With four minutes left in the game Saturday night, the Oregon student section was already chanting “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” urging Oregon head coach Dana Altman to sub in Duck walk-on guard Charlie Noeble.

It was that kind of game for Oregon as the Ducks cruised to an 85-43 win over the Oregon State Beavers in the 347th iteration of the Civil War. The win brought Oregon to 5-0 in Pac-12 play, while the Beavers dropped to 0-5 in the conference standings.

There were plenty of individual plays and numbers for Oregon fans to gush over: the margin of victory was the largest ever for the Ducks in a Civil War contest.

Jordan Bell recorded two blocks early in the first half, adding to his two massive dunks that didn’t technically count, which put the Matthew Knight Arena crowd of 12,364 in a frenzy.

Payton Pritchard shot 4-4 from 3-point range and finished with a team-best 17 points to add to what has already been a stellar freshman campaign.

But the stat that best illustrated why Oregon was so successful Saturday night was was 23; the amount of assists Oregon finished with. The Ducks assisted on 85 percent of their 27 field goals, including every one of their 11 3-pointers.

Oregon finished with just 11 turnovers and ended with an assist-to-turnover ratio that was better then 3/2 for the fourth consecutive game. The Ducks finished with more assists than the Beavers did total field goals.

All of the numbers add up to a bigger picture: Oregon’s ball improvement has improved tremendously since the Ducks’ non-conference slate, and as a result, they have become the offensive juggernaut many believed they could be at the start of the year.

“A lot of us are new, so a lot of us are still learning to play with each other,” Pritchard said. “Me and Dylan [Ennis] didn’t play last year, so obviously a lot of us didn’t know how to play with each other. So we’re just getting into the groove and we’re still making strides.”

Oregon’s current status as the conference leader in assist-to-turnover ratio is a far cry from where the Ducks were earlier in the preseason. After a 68-63 Oregon win over Boise State on Nov. 28, Oregon head coach Dana Altman said his team ‘looked bad’ and stated the Ducks were over-dribbling and trying to do too much in a game in which they finished with 15 turnovers to eight assists.

The Oregon squad that took the court on Saturday looks like an entirely different team.

Opponents stacked the key with loose zone defenses and dared the Ducks to shoot 3-pointers early in the year, and the strategy worked. Oregon struggled from long-range during many of its non-conference games, and the Ducks’ guards overcompensated by trying to force drives to the basket.

Now, the isolation play is all but gone, and Oregon has the second-most assists in the Pac-12 during conference play.

“I think Dillon Brooks has a lot to do with it,” Altman said. “Dillon had five assists. … I think he got us started right by giving it up a couple of times. He was really good in the open court and he finished three baskets where they fouled him before he got there.”

“Dillon got us started pretty good by moving the ball and I think that’s contagious. Once somebody gets it going, guys really take pride in making plays for their teammates.”

The Ducks lead the Pac-12 with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, and Pritchard (3.8) and Ennis (3.4) each rank in the top three in the conference individually in that category.

With Oregon’s ball-handlers now clicking with the rest of the offense, and Brooks shredding zone defenses through the middle, Oregon has gone from the conference’s worst team at moving the ball to its best.

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—Oregon football announced on Wednesday that it has hired Irele Oderinde as its strength and conditioning coach. Oderinde previously worked under Duck head coach Willie Taggart at South Floirda, and previously worked as a strength and conditioning coach at Western Kentucky, Notre Dame, West Virginia and South Carolina. Former UO strength and conditioning coach Jim Radcliffe will remain working as a strength and conditioning coach for all the Oregon athletic programs.

— Oregon wide receiver Jalen Brown, who was a breakout player for the Ducks last fall, announced via Instagram that he will transfer from the program. Brown finished the 2016 season with 19 catches for 318 yards and will leave the program as a graduate transfer.

— Megan Tinder, a guard for the Oregon women’s basketball team, suffered her second ACL tear in as many years during the Ducks’ Thursday practice and will miss the remainder of the season.  Tinder averaged 3.1 points this season and will be eligible to play her senior season should she choose to do so.

