De’Vion Harmon – Page 2 – Syndication Server

How it happened: Ducks’ big second half allows them to advance in the NIT

Oregon advances to the second round of the NIT with an 83-72 win over Utah State.

Oregon liked playing the Aggies so much it’s going to try it again.

The Ducks went on the road and defeated Utah State 83-72 and will travel to another team called the Aggies, Texas A&M, for the second round of the NIT. Oregon’s victory was Dana Altman’s 300th win as the Duck head coach and it also marked his 12th consecutive 20-win season in Eugene.

Utah State was up 37-33 at the halftime break, but it was a completely different story in the second half as the Ducks used their superior athletic ability on the Aggies. Oregon continually went to the basket, more specifically, Jacob Young, and the Ducks dominated the Mountain West squad.

Young scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and De’Vion Harmon kept the Ducks in the game with his 16 first half points.

How it happened: Oregon’s game-winner rims out vs. USC, Ducks lose 70-69

It was almost a magical senior night for the Ducks, but a last-second shot from Will Richardson rimmed out, leaving Oregon with a loss to USC.

It was a game that would have been massive for the Oregon Ducks’ at-large NCAA Tournament hopes, but in the end, they couldn’t quite pull it out.

It wasn’t for a lack of chances, The Ducks had numerous opportunities to win, and they led by 2 late in the game. However, a USC 3 with 11 seconds left but the Trojans up by one, and a game-winner attempt from Will Richardson rimmed out at the buzzer.

Oregon struggled mightily from the floor, going just 6-for-23 from deep, and 15-for-21 at the free throw line.

Oregon isn’t out of the NCAA tournament discussion just yet, as they can boost their resume with a trip to the Washington schools next week. However, it will now take a deep run in the Pac-12 tournament at the very least to make a case.

Here’s how everything went down on Saturday:

How it happened: Ducks upset No. 12 UCLA 68-63, keep tournament hopes alive

Two meetings, two upset victories over the UCLA Bruins. Not a bad night for the Oregon Ducks.

It’s pretty hard to argue against the notion that Oregon gets up for big games now, isn’t it?

Yet again, faced against tougher competition with No. 12 UCLA in town, the Ducks pulled off the upset and left Matthew Knight Arena with a 68-63 win. It was a victory that was much-needed for Oregon’s waning NCAA tournament chances, but kept them alive with three games left on the schedule.

It was a pair of transfers who got the job done for the Ducks, with De’Vion Harmon and Jacob Young leading the way down the stretch. Both came up clutch at the end of the game and were able to hit their free throws to close it out.

Here’s how all of the action played out:

How it happened: The Ducks get defensive in 68-60 win over Stanford

De’Vion Harmon’s hot outside shooting and 21 points led the Ducks to a 68-60 win over Stanford Thursday night.

Oregon, and the rest of the Pac-12 for that matter, learned an important lesson Thursday night. The Ducks don’t need point guard Will Richardson to play at an all-conference level in order to win.

The senior point guard was held scoreless for the first three-quarters of the game and missed his first eight shots. But Richardson ended the game with 12 points and six assists as Oregon managed to outlast the Stanford Cardinal 68-60 to win its 10th game in 11 tries.

While it took Richardson to find his offensive game, De’Vion Harmon and N’Faly Dante held down the fort. Harmon led the way with 21 points and Dante added 12 points and seven rebounds.

It was a bit of revenge for the Ducks as they suffered a loss at the buzzer down on the Farm to these same Cardinal. But this time, it was Oregon who was able to come out on top. The Ducks are now tied for second in the Pac-12 with UCLA with a 9-3 record and 16-7 overall.

How it happened: Colorado’s second half rally erases Oregon’s 6-game winning streak

Oregon saw a 13-0 lead over Colorado evaporate over the course of the game along with its six-game winning streak after an 82-78 loss to the Buffs.

For the second straight game, the Oregon Ducks had a double-digit lead before the fans could settle in their seat with their popcorn.

But unlike Washington two days ago, Colorado was good enough and disciplined enough to get itself back in the game. The Buffaloes erased an early 13-0 deficit to eventually take a lead of their own in the second half.

