Game Notes: Ducks Close Regular Season at OSU
Oregon closes out the regular season with a trip up the Willamette Valley to Corvallis to face Oregon State Sunday at 5 p.m. (FS1).
THE STARTING 5
• 1 – The Ducks and Beavers will be playing for the NCAA-leading 356th time on Sunday.
• 2 – Combined, Oregon's four scholarship seniors - Chris Duarte, LJ Figueroa, Eugene Omoruyi and Amauri Hardy - are averaging more than 50 points per game (50.5). In the last three games, that quartet has scored 58 (California, Feb. 27), 57 (Arizona, March 1) and 56 (UCLA, Wednesday).
• 3 – Under coach Dana Altman, Oregon has the best record in the conference during the second half of Pac-12 play. Over the last 11 seasons, the Ducks have won more than 70 percent of their games (70-28) on the back half of the schedule.
• 4 – 2020-21 is Oregon's 11th consecutive winning season, a program first. Dana Altman also extended his streak of winning seasons as a head coach to 24; an active streak shared by only by Altman and four Hall of Famers: Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzyzewski, Bill Self and Tom Izzo.
• 5 – Chris Duarte is one of five national finalists for the Jerry West Point Guard of the Year Award. He is one of only three Division I players in the country averaging at least 17.0 points and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 50 percent from the field.
• BENCH – Under Dana Altman, Oregon has won 90 percent of its games (190-21) when holding opponents below 70 points.
• BENCH – Oregon has won 277 games over the last 11 seasons, a program best.
• BENCH – Oregon leads the Pac-12 in steals (7.6 per game) and three-point field goals (8.1 per game).
SENIORS LEAD LATE SEASON SURGE
Oregon's resurgence the last month of the season has been led by seniors Chris Duarte, LJ Figueroa and Eugene Omoruyi. The last three games, that trio scored 56 points Wednesday versus UCLA, 57 points Monday against Arizona, and 58 Feb. 27 at California. Duarte had 24 points Feb. 25 at Stanford - 19 in the final 10 minutes - to lead the Ducks. Omoruyi (21) and Figueroa (20) hit 20 points against Cal, while Duarte (22) and Omoruyi (21) hit that mark against Arizona. Duarte led the team with 23 points against UCLA. Those three also accounted for 20 rebounds in the Cal win, 14 by Figueroa.
DUARTE EARNS FIRST ALL-AMERICA AWARD OF THE SEASON
Chris Duarte earned his first all-American award of the 2020-21 season Friday when he was named to the College Hoops Today third team by Jon Rothstein.
DUARTE NAMED A JERRY WEST AWARD FINALIST
Senior guard Chris Duarte was named one of five finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is the first Jerry West Award finalist in program history. Duarte, from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, is one of only three Division I players in the nation averaging 17 points and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. Peter Kiss of Bryant and Elijah Ford of Wagner are the others. He leads the Pac-12 in three-pointers made (2.6 per game). In addition to leading the league in three-pointers, Duarte is ranked among the Pac-12's top 10 in six different statistical categories. He is third in scoring (17.7 points per game), second in steals (1.9 per game) fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.434) and 10th in field goal percentage (.538). The other Jerry West Award finalists are Joel Ayayi of Gonzaga, Quentin Grimes of Houston, MaCio Teague of Baylor and Joe Wieskamp of Iowa.
PROTECT THE ROCK
Prior to committing 12 turnovers Wednesday against UCLA, the Ducks committed less than 10 turnovers in the previous three games: 7 at Stanford, 8 at Cal, 7 vs. Arizona. In conference play Oregon is averaging just 10.7 turnovers per game.
SECOND HALF SURGE
Under coach Dana Altman, Oregon has the best second half record in the Pac-12. Since the 2010-11 season, Oregon is 70-28 (.714) during the second half of Pac-12 play. That breaks down to 4-5 in 2011, 7-2 in 2012, 5-4 in 2013, 7-2 in 2014, 8-1 in 2015, 7-2 in 2016, 8-1 in 2017, 5-4 in 2018, 6-3 in 2019, 6-3 in 2020 and 7-1 in 2021.