Tag: TJ Bamba

Oregon vs San Diego State Instant Reactions: Ducks win again in Vegas

Oregon wouldn’t need a second half rally this time as the Ducks played wire-to-wire and defeated San Diego State 78-68 in Las Vegas.

This is only November, but the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team is playing like they’re ready for March.

After handing a 10-point loss to Texas A&M, the Ducks came out a day later and defeated San Diego State 78-68 in the second game of the Player’s Era Festival.

Oregon will play for the championship on Saturday against a team to be determined.

There would be no need for a rally on this day with the Ducks grabbing a lead late in the first half and played San Diego State even for the last 20 minutes of the game. The Aztecs pulled to within four midway through the second half, but never got any closer.

Ducks vs. Aztecs Keys to the Game

  • Oregon had a much better first half than it did against Texas A&M as the Ducks took a 41-31 halftime lead.
  • It was 29-29, but Oregon ended the half on a 12-2 run, thanks to Jackson Shelstad’s quick five points during that stretch.
  • Oregon dominated on the boards, again quite the difference from the first game. The Ducks doubled the Aztecs in the rebound column of the stat sheet, outrebounding San Diego State 24-12. Many of those were of the offensive variety. Oregon had 18 second-chance points to the Aztecs’ zero.
  • San Diego State made some adjustments and didn’t allow any more second-chance points, but every time the Aztecs made a run and threatened, TJ Bamba would hit a big shot.
  • Oregon constantly changed defenses on the Aztecs to keep them on their toes and for the most part, it worked. The Ducks changed zones and while SDSU hit a few outside shots, they weren’t nearly enough to bring the Aztecs all the way back.
  • Bamba played his best game as a Duck as he stayed out of foul trouble and made himself an offensive threat on the inside and outside.

Ducks vs. Aztecs Players of the Game

  • TJ Bamba: 22 points, 4-6 from the three-point line, 5 assists
  • Jackson Shelstad: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
  • Keeshawn Barthelemy: 16 points, 3-4 from three
  • Brandon Angel: 12 points, 6 rebounds
  • Nate Bittle: 11 points, 9 rebounds
  • BJ Davis (SDSU): 18 points

Ducks vs. Aztecs Notable Stats

  • Oregon: 25-of-56 FG (45 percent), SDSU: 29-of-57 FG (51 percent)
  • Oregon: 10-of-22 (46 percent) 3-pt FG, SDSU: 6-of-19 32 (percent)
  • Rebounds: Oregon 41, SDSU 24

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks

  • Nov. 30 — TBD (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
  • Dec. 4 — at USC
  • Dec. 8 — UCLA
  • Dec. 15 — Stephen F. Austin
  • Dec. 21 — Stanford (San Jose, Calif.) 

Should Oregon lose on Saturday, the Ducks have done enough to prove themselves as a Top 25 team with these two wins. Oregon is ready for conference action, which starts next week at USC.

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Oregon vs Texas A&M Instant Reactions: Ducks rally again for a big win

Oregon rallies from 10 points down in the second half to stun No. 20 Texas A&M 80-70 in the Player’s Era Festival.

The Oregon Ducks are quickly gaining the reputation of being a second-half team. The Ducks were down 13 against Portland and won and down 12 against the Beavers and won. But this was against No. 20 Texas A&M and Oregon was down 10 with 10 minutes to go.

Next came a 16-0 run to regain the lead and the Ducks held on in the end to defeat the Aggies 80-70 in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Oregon outscored Texas A&M 40-20 down the stretch to improve to 6-0 on the season.

Oregon vs. Texas A&M Keys to the Game

  • The first half wasn’t the prettiest half in Oregon history. The Ducks shot just 31 percent (9-of-29) from the field in the first half and just 4-of-18 from long distance.
  • Not only were the Ducks not shooting the ball well, the Aggies pounded them on the board to the tune of a 22-19 advantage, but at one point, it was a 21-12 lead for Texas A&M where rebounding was concerned.
  • Texas A&M got out to an early 8-2 lead and threatened to run away from the Ducks early. But Oregon was able to lock it down on defense and eventually be down one possession at the break at 32-29.
  • Supreme Cook was hit with a technical with 12 minutes to go and the Aggies had their biggest lead of the game.
  • After the technical foul, Oregon woke up on both ends of the floor and went on a huge 16-0 run to take a 64-58 lead with 6:29 remaining.