— The University of Oregon athletic department’s media policies are being reviewed by Oregon vice president and general counsel Kevin Reed, the Register Guard’s Austin Meek reports. The investigation stems from an incident in November when Emerald reporters broke athletic department protocol to contact a player outside of normal UO media availability. Reed’s review is focused on whether the athletic department media protocol is consistent with best practices and the university’s own free-speech guidelines.

— Oregon women’s basketball freshman Ruthy Hebard is on pace for a record-setting season, writes the Emerald’s Shawn Meadow.

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Duck fans held their collective breath as Oregon forward Jordan Bell crumpled to the ground midway through the first half Wednesday evening after an apparent non-contact leg injury.

Bell has been arguably Oregon’s most consistent player this season  as several Oregon stars have been in and out of the lineup with injuries. After Bell left the game, though, the Ducks went on a 12-0 run to pull away from the Washington Huskies en route to a 83-61 victory to improve 14-2 on the year.

Oregon star Dillon Brooks scored just eight points in 18 minutes as he battled foul trouble, but Tyler Dorsey picked up the scoring slack for the Ducks as he finished with a game-high 28 points and shot 8-of-12 from 3-point range. Dorsey and Bell were the only Oregon players to score in double digits, and Bell finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Ducks carried a nine point lead into halftime, and Brooks was glued to the bench to start the second half after he picked up his third foul near the end of the first half. Washington cut the lead to three immediately to start the half, but the Ducks answered with a seven-point run and pushed their lead to 20 points with eight minutes left in regulation. Dorsey’s scoring total was one short of his season-high.

Bell told reporters after the game that he feared he had torn his ACL after he initially fell down, but be returned to the court before the end of the first half and played 18 minutes in the second half. He believes he will be able to play in Oregon’s next game against Washington State.

Bell said he'd see how leg responds next couple days but optimistic he can go vs WSU. Said injury was just above knee.

— Steve Mims (@SteveMims_RG) January 5, 2017

The Ducks held a Washington squad that was second in the conference in scoring average entering the night to just 61 points. Washington freshman guard Markelle Fultz, who will likely be selected in the top-5 of the upcoming NBA Draft, scored 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, but the rest of Washington’s players shot just 38 percent from the field.

On Saturday, the Ducks will travel to Pullman to face former Oregon head coach Ernie Kent and the 8-5 Washington State Cougars.

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Oregon head coach Willie Taggart received another crucial commitment Wednesday night as senior wide receiver Darren Carrington announced via his Instagram account that he will return for his senior year.

Carrington joins fellow Oregon juniors Royce Freeman and Tyrell Corsby as players who have announced their intent to return for the 2017 season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO3i1GShnPZ/

Carrington was considered to be one of the top targets of a deep receivers group for the Ducks entering the 2016 season, and was an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection following the 2015 season. He finished with 606 yards on 43 catches during the 2016 season and pulled down five touchdowns. His greatest contribution of the season came when he caught the game-winning pass in Oregon’s upset win over Utah on Nov. 19.

While Carrington was still one of Oregon’s top deep threats last year, his numbers dipped substantially and his drops went up following a breakout 2015 season. In 2016, Carrington averaged just 14.05 yards a catch, compared to the 19.03 he averaged per reception in seven games in 2015.

Carrington was also accused of pushing a man and breaking his arm during an October altercation outside of a Eugene bar. Carrington was investigated by police for the incident, but was never charged and the case is now closed.

Even after a down year, Carrington was projected by Bleacher Report analyst Matt Miller to be selected in the fifth round of the upcoming NFL Draft should he declare for the draft. He will join another deep group of Duck wideouts that includes Charles Nelson, Jalen Brown, Dillon Mitchell and Alex Ofodile.

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Hours before Oregon tipped off against No. 2 UCLA on Wednesday, Dillon Brooks was scrolling through his Twitter feed when a post from former Oregon star Aaron Brooks caught his eye.

The tweet featured a photo of McArthur Court from Jan. 7, 2007, the day Aaron Brooks hit a game-winning jumper to topple the No. 2 UCLA Bruins. It gave an upstart Oregon squad its signature win amid one of the greatest seasons in program history and was captioned: “Create a beautiful memory that will last a lifetime!”

