak.

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— Tomorrow night, recently ranked No. 23 Oregon men’s basketball will travel to Tucson to face No. 18 Arizona. Despite dropping to Cal 74-73 in their last game, the Wildcats are riding a 49-game home winning streak. According to Emerald sports reporter Ryan Kostecka, “to become a legitimate contender,” Oregon is “going to have to win on the road in hostile environments, starting with Thursday’s game at Arizona.”

— The Oregon softball team, which will soon break in its brand new stadium, will start the new year ranked No. 4 in the preseason USA Softball top-25 poll. The Ducks, who have won three straight Pac-12 championships, received 428 points to come in at No. 4, just behind LSU with 446 votes in third in the USA Softball poll. The reigning champion Gators came in at the top spot, followed by Michigan.

— The Oregonian’s Tyson Alger writes about graduate-transfer Dylan Ennis and his impact on the sidelines. “Ennis won’t have an impact on the floor this year for No. 23 Oregon, but the Ducks can’t keep him out of the gym.”

— Jillian Alleyne was named Pac-12 Player of the Week after helping lead the Oregon women’s basketball team to its first road sweep since 2009.

— Emerald sports reporter Kenny Jacoby believes that Oregon baseball head coach George Horton could be on the hot seat if team doesn’t meet expectations.

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Early in December 2015, the Oregon men’s basketball team traveled to Las Vegas to face a talented University of Nevada Las Vegas team at the MGM Grand Hotel. It was the first road game of the year.  

Midway through the second half, the Ducks were fighting to get back into the game.

With 9:52 left on the clock, Oregon freshman guard Tyler Dorsey leapt for a routine rebound. The result was a gruesome and awkward landing on his left knee.

Head coach Dana Altman immediately rushed to the floor expecting the worst: a season-ending injury. Dorsey, who had played only six games with the Ducks, was understandably speechless.

In the stands were Dorsey’s parents, Jerrid and Samia Dorsey. Before they could get to the floor, Tyler was rushed to the locker room for further evaluation.

His mom was one of the first people he saw.

Tyler had one question when she entered.

“What is the score of the game?”

Once the injury was deemed a minor knee sprain, Tyler was back on the Oregon bench next to Altman. Before five minutes had gone off the clock, Tyler re-entered the game.

“He’s always been like that competitor-wise, teammate-wise and most people don’t know that,” Jerrid said.

Tyler is currently averaging 13.8 points on 47 percent shooting this season, making him one of the most efficient freshmen guards in the Pac-12 and the country. From beyond the three-point line, he’s shooting 45 percent, ranking him fifth-best in the conference.

On the court, Dorsey, who will have an opportunity to declare for next year’s NBA draft, is relaxed, measured, quiet and — most importantly — coachable. Mature beyond his years, he’s a fundamentally sound guard who doesn’t try to be any flashier than he needs to be, even if those most familiar with his game would like to see him be more assertive.

Look no further than his experience with the U19 Greek National team this past summer, where Dorsey managed to lead the team in points and minutes, despite coming off the bench.

“It was an eye-opening experience for him about how there’s a whole other world of basketball out there,” CBS sports college basketball analyst Doug Gotlieb said.

For a player who’s been regarded as a success at all levels of the game, it’s Dorsey’s selfless approach to the game that separates him from other top-tier, NBA-bound players.

(Gina Mills/Emerald)

All of his life, Dorsey has been a winner. Ranked the nation’s top player in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grade, the 6-foot-5 Southern California-bred prodigy has always positioned himself for the spotlight.

A month after his 19th birthday, Dorsey, a senior transfer, led Maranatha High School to its first 2015 California Interscholastic Federation Division 4A title in his hometown of Pasadena, California.

Dorsey, who went on to win Gatorade State Player of the Year, delivered a modest 25 points — he was averaging 34.3 on the season — that historic Friday night.

If there was a time for Dorsey to pump his chest out and soak in the limelight, this was it. Instead, the high school senior embraced his team, not making the moment any bigger than it needed to be. He spent the next day playing video games with his friends.