Oregon vs. Texas A&M Players of the Game

  • TJ Bamba: 18 points, 10-of-12 free throws
  • Jackson Shelstad: 16 points, 4 assists
  • Brandon Angel: 16 points
  • Jadrian Tracey: 11 points, 6 rebounds
  • Zhuric Phelps (TAMU) 20 points

Oregon vs. Texas A&M Notable Stats

  • Oregon: 25-of-55 FG (46 percent), TAMU: 22-of-68 FG (32 percent)
  • Offensive rebounds: TAMU 21, Oregon 11
  • Points in the paint: Oregon 34, TAMU 22

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks

  • Nov. 27 — vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
  • Nov. 30 — TBD (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
  • Dec. 4 — at USC
  • Dec. 8 — UCLA
  • Dec. 15 — Stephen F. Austin

The schedule doesn’t really let up in the next two weeks as the Ducks play NCAA tournament caliber teams such as San Diego State before Big Ten play begins next week with a quick road trip to Los Angeles and the USC Trojans.

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Oregon Basketball ranked in College Sports Wire’s preseason Top 25

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team is ranked 21st in College Sports Wire’s preseason Top 25 rankings.

With the Oregon Ducks football team excelling each weekend, the start of Oregon’s men’s basketball season has flown under the radar, but the Ducks tip-off against UC Riverside at 7:30 on Monday, kicking off what could be a fruitful season for Oregon.

The Ducks were not featured in the preseason AP Poll — a product of Oregon losing its two biggest contributors in 2023: N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard. In spite of those losses, College Sports Wire ranked Oregon No. 21 in its preseason rankings.

“Losing N’Faly Dante up front is tough for coach Dana Altman, especially with a move to the Big Ten, but Oregon has a phenomenal young core led by point guard Jackson Shelstad. Shelstad’s sophomore breakout feels inevitable, and if KJ Evans and Mookie Cook can shine this team will be a strong contender in its new conference.” – Andy Patton, College Sports Wire

Dante and Couisnard were invaluable contributors in 2023, but Shelstad was the most talented player on last year’s team, even if the consistency wasn’t there yet. This year, he’ll be expected to shoulder much more of the load, but in year two, we can expect more consistent performances.

In addition to their young core of Shelstad, Evans, and Cook, Oregon has added a strong transfer portal class, including shooting guard TJ Bamba and forward Brandon Angel. Bamba is an efficient two-way wing who previously played for Villanova and Washington State, and Angel is a tall offensive threat who shoots efficiently from three. Angel played his last four seasons at Stanford.

After Oregon’s season opener against UC Riverside at Matthew Knight Arena, the Ducks will host the Montana Grizzlies on Friday. Later this month, Oregon will head up to Corvallis for their sole matchup against Oregon State this season and head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival before kicking off Big Ten play in December.

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Villanova transfer TJ Bamba commits to Oregon

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team secured a commitment from senior wing TJ Bamba, who played for Villanova and Washington State.

Dana Altman and the Oregon Duck men’s basketball team have secured a commitment from Villanova transfer wing TJ Bamba, according to a report from James Crepea of The Oregonian. Bamba will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Earlier this month, the Ducks picked up Stanford forward Brandon Angel and Toledo guard Ra’Heim Moss in the transfer portal, but the addition of Bamba is even more exciting. After losing senior guard Jermaine Couisnard this offseason, the Ducks have a true two-guard to play in the backcourt with sophomore point guard Jackson Shelstad.

In his four-year career, Bamba has averaged 9.8 points per game, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. Bamba has increased his scoring ability in the last two years, averaging 12.86 points per game on 42.8% shooting since Fall 2022.