Wednesday night, in front of the second-largest crowd in Matthew Knight Arena history, the younger Brooks created his own signature moment, drilling a game-winning 3-pointer to give No. 21 Oregon an 89-87 victory over the top-ranked Bruins.

The circumstances of both the Brooks’ game-winning shots were eerily similar. Just as Aaron Brooks’ winning shot sparked a dominant run by the 2006-07 Ducks, Dillon’s shot could do the same for a talented team that looks like it found just how good it can be on Wednesday.

“I saw that tweet, and I saw where Aaron Brooks hit a great shot,” Dillon Brooks said. “That resonated in my mind. If I had that chance, I wanted to do the same thing.”

Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) is tackled following his go-ahead basket. The No. 21 Oregon Ducks play the No. 2 UCLA Bruins at Mathew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. (Aaron Nelson/Emerald)

Oregon trailed by four with 24 seconds to go after leading by as much as 12 at during the first half. The Ducks were 2-of-14 from 3-point range during the first 19:36 of the second half. Badly needing a bucket, freshman point guard Payton Pritchard drilled a step-back three with 16 seconds left to cut the UCLA lead to 87-86.

The Bruins stayed composed and got the ball to Bryce Alford — an 87-percent free throw shooter — who drew a foul and went to the line for a 1-and-1 opportunity. Alford missed his first shot wide, and Brooks grabbed the rebound and dashed up the court with eight seconds to go. With the clock dwindling and any glimpse of a set play dissolving in front of him, Brooks pulled up from the three point line and drained the biggest shot of his life.

“(Brooks) had the option to go to the basket or shoot it, but he felt like he liked the shot — and he was right,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “Who am I to argue?”

Brooks, after missing the first three games of the year and struggling through many of Oregon’s early contests, delivered a breakout performance and carried the Ducks’ offense for much of the first half. He finished with 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He played sloppy at times during the second half, and missed four straight free throws at one point as the Bruins stretched their lead. Still, the player who will make or break Oregon’s season knew that if the ball found his hands on the last play, the shot was going up.

“Dillon likes those big moments,” Altman said. “Hit or miss, he’s willing to take the consequences. It’s just nice to see him healthy and enjoying the game.”

Oregon knew it needed to be near-perfect to top a UCLA team that was undefeated entering the night, and the Ducks played as well as they have all season in the first half. Oregon shot 54.3 percent from the field, and 7-of-14 from 3-point range as they beat the Bruins at their own high-tempo transition game in the first half.

The Ducks took their largest lead and scored their 49th point with three minutes left in the half. Oregon limited UCLA star guard Lonzo Ball to three points in his first 18 minutes, but Ball eventually caught fire and scored nine straight points on three 3-pointers in the second half.

Ball, who is a national Player of the Year candidate, finished with 14 points and six assists. He drew constant double teams and found TJ Leaf and Thomas Welsh often for wide-open opportunities. The duo of Bruin big men finished with a combined 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting. Bryce Alford finished with 20 points and shot 6-of-11 from 3-point range.

Pritchard ended with 15 points and nine assists, and Jordan Bell added 13 points and six offensive rebounds.

The Ducks are now 12-2 on the year and will take on another undefeated team, the No. 22 USC Trojans, at Matthew Knight Arena on Friday.

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**Update: Klinger confirmed Wednesday morning that Prevot remains under criminal investigation by UOPD.**

Former Oregon linebacker Torrodney Prevot has been suspended from the University of Oregon for two years, UO spokesman Tobin Klinger confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

According to Klinger, Prevot was found responsible for a “serious violation” of the student conduct code pertaining to domestic violence and gender-based harassment. As a result, Prevot will not be eligible to receive his degree until he serves the term of his suspension, Klinger said.

This information contradicts a tweet Prevot sent on Dec. 19 saying that he had earned his degree from UO and would now attempt to graduate transfer to another college to continue his football career.