“The new guy, big man on campus — he could have big-timed everybody, and he didn’t,” Maranatha head coach Tim Tucker said. “He had just won a state championship the year before. [But] the demeanor never changed.”

Constantly in the gym perfecting his game and searching for competition against older players – many of whom have gone on to the NBA and major Division I programs – it didn’t take long for Dorsey to surface as a top-tier prospect. He was offered a scholarship from Arizona before he reached ninth grade.

NBA trainer Joe Abunassar of Impact Basketball, who has trained greats like Kevin Garnett points out that for kids around that age, “you just never know.” But, with Dorsey, “he was always one of those guys that was a little bit different, little bit better, more advanced and definitely had a good chance to be a very good player.”

Combining his raw talent and relentless work ethic with a rare sense of humility that stems from a supportive family, there was little doubt that Dorsey was bound for primetime basketball.

“The reason why Tyler is the way he is is because of his parents,” Abunassar said. “They have a different perspective on things, always able to keep him grounded. They didn’t get caught up in the hype.”

Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey gets ready to attack the basket. The Oregon Ducks play the UCLA Bruins at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon on January 23, 2016. (Kyle Sandler/Emerald)

***

Dorsey’s true test of character can be shown through his many playing years under the Amatuear Athletic Union umbrella, a non-professional national organization where aspiring players under 19 can showcase their talents.

But, sometimes, those involved succumb to being overwhelmed and manipulated by the outside distractions that exist in today’s endorsement-driven, coach-controlled sub culture.

“They begin to ‘expect’ favors especially with the nature of AAU basketball, with the commercialization of the shoe companies … constantly giving away free gear and treating elite players as if they have ‘already made it,’ ” NBA trainer Siddarth Sharma said.

It’s what’s led to recent scandals like former Kansas star and current Sacramento Kings player Ben McLemore “receiving thousands of dollars in cash” in 2013 and nationwide investigations that have attempted to unveil what a 2011 SB Nation article labeled as the “cesspool for corruption and deceit and conflicts of interest,” referring to the AAU.

Dorsey and his family managed to avoid these temptations.

“They’ve done it the right way,” Oregon assistant coach Tony Stubblefield said. “A lot of guys get caught up in the system. They did everything to protect him to not fall into those traps.”

***

Oregon Ducks guard Tyler Dorsey (5) looks for an open teammate during the Oregon Ducks game against the Stanford Cardinal at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. on Jan. 10, 2016. (Taylor Wilder/Emerald)

Just like when he was a senior in high school, Dorsey is once again a newcomer on his team. This time, he’ll be aiming to help Oregon win the Pac-12 championship, and ultimately, make a deep postseason run in March. Similarly, he’ll be looking to help his team in any way, regardless of his individual accolades.

Next month, Dorsey will turn 20, about a year after he led Maranatha to its first CIF championship.

“Tyler has always been able to see the big picture,” Abunassar said. “It was always about getting better, developing and playing against the best.”

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Coming off a split against Utah (77-59 win) and Colorado (87-91 loss) on the road, the Oregon men’s basketball team (14-4, 3-2 Pac-12), which currently stands in a four-way tie for second in the conference, prepares for another difficult test against visiting No. 21 ranked USC (15-3, 4-1) and UCLA (11-7, 2-3) this weekend.

The Trojans, who have been the biggest surprise so far out of the Pac-12 – projected to finish 10^th in the conference by the media before the season – is coming off of an 89-75 win over the Bruins.

“They’re a really confident bunch right now,” Dillon Brooks said. “They’re on top of the Pac-12 right now.”

“The way they’re playing right now, they’re pretty dangerous,” Tyler Dorsey added. “They have a lot of confidence coming in, so we got to be ready.”

The Bruins, despite having struggled as of late, are far from being a pushover. They possess wins upsets former No. 1 Kentucky (87-77) and No. 7 ranked Arizona (87-84) earlier this season.

“If we look down (on them), they can easily beat you,” Brooks said.

Both teams possess NBA ready prospects like Jordan McLaughlin (13.5 points, 5.1 assists), Bryce Alford (16.9 points, 5.2 assists) and Tony Parker (13.8 points, 10.1 rebounds).