Unfortunately for the Ducks, they were not able to recover and saw their six-game winning streak go away as Colorado came out of Matthew Knight Arena for the first time since 2013 with a win, 82-78. Oregon also wasted Quincy Guerrier’s best game as a Duck with his 22 points and six rebounds.

These two teams do it all over again in nine days, but the Ducks have never won in Boulder. Oregon falls to 12-7 overall and 5-3 in Pac-12 play.

Quick Hits: Oregon Ducks finish non-conference schedule with 68-59 win over Pepperdine

The Ducks enter the holiday break on a semi-high note with a 68-59 win over Pepperdine, though the victory wasn’t very pretty.

The Oregon Ducks finished their non-conference schedule with a 68-59 win over Pepperdine and will now enter a short holiday break on a semi-high note following the victory.

Of course, it could have been a lot prettier, and head coach Dana Altman will certainly have a lot to say about the performance. The Ducks were lackadaisical early on, and struggle to put away a team that many would consider beneath them when it comes to talent on the floor.

Nonetheless, a win is a win, and those have been hard to come by for the Ducks so far this year. Here are a few quick notes from the victory on Tuesday:

Quick hits: Ducks let upset slip away with a poor second half

Oregon put a scare into undefeated Baylor for a half, but it wasn’t nearly enough to pull off the upset.

Playing great for 20 minutes against the No. 1 team in the nation isn’t nearly enough if you want to shock the world.

Oregon played the game of the season for a half, but the real Baylor Bears came out of the locker room with a purpose and outscored the Ducks 43-31 in the second half.

What resulted was a 78-70 win for Baylor, which improved to 10-0 on the season. Oregon fell to 6-6 as the Ducks go back to the drawing board once again.

The difference between the first half and the second half was definitely the energy level. Baylor was seemingly getting every rebound ad every loose ball in the last 20 minutes of the contest.

Baylor also made shots, something the Bears had trouble with for the first half. The Ducks also turned the ball over way too many times with 16 miscues.

Everything we know following Oregon Ducks’ 86-63 beatdown over SMU Mustangs

The Ducks grabbed a resounding 86-63 win over the SMU Mustangs on Friday night, using a hot start and solid defense to pace the way to an easy win.

The Oregon Ducks got a commanding victory over the SMU Mustangs on Friday night, which gives them a nice boost of momentum going into next week when they get set to travel to Portland and take on the BYU Cougars in the PK85.

Oregon’s 86-63 win will look solid on the schedule this early on, especially considering that SMU was an NIT team last season and returned much of their core from that run.

The Ducks got off to an incredibly hot start in this game, making their first 7 shots and building an early lead over SMU. Their first missed basket didn’t come until the 14:33 minute mark, with Jacob Young and Quincy Guerrier doing the heavy lifting early on.

Once they cooled off on offense, it was the Oregon defense that stepped up in the first half, holding the Mustangs to under 30% shooting beyond the arc.

The second half was much of the same, with the Ducks building up a 24-point lead and using the final 12-15 minutes of the game to go through offensive sets and get some developmental work in the game. Overall, it was an impressive victory for the Ducks, and their season is off to a great start.

Here are some instant notes from the game:

What role does Jordan Goldwire have for the 2021 Oklahoma Sooners?

A deeper look at what Jordan Goldwire brings to the Oklahoma Sooners basketball program

The Oklahoma Sooners head into the 2021 season under new leadership and with a slew of new players. Lon Kruger retired in March, and in steps Porter Moser. Moser accepted the gig and moved on from Loyola-Chicago. Moser’s most successful season at Loyola–Chicago came in 2017–18, with a 32–6 (15–3 Missouri Valley Conference) record, MVC regular season and tournament titles, and appearance in the Final Four as a no. 11 seed. In 2020-2021, Moser led the eighth-seeded Ramblers to the elite eight before losing to Oregon State.

Once he was hired, Moser immediately knew he had to mold the Sooners into the identity he wanted for his program. A tough, gritty, defensive-minded group that gets after teams with ball pressure for a full forty minutes.

With the NCAA granting players an extra year of eligibility due to the challenges of COVID, Moser garnered the nickname “Portal Moser” as he hit the transfer portal hard.