Prevot, a senior, had been suspended indefinitely from the football team for a violation of the university and Department of Athletics codes of conduct on Aug. 26, prior to the start of the 2016 regular season. Then-head coach Mark Helfrich made the announcement the same day the Emerald reported that Prevot was under criminal investigation by Eugene Police and that the matter was referred to EPD’s Violent Crimes Unit. A former UO athlete had told the Emerald she filed a complaint to EPD alleging Prevot physically assaulted her twice earlier in the year.

When the Emerald first reported the story, Klinger was not able to provide details, citing the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. He said all allegations involving “dating violence” are handled through the Title IX Office.

EPD referred the investigation to University of Oregon Police, and on Dec. 16, a UOPD spokesman said the criminal investigation of Prevot was still open and active. UOPD could not immediately be reached to confirm whether the investigation of Prevot remains open.

Prevot missed the entire 2016 season while serving his team suspension. He was initially expected to have a significant role on the defense after playing all 13 games the previous season and starting the final five. A former four-star recruit, Prevot recorded 92 tackles in three seasons with the Ducks.

Prevot declined to comment on this story.

Ryan Kostecka contributed to this report.

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If Oregon was looking for a walkthrough in its last matchup before Pac-12 play, it certainly didn’t get it.

Oregon squandered a large second half lead Tuesday afternoon before finding its composure late to hold onto a 73-70 win over the Idaho Vandals at Matthew Knight Arena.

“I always give credit to the other team; those guys fight, man, they play hard,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said of the Vandals. “I’ve seen every game that they play. … They’ve been to three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Those kids know how to play. They know how to win.

“I thought we had really good looks — we just didn’t make them and we had a couple dumb turnovers.”

The Ducks led by as many as 17 points at 67-50 during the second half, but the Vandals tore off a 10-2 scoring run and pulled within six points with 3:42 left in regulation. Oregon answered back with two straight baskets to extended its lead to 10,. However, the Vandals answered back by drilling two consecutive jumpers and then stole a pass from Oti Gildon with just under a minute left that led to a layup to make it a one possession game at 73-70.

The Vandals then forced another stop, and had a chance to tie the game out of a timeout at halfcourt with two seconds left, but a 3-pointer at the buzzer came up short.

“I thought we did a good job,” Graves said of Oregon’s defense on the last possession of the game. “We told our kids ‘If (the Vandals) bounce it one time, then foul.’

“We had the right personnel out there, and that was obviously desperation there at the end, but that was our intention. … It was kind of a broken play.”

In a game that turned into a 3-point shooting contest at times, Oregon outshot the Vandals from behind the arc as the Ducks went 12-of-23 from downtown. After going just 1-of-11 in the first half, Idaho shot 6-of-15 in the second half form distance to claw its way back into the game.

Oregon starting point guard Sabrina Ionescu missed her second straight game with a broken thumb, but Justine Hall stepped up to help the Ducks.

Hall shot 4-of-5 from 3-point range and finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes.

“She has length, athleticism, she can put pressure defensively on people. … She’s just another weapon that we can use and its good to see her getting really comfortable out there and playing well,” Graves said.

Oregon guard Lexi Bando finished with a team-high 17 points and shot 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Bando is now shooting 51.5 percent from three this year — good for sixth best in the country. Maite Cazorla finished with a double-double for the Ducks and scored 14 points to go with 10 assists. It was a layup from Cazorla with 3:20 left in the game that stopped the Idaho’s scoring run and helped Oregon take control of the game.

“I think that we have some improving to do like always,” Hall said. “I think we can always get better and I think we get better every single day in practice. I think that we’re at a good place, but we just ned to continue to get better.”

Idaho sophomore Mikayla Ferenz and junior forward Geraldine McCorkell each finished with 23 of Idaho’s 70 points. They shot a combined 17-of-35 from the field.

Graves said the Ducks will now have six days off for the holidays, before returning to squeeze in four practices in preparation for No. 9 Washington Huskies at Matthew Knight Arena on Dec. 30.

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Oregon star forward Chris Boucher was ruled out of Saturday’s game prior to tipoff, and was seen wearing a walking boot during warmups as Oregon prepared to take on UNLV at the Moda Center in Portland.