To combat that, Oregon will be looking to ride Brooks’ recent hot streak. Just in the last two games, Brooks, who was exploiting opposing defenders with his improved mid-range jumper, is averaging 21 points and six rebounds on 66 percent shooting. A lot of his improvement can be reverted back to a successful offseason of cutting weight, eating better, and ultimately, gaining more endurance and confidence.

“I knew I always had it,” Brooks said. “I play a lot more minutes (now with the physical improvements). With hydration and new diet, it gives me more energy and more enthusiasm to play the game. It gives me more confidence, too.”

“He’s played well, he’s played hard,” Altman said. “He’s playing at a real high level right now.”

Facing USC this Thursday night and UCLA early Saturday afternoon, the biggest obstacle for Oregon will be having to manage such a quick turnaround against two quality opponents. Fortunately for the Ducks, they’ll at least be at home.

“You just kind of go with it,” Altman said referring to the unforgiving nature of scheduling. “Just got to play with what they schedule you. We’ve had two to three days in between most of our games to get into a routine and now we get the one day. I guess we should look at it as a positive that CBS wants us on Saturday, but it does make it a tough turnaround.”

After a dominating performance against the Utes, Altman was disappointed with how his team followed up against the Buffaloes. Both are notoriously difficult venues to play at, but there was no excuse for how Oregon faired on the boards and on the defensive end. The high scoring shootout was ultimately decided by some fortunate bounces in the Buffaloes’ favor late in the game, but Altman simply pointed to the 26 second chance points given up as the bottom line.

“Disappointed,” Altman said. “Didn’t guard and we didn’t rebound. A lot of that was Colorado. The rebounding was probably the biggest thing. That was a killer.”

Oregon has yet to give up a game at home this season. These next two opponents will be looking to give the Ducks a run for their money.

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The post Oregon prepares for a quick turnaround against USC and UCLA appeared first on Emerald Media.

With nine teams rated inside ESPN’s RPI top 50 – Oregon (11), USC (19), Utah (22), Oregon State (30), Colorado (33), Arizona (34), Arizona State (39), California (42), UCLA (44) – the Pac-12 boasts one of the best top-to-bottom conferences in college basketball. No wins come easy in the Pac-12 and it’s already been proven with a handful of interconference upsets.

Under these circumstances, road games have become that much more difficult and important for postseason hopefuls like Oregon. All three of Oregon’s losses this season have been suffered on the road.

“They’re all tough this year,” said head coach Dana Altman. “All the teams are playing well at home. Kind of speaks to the history of college basketball. It’s always been a home court sport.”

Oregon will start a two-game road trip at Utah and Colorado Thursday. This back-to-back in the mountains is notoriously considered to be one of the hardest road tests of the year for any Pac-12 school. The higher elevation and rowdy environments have established a reputation among league teams.

“These two (environments) will be really good, you got to protect home court,” Altman said. “I’m sure it will be pretty lively at both spots.”

“It’s going to be a real hostile atmosphere,” Elgin Cook said. “Obviously, we haven’t been doing a good job getting ourselves prepared for road games, so we just want to focus on the game.”

Both teams feature highly touted, veteran big men. Jakob Poeltl (17.0 points, 9.4 rebounds) and Josh Scott (17.4 points, 9.6 rebounds) anchor an already stout, depth-heavy frontcourt that have a reputation for being unforgiving on the glass.

No different from recent games against California and Stanford, rebounding will once again be a key factor in Altman’s game plan. Oregon currently ranks ninth in the Pac-12 in rebounding per game (37.3).

“That’s really going to be important on this road swing,” Altman said. “Both Utah and Colorado, just like Cal are three of the better rebounding teams in the league.”

Drawing from Oregon’s mid-season sample size, sustaining effort and energy for all 40 minutes will be the bottom line for this weekend. While this team has recently strung together two quality wins against the Northern California schools the players and coaches continue to preach better consistency in these areas.

“We look at the film on the losses on the road: we didn’t bring the effort,” Tyler Dorsey said. “We can’t start out slow. Because we’re on the road, we can’t dig ourselves in a hole and that’s going to be emphasize heading into Utah and Colorado.”