One of his biggest finds? A former Duke player. Duke is without a doubt one of the sport’s titans. Year in and year out, the Blue Devils land top-five recruiting classes heightened by the one-and-done experience. Guys who stick around for multiple years sometimes have no choice but to leave if they want to have more playing time, and that’s what point guard Jordan Goldwire did.

He left Duke and entered the portal in an attempt to get more playing time that may have been hard to come by with a few highly touted freshman guards coming in. Duke will miss him. Still, he offers a lot to this Oklahoma program and will serve as the perfect one-year player as Moser settles down in Norman.

Goldwire comes to Norman after playing 116 games for Duke.

The 6-foot-2 guard from Norcross, GA, averaged 5.8 points, 4.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game last year at Duke.

Goldwire had a solid year for the Blue Devils despite Duke’s failure to live up to their standards and expectations last season. He was a 2021 All-ACC Defensive team selection.

Due to the offensive talent that has cycled through Durham, NC over the years, Goldwire has always been leaned on to be a defensive specialist and energy guy for those Duke teams. He matured physically and became more confident in what he could do offensively.

That may be why he left Duke as well. Goldwire was never a focal point in the offense, and despite his growth, he was never really an offensive threat for Duke. With the vacancy left by Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers), De’Vion Harmon (transfer to Oregon), and Brady Manek (transfer to UNC), the Sooners need offense. It’s a perfect fit for both team and player.

Goldwire will be a fit nicely next to Elijah Harkless, who was second in the Big 12 in steals last season, coming away with 1.9 per game. One thing that severely cost Goldwire minutes at Duke was his inability to knock down shots and his inconsistency finishing at the rim.

He shot 26% and 12% from three in his first two years at Duke, respectively. In the following two years, he posted 35% and 33% from three. He’s improved there, and hopefully, this spring and summer, he continued to do so as the likely report on him will be that he was not a great shooter. If he’s able to shoot about 33 to 37 percent with increased opportunities, that’ll be a big boost to an Oklahoma team that will be looking for some offense from their transfers.

He can also get Oklahoma into their offense, get in the lane, and make the right decisions by distributing the ball to others. On top of his All-ACC defensive selection, he was tops in the conference in assist to turnover ratio.

Defensively, he is what you want from a lead guard. Coach Mike Krzyzewski deployed Goldwire to pressure the ball full court almost every time he was on the floor, and Goldwire was more than up to the task. At 6 foot 3, Goldwire has the size and strength to guard positions 1-3. He switches well, communicates, and also has very quick and active hands.

Goldwire is far from a superstar, but he’s a good college player in a system that will afford him the chance to become something even more with the right situation and a significant increase in opportunities. He should be a significant part of this team whether he contributes offensively or not because he plays defense as if his life depended on it.

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Trio of Oregon Ducks named to award watch lists ahead of 2021-22 season

Will Richardson, Quincy Guerrier, and De’Vion Harmon. All are expected to play huge roles for the Ducks this season, with the trio up for preseason awards.

We are counting down the days until both the men’s and women’s Oregon Ducks basketball teams tip off the 2021-22 season, and as we get prepared to hit the hardwood, it is time to take stock of where both teams are at and what we can expect going forward.

It was revealed earlier this week that both squads are ranked inside the Top-15 — the men at No. 13 and the women at No. 10 — making them one of just three teams in the nation to have both programs able to say that.

Now, we also know that there are three players on Dana Altman’s team who are being considered for season-long awards, having been named to preseason watch lits. Here’s who to take a look at going forward:

Will Richardson — Bob Cousy Award Watch List

Richardson is one of 20 players to be named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award watch list. Richardson was also selected to the Pac-12 preseason all-conference team after having a strong close to the 2020 season, helping the Ducks advance a couple of rounds in the NCAA Tournament.

He enters his senior season with the Ducks having a chance to get into the school’s top-10 list in steals, assists, three-point field goal percentage, and wins.

In 2020, former Oregon Duck Payton Pritchard was the first player in school history to win the Bob Cousy Award, and now Richardson has a chance to add to the list.

Up Next: Quincy Guerrier (Karl Malone Award)

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