His absence didn’t make much of a difference, though, as the No. 22 Ducks topped the Running Rebels 83-63  and improved to 10-2 on the year.

Oregon took an 11-2 lead to start the game, but the Running Rebels hung tough and trailed just 37-33 going into halftime after Tyrell Green drilled a three with three seconds left in the half. The Ducks pulled away early in the second half, though, as they went on a 16-2 run in the first 10 minutes of the half.

“Really early I loved the way we got out defensively, and our energy defensively,” Oregopn head coach Dana Altman told GoDucks.com after the game. “We kind of slacked off there at end of the half and they hit a few threes. I thought mixing up our defenses in the second half really helped us. And the rebounding difference (39-23) is something you really like to see as a coach.”

Dillon Brooks was inserted into the Ducks’ starting lineup for the first time this season and delivered his most-efficient performance of the year. Brooks finished with a team-high 20 points and added four rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes. Tyler Dorsey continued his hot shooting streak and finished with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and Jordan Bell scored a season-best 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.

“I think [Brooks] set the tone from the jump.,” Bell told GoDucks.com after the game. “You saw we started off with a lot of energy, and that’s what he does, brings a lot of energy. Having him back starting helped us out a lot. … Him being back playing like he was before he was hurt has helped us find our identity.”

Dylan Ennis shot just 3-of-10 from the field, but chipped in six rebounds and five assists. In Boucher’s absence, Kavelle Bigby-Williams played 16 minutes in a reserve role and scored seven points.

With 2:30 left in the second half, Oregon was able to lift its starters as it opened up an 81-59 lead, one of its largest of the year. UNLV was the 11th consecutive opponent that the Ducks have held below 70 points.

The Ducks will face Fresno State in Eugene on Dec. 20 in their final non-conference game before they begin Pac-12 play against UCLA on Dec. 28.

Following the game, Altman told reporters that Boucher sprained his ankle in practice on Thursday, and that he will not play against Fresno State but could return to face UCLA.

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After a 2015-16 campaign in which he shot 40 percent from the 3-point line and was Oregon’s best deep threat as a freshman, Tyler Dorsey looked lost at the start of the year.

The 6-foot-4 sophomore with NBA potential shot 4-of-14 in Oregon’s marquee matchup versus Baylor early in the year, and followed with a 2-of-9 shooting performance against Valparaiso and a 1-of-7 showing against Georgetown.

Over Oregon’s previous five games, though, Dorsey has caught fire and is shooting 60 percent from the field. He delivered another sharpshooting display for Oregon on Sunday and drilled a crucial, momentum-swinging 3-pointer with three minutes left in the game to push the Ducks to a 65-56 lead over Alabama at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Crimson Tide took its first lead of the second half when forward Donta Hall tipped in a missed shot to cap off a 6-0 scoring run that gave Alabama a 54-53 lead.

Oregon called a timeout and ran a set play for Dorsey from the sideline in which he started in the corner nearest the ball, and ran along the baseline before cutting back to where he started and ditching his defender on a screen along the way. Dorsey drilled the catch-and-shoot opportunity with his feet barely set and gave a reeling Ducks team the lead and the momentum it needed to finish off the win.

“I think that’s what I do; I practice on that every day,” Dorsey said. “My teammates are finding me in good spots and all I’m doing is catching and shooting.”

Dorsey is snow shooting 48 percent from the field on the year and his catch-and-shoot display on Sunday provided evidence as to why he has been so hot of late. Oregon is working to get Dorsey the ball in spots where he is most comfortable, and he has cleaned up some mechanical flaws that hindered him early in the year.

“We did get [Dorsey] some good looks,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “He was ready for some other ones. We ran a couple sets for him that he did finish. But his footwork and his fundamentals on his shooting right now are really good.

“He took some bad shots early in the year against Baylor. He was in a hurry and his feet weren’t right. … So I think he’s really focused and worked hard to get a little rhythm and I think he’s done a good job.”