With Pac-12 play now in full swing, the intensity and pressure for every game will only continue to intensify, especially for the road team.

Said Altman: “The history right now – the two, three years we’ve been in the league – the road teams have really struggled, so anybody that gets a road win, it’s a big deal.”

Oregon opened the conference schedule with a loss on the road at Oregon State. Now, they’ll have another opportunity to prove they can indeed get wins away from home.

“We need to win on the road,” Dorsey said. “Every road game is going to be tough. If we can win on the road, we’ll be successful.”

Against Utah, tipoff is scheduled for a 7 p.m. (PST) start, while Colorado will start at 4 p.m. (PST). Both will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.

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Like every coach before a new season, Dana Altman had an ideal vision for his team: The new guys would fit in with returners, and both would step up in place of reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year, Joseph Young. In addition, this group would make another run in March.

At the center of this vision was Villanova graduate transfer Dylan Ennis, a recognized veteran who averaged 9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season.

“He’s that way by nature, he doesn’t have to manufacture it,” Altman said earlier this season about Ennis’ leadership qualities. “He’s a natural leader, he likes it.”

The team was heartbroken when its presumed leader was ruled out for the season after re-injuring his left foot.

Before Ennis was officially out of the picture — he made his return in limited minutes against Western Oregon and Oregon State — Altman was confident that his fifth-year senior was ready to lead. Even now, Altman laments the fact that Ennis won’t be able to be as much of a leader for this team, noting his impressive offseason work ethic prior to taking classes.

If everything had gone according to plan, Ennis would have played heavy minutes, been the leader Altman saw from the get-go and brought a veteran presence that could have proved its value later in the postseason.

There’s really no other way to put it: Ennis’ season ending injury has forced Altman to look elsewhere for consistent leadership.

“Some of the other guys aren’t afraid to lead, but they’re just not as vocal,” Altman said. “That takes some time. Some guys got to step up and it carries a big deal of responsibility with it. It takes a lot of courage and it also takes a lot of accountability.”

Because of the injury, an opportunity has risen for an Oregon team that still has the talent and depth to veer back onto the path that Altman set forth at the beginning of the season. It’s an opportunity that can only be accomplished if Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey surface as young, consistent and vocal leaders by the end of the season.

“Losing Ennis for the season is pretty tough,” Dorsey said. “But as a team, players got to step up.”

Currently, the duo leads the team in points — Brooks (15.2), Dorsey (14.6) — and has been Altman’s most consistent offensive option outside of junior college transfer Chris Boucher. Boucher has provided 12.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as Oregon’s best post player. While Elgin Cook has been with the program the longest and is looked to as one of the veteran leaders — he’s averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds — Brooks and Dorsey have quickly emerged as the faces of this team.

Since Altman arrived, the make up of the Oregon program has been straightforward, relying on transfers and memorable individuals like Young to head the program. It’s been the reason the program has experienced five straight 20-plus win seasons and three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Had Ennis remained healthy, 2016 would have been no different.

Now the focus has shifted towards two underclassmen who have already led Oregon to a 13-3 (2-1 Pac-12) record. Fortunately for Oregon, it’s a position that both Brooks and Dorsey are familiar with — Brooks stepping up in last year’s NCAA tournament, Dorsey leading the Greek National team in points and minutes this past summer at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship.

With Ennis on the sidelines, it leaves the door wide open for these two to further mature as leaders and develop as players.

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Like countless others across the country, the Oregon men’s basketball team circled around a TV Monday night and watched the season’s best college game this season. No. 1 Kansas downed No. 2 Oklahoma 109-106 in triple overtime. Some of the nation’s best – Buddy Hield (career-high 46 points), Perry Ellis (27), Wayne Selden (21) – went head-to-head in a matchup that featured superb guard play, gritty team defense, and most impressively, 55 minutes of non-stop action.

“One of the best college basketball games I’ve seen in a long time,” Dana Altman said. “Wow, was that a game.”

All throughout the game, the Ducks kept a live thread of text messages on a group chat filled with their thoughts and impressions about the two top tier teams. At Tuesday’s practice, the game was all they could talk about.

