By going on the road and taking down UCLA, the Oregon Ducks clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 Conference title for the regular season, on Wednesday night.
Last year’s coach of the year, Dana Altman, has once again put organ on the national map, surprising national pundits around the country. We all knew that the Ducks would be talented and offensively potent, but their ability to protect the rim, lock down on the perimeter, and rebound the basketball was a pleasant but shocking surprise. I think it’s fair to say that conference members, even if they weren’t taking UO lightly, were surprised just how good Oregon turned out to be at the end of the day.
The Ducks have won a game in the NCAA Tournament three years running now, going to the Sweet 16 three years ago. This team doesn’t have the lightning rod player that generates national acclaim like in years past. There is no Joseph Young, last year’s player of the year in the conference and someone who took over the postseason tournament, to guide the Ducks in the NCAA tournament. No one player that can redefine the way A game is played and give organ a chance against teams that made might be over matched by. But that is what makes this team special: the entire team is good enough to beat you on any given night, no of course it is Dylan Brooks who runs the show most often.
Now that they at least have a share of the conference title–sole possession is gained with a win at USC–the question becomes whether or not this group is ready for a deep run into late March or even early April, redefining what kind of program this has become under Dana Altman.