Dorsey finished with a team-high 19 points including 5-of-8 from three on Sunday, and Oregon’s perimeter defense and late-game jump-shooting shone as the Ducks survived a late scare form an athletic Crimson Tide squad.

After Dorsey’s three, Alabama tied the game on the ensuing possession when Hall slammed home his third dunk in three minutes. On Oregon’s next possession, the Ducks ran the shot clock below 10 seconds and Dillon Brooks isolated his defender on the left elbow. The play was designed for him to get to the basket, but he was forced left by his defender and instead drove baseline and slung an athletic one-handed pass around a group of defenders to Dylan Ennis in the corner. Ennis pump-faked two defenders and drained a desperation three just before the shot clock expired to give Oregon a 59-56 lead that was the beginning of the end for Alabama.

“That three was lucky,” Altman said. “There was a penetration kick, and Dylan hit a really tough shot there. It was good penetration and they covered it good and Dylan just hit a tough shot. … We had a cleared side for [Brooks] and we were hoping he could get to the rim.”

Oregon closed out the game with a face-up jumper by Brooks that pushed the lead to five, and then forced the Crimson Tide into missed 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to seal the game.

The Ducks have now won six straight and are 8-2 on the year. Brooks finished with 10 points and six assists, and Hall led the Crimson Tide with 14 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes.

Oregon will host Montana on Tuesday as it continues a cluster of four preseason games in nine days.

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Oregon has fired four-year head coach Mark Helfrich, the school announced in a press release Tuesday evening.

The announcement comes three days after the Ducks ended their worst season since 1991 with a 34-24 loss in the Civil War game against Oregon State on Saturday. It is the first time Oregon has fired a head coach in 40 years, when it fired Don Read after three seasons.

“We want to thank Mark for his eight years with the University of Oregon and appreciate his efforts on behalf of Oregon football,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in the release. “We wish Mark and his family the best.”

Mullens and Helfrich met Tuesday evening after Mullens returned from Dallas, Texas, where he was meeting with the College Footballl Playoff comittee.

“It is a great honor to have served as the head football coach at the University of Oregon,” Helfrich said in the release. “It is with respect and disappointment that we receive this decision. Plain and simple — we didn’t win enough games this season.

“Thank you first to my wife, Megan, and our family, the fans, the campus community, the board, our donors and administration. To our coaches, staff and their families, it is impossible to communicate my gratitude for the environment we got to work in every single day.

“Finally, to the players — thank you, and I love you. The future is bright for this young, talented team, and we will be supporting them and their new leadership.”

Oregon will pay Helfrich $11.6 million to buy him out of the final three years of the five-year, $17.5 million contract he signed after leading the Ducks to the National Championship game in 2014.

Helfrich and Oregon ended the 2016 season with a 4-8 record, marking its first losing season since 2004. The Ducks won their first two nonconference games of the year before suffering five straight losses, including an abysmal home showing against Washington that ended in a 70-21 loss.

The Ducks’ offense showed flashes of brilliance at times this year, but it was ultimately their defense that left them in the bottom of the Pac-12 standings. Oregon finished 126th in the nation in total defense and surrendered 41.4 points per game. Brady Hoke’s arrival at defensive coordinator was intended to revitalize 2015’s lackluster defense, but instead Oregon regressed statistically on that side of the ball.

Aside from on-field struggles, a long list of Duck players were involved in off-field incidents throughout the year, which may have contributed to the unsuccessful season.

Senior defensive end Torrodney Prevot, junior wideout Darren Carrington and junior linebacker Eddie Heard have all been investiaged by police for violent incidents this season.

On Nov. 13, Oregon defensive tackle Austin Maloata was arrested for DUII, reckless driving and possession of methamphetamine after he was involved in a traffic collision in Eugene following Oregon’s loss to Stanford. Maloata was dismissed from the team later that day.

Prior to Oregon’s win over Utah in Salt Lake, the Emerald released an investigation that revealed senior tight end Pharaoh Brown has been accused of three acts of violence since 2014, but has never been publicly disciplined by the team or University of Oregon. Brown did not suit up for Oregon’s final two games.

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