“There was enthusiasm and effort there, especially for almost three halves,” Dillon Brooks said. “Everybody was watching and on the group chat. (We were all saying) this game could translate to our game: having more enthusiasm for the game, defensive stops and just going out there trying to win games.”

Just before practice began, Ducks assistant coach Tony Stubblefield grabbed Tyler Dorsey and asked: “Did you see how hard their guards played?”

For Altman and his players, who are fresh off a 70-57  loss to Oregon State, Monday night’s heavyweight fight was a stark reminder about how the game should be played: with passion, heart, energy and clean execution on both sides of the ball — exactly what was missing for Oregon as it got outhustled, outplayed and out-executed Sunday in front of a packed Gill Coliseum.

“Some of us thought it was going to be an easy game, but they came out with a different passion for the game and we couldn’t match that,” Brooks said. “They had a sold out crowd and we weren’t ready for that.”

Oregon prepares for a talent stacked California team that features three potential NBA first round picks – Ivan Rabb (12.4 PPG), Jaylen Brown (14.3 PPG) and Jabari Bird (8.7 PPG). Cal is coming off an impressive 71-58 win over formerly No. 21 ranked Utah.

The matchup comes at a time in which the Ducks are still looking for the answer to a key question: Can this team find its vocal leader and fulfill its potential before it’s too late?

“Dylan Ennis is our biggest candidate (to be our vocal leader), he’s that way by nature,” Altman said. “Some of the other guys aren’t afraid to lead, but they’re just not as vocal. That takes some time.”

In each of its three losses against Boise State, UNLV and Oregon State – all on the road – Oregon has lacked energy, fight, execution or all three combined. It’s been a big disappointment for Altman who has high hopes for this team. Whether it is a lack of consistent attention to detail or unwillingness to bring their full effort against less talented opponents, there is no debating that Oregon has underachieved its own expectations through its first 14 games.

“We’re struggling having effort and enthusiasm for the game,” Brooks said.

Altman can only hope his team figures things out.

“We’ve got competitors on the team,” Altman said. “Guys who have been with us, I know they’re competitive (and) I think the news guy are (too). We’ve got a group that fought some adversity in years past, so I think they’ll do just that. (I’d be) really disappointed if they don’t.”

To be fair, injuries have handcuffed this team’s chemistry building process early on, but now, with Jordan Bell and Ennis back on the floor, there aren’t any excuses left. Three losses midway through the season isn’t the end of the world,  but if Oregon can’t fix its glaring deficiencies – outside shooting, turnovers and lack of a consistent vocal leader – the L’s will start to pile on quickly.

“I’ve been disappointed,” Altman said. “Heck, I’m disappointed in myself. We just got to pick it up and get everybody on the same page.”

Wednesday night, Oregon will return home with the good fortunes of health and to a crowd that wants to see them prove they are worthy of a top 25 ranking. It may not be as thrilling as the Jayhawks and Sooners, but will be another opportunity for Oregon to get closer to establishing its identity.

Notes: Freshman Trevor Manuel recently requested permission to transfer from the program. Altman said he reached out to Manuel this morning, but hasn’t heard back.

“I haven’t talked with him, so I don’t know what his stance is today,” Altman said. “But yeah, I think he’s going to transfer. The door is always open. I don’t want him to leave, obviously. I think he’s got a lot of upside.”

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Oregon (11-3, 0-1 Pac-12) was understandably at a loss for words following its 70-57 Pac-12 opening loss to Oregon State (10-1, 1-0).

Head coach Dana Altman pointed the finger at the Beavers’ 31 points off turnovers and second chance points. Sophomore Dillon Brooks (13 points) felt like the team played too selfishly.

Both would agree that the Ducks just didn’t show up to play in any facet of the game. The Beavers held the advantage on rebounds (37-32), turnover department (8-12) and overall field goal percentage (44.4 percent-35.8 percent).

All things considered, Oregon just didn’t deserve to win this game.

“It was all about competing,” Brooks said. “Oregon State outcompeted us and we were just sitting down, laying down. That’s not Oregon basketball.”

