With five minutes to go, Jackson Shelstad, Jadrian Tracey, Nate Bittle, TJ Bamba, and Brandon Angel were all on the bench.
Those players started tonight’s game, but the contest was so out of hand, there was no reason for them to be on the floor. That’s how bad it was as Illinois blew Oregon out of their own building to the tune of a 109-77 final score.
The Ducks were utterly confused on defense and eventually, the effort on defense just wasn’t there. Illinois offense wasn’t complicated. They would go one-on-one to the basket or kick it out for a three. For some reason, the Duck defense couldn’t figure that out and Illinois just kept scoring and scoring.
In total, the Illini made 16-of-29 three-pointers and the scary thing was that they missed their first seven threes.
Oregon falls to 12-2 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play. Maryland, who lost to Washington on this night, comes to Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday as the Ducks look to rebound off of what was an embarrassing loss.
Oregon vs. Illinois Keys to the Game
- All was well early on as the Ducks grabbed a 7-2 lead, but after that it was all Illini.
- Illinois dominated for much of the first half as they led at halftime 45-38. The Illini was hot from long distance, going 7-of-17 from the three-point line before halftime.
- The Illini bench scored 23 of those 45 points.
- Oregon had trouble covering the three-point line, but when they did, Illinois drove to the basket and the Ducks’ defensive rotation just wasn’t there.
- Illinois also had six offensive rebounds that turned into eight second-chance points.
- Unfortunately whatever Dana Altman said at halftime didn’t resonate as things got worse. Illinois turned a seven-point lead to a 20-point advantage in just a few minutes.
- The only highlight for the Ducks was that Supreme Cook played his best game of the season with 20 points off the bench.
Oregon vs. Illinois Players of the Game
- Supreme Cook: 20 points
- TJ Bamba: 10 points
- Nate Bittle: 13 points, 5 rebounds
- Tre White (Ill): 20 points
Oregon vs. Illinois Notable Stats
- Rebounds: Illinois 43, Oregon 31
- 3-point FG: Illinois 16-of-29, Oregon 5-of-15
- Points in the Paint: Illinois 48, Oregon 36
What’s Next for Oregon Ducks?
- Jan. 5 — vs. Maryland Terrapins
- Jan. 9 — at Ohio State Buckeyes
- Jan. 12 — at Penn State Nittany Lions
- Jan. 18 — Purdue Boilermakers
- Jan. 21 — Washington Huskies
The schedule doesn’t get any easier from here on out as the Big Ten Conference is in full swing. Maryland just suffered a loss at Washington, but the Terrapins are very good, as are the next four opponents. Oregon needs some major adjustments in order to have success in the month of January.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]