Bamba isn’t a stranger to playing out west, spending three seasons at Washington State before transferring to Villanova for the 2023-24 season. In March 2022 — the last time he played Oregon — Bamba scored 19 points in the Cougars’ losing effort to the Ducks in the Pac-12 Championship.

Playing with Shelstad, Bamba will have to take on a less ball-dominant role than he has in the past, but playing off the ball is one of the areas where he excels. At 6’5″, Bamba shoots a good clip from three (38% in his career) and he becomes even better on open catch-and-shoots. With Shelstad’s ability to drive the ball and draw help defense, Bamba could be a dangerous kickout threat on the wing.

Oregon named as top school for Villanova transfer guard TJ Bamba

TJ Bamba, a fifth-year senior guard in the transfer portal, has named the Oregon Ducks as one of his top six schools.

After losing several key rotation players to the transfer portal, Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team now have a chance to bring in a key piece from the portal. According to a report from 24/7 High School Hoops, TJ Bamba, a fifth-year senior guard, has narrowed his search to six schools, one of which is Oregon.

Since the end of the 2023-24 season, the Ducks have lost guards Kario Oquendo and Brennan Risgby to the transfer portal, and Vyctorious Miller, an incoming recruit, was released from his letter of intent. Oregon is also losing star guard Jermaine Couisnard this offseason since he is out of eligibility, leaving the Ducks without much guard depth.

Bamba has experience playing on the West Coast. Before transferring to Villanova last season, Bamba played three seasons with the Washington State Cougars. With the Wildcats last year, Bamba was second in scoring, averaging 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. All four years of Bamba’s college career have been full seasons, leaving him with just his Covid-year of eligibility.

At 6’5″ and 208 lbs., Bamba has good size for a guard, which helps him get downhill and finish through contact at the rim. Bamba also shoots the ball efficiently from the perimeter, especially when moving off the ball, looking for catch-and-shoot attempts.

One of the guards who is returning for Oregon in the fall is Jackson Shelstad, who already seems like the Ducks’ next star. As a freshman, Shelstad averaged 12.8 points per game and scored 20+ points five times. If Bamba chooses Oregon, he and Shelstad could be a dangerous duo in the backcourt, especially with Bamba’s affinity for moving off the ball to get open for threes.

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LSU basketball in contact with Washington State transfer

Matt McMahon is getting busy in the transfer portal.

With the season nearing an end, the basketball transfer market is heating up.

LSU, again, should be especially active in the portal. After finishing last in the SEC, [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] will be looking for upgrades all over the court.

LSU will also lose its best player, [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag]. Replacing him is a challenge.

There have already been multiple reports of LSU contacting transfers with a recent one focusing on Washington State transfer [autotag]TJ Bamba[/autotag].

At Wazzu, Bamba started 51 games and appeared in 86 over three years. He averaged 15.8 points per game this season and at 6-foot-5, he would bring a dynamic guard presence to LSU.

 

Bamba shot 37% from three and 43% from the field overall.

McMahon’s top priority should be convincing players of Bamba’s caliber to hop aboard. Despite the 2-16 conference records, recruits and transfers need to believe LSU is trending up. That could be a difficult sell at the moment.

It’s still early, but it’ll be interesting when the first transfer domino falls for LSU.

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Report: Ducks show interest in Washington State transfer TJ Bamba

The Ducks have reportedly shown interest in former Washington State transfer TJ Bamba.

The transfer portal is starting to heat up in the world of college basketball, and it looks like the Oregon Ducks are starting to get active.

On Monday, Dana Altman and his team learned that former 5-star center Kel’el Ware intended to enter the transfer portal instead of declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft, which came not long after Tyrone Williams announced that he would do the same.

It was expected that Oregon would lose a handful of players via the portal this offseason, but it’s also expected that they will make a few additions as well.

One of those potential additions became available on Monday.

Former Washington State guard TJ Bamba announced that he would enter the portal and look for a new team. Not long after, a report came out that the Ducks had already shown interest in Bamba and reached out to the Pac-12 player, trying to keep him in the conference.

TJ Bamba’s Transfer Portal Profile