As usual, Gill Coliseum, which sold out for the first Civil War matchup of the year, was deafening. The sea of orange and black was especially riled up to remind its in-state rivals about Oregon football’s heartbreaking collapse in triple overtime to TCU in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

Before the game started, a wave of “We want Lockie” chants flooded the airwaves, setting an unwelcoming tone for the rest of the evening.

Neither Brooks nor Altman used these distractions as an excuse.

“It was a great atmosphere and I just can’t wait to get them back at our house,” Brooks said.

Oregon dug itself in a hole before the game really got going. Going 6-of-21 from the floor in the first half, the Ducks were forced to play catch up.

Still, Oregon had its chances to come back.

At the 14:17 mark in the second half, a Chris Boucher tip-in cut the Beavers’ steady lead to single digits. If there was any moment that Oregon was going to get back into this game, this was it.

But what ensued was a game changing, jaw dropping, one-handed transition Gary Payton (12 points, six rebounds, six assists) slam that immediately squashed Oregon’s gaining momentum. Elgin Cook would answer, but Tres Tinkle’s (19 points) alley-oop to Drew Eubanks on the other end proved it wasn’t going to be Oregon’s night.

Whether it is the lack of a leader — Brooks and Tyler Dorsey combined for 23 points on 6-of-19 shooting — or consistent outside shooting — the team went 7-for-25 tonight, Oregon has some pressing questions to answer in these coming days.

“Leadership is a part of it, absolutely,” Altman said.

Pac-12 play has started and it’s not going to slow down for anyone. And with a talent stacked California team (12-3, 2-0) that is coming off a 71-58 win over then-No. 21 Utah (11-4, 0-2) coming to Eugene on Wednesday, Altman can only hope his team gets it together. The most crucial part of the season has arrived for unranked Oregon. It’s time to find out what this team is truly made of.

“We don’t focus on a lot of things. That’s been a concern for a long time, ” Altman said. “I keep talking about us making more progress and [I’m] disappointed, obviously, with the progress we made this last week. That wasn’t good a effort on our part.”

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Tonight, Oregon will wrap up its non-conference schedule against Western Oregon. Then, next Sunday, it will open Pac-12 play in Corvallis against Gary Payton II (16.5 points per game) and in-state rival Oregon State.

“The intensity there will be pretty good,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said.

Most importantly though, Villanova graduate transfer Dylan Ennis will finally make his return to the hardwood after missing the first 12 games with an injured foot. Altman confirmed on the weekly Pac-12 teleconference call that Ennis will indeed make his season debut tonight, but will be eased in slowly for the next couple weeks.

“He’s been out for eight weeks, so we will bring him (back) very slowly,” Altman said. “He has practiced the last couple days — not full go — but in and out of drills, so we would anticipate that he plays a few minutes tonight. But we definitely will not play him a lot here for the first couple weeks until he gets his conditioning back, gets a little bit of the rust off.”

Despite boasting a 10-2 record so far — with losses to UNLV and Boise State on the road — Altman still believes this team has a lot more to show regarding its talent and potential.

Injuries have limited, and to an extent, plagued this team for the first half of the season, but it hasn’t been used as a crutch. Altman has always preached improving in every facet of the game and that is exactly what he intends to see from his team moving forward, especially with a fully healthy roster.

“We haven’t progressed as quickly as we would like,” Altman said. “We’ve had a lot of different combinations and guys playing a lot of different positions. As a whole we’ve made progress. I still think there is a lot this team can accomplish and we can get a heck of a lot better. It’s a work in progress. I like the direction we’re headed in, but we got a long ways to go.”

With Ennis back in the rotation, Oregon won’t have anything more setting them back. Newcomers Tyler Dorsey (14.0 points per game) and Chris Boucher (11.9 points per game) have, in the meantime, filled the voids of injury very nicely, but there is little doubt this team has been itching to take the next step with conference play in sight.

“The players sense that the next 18 games are something a little different,” Altman said. “The crowds are a little different. It will be a grind. This conference is very balanced: a lot of solid teams trying to get better. I think it will be a very competitive, very intense conference season.”

Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim