Oregon center Nate Bittle puts up a shot for three as the Oregon Ducks host the Montana Grizzlies at Matthew Knight Arena Friday, Nov. 8, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. Oregon hasn’t been tested yet this season, and it could be in for another easy contest when it faces Portland on Tuesday night at Eugene, Ore.
The Ducks (2-0) beat UC Riverside and Montana by an average of 23 points, including a 79-48 smackdown of Montana on Friday.
Oregon coach Dana Altman, in his 15th season at the school, wasn’t about to get excited over two early-season wins.
“A lot of things to learn about being a good basketball team and making teams work,” Altman said after the win over the Grizzlies. “But it’s Nov. 8 and we’ve got a lot of new guys. Just got a lot of work to do.”
Oregon’s scoring has been balanced with five players averaging in double digits.
Nate Bittle leads the squad in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.5 per game). Kwame Evans Jr. is averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, and he is followed by TJ Bamba (13 points per game), Brandon Angel (12) and Jadrian Tracey (10).
Bamba is in his first campaign with the Ducks after playing three seasons for Washington State and last season at Villanova. He is focused on developing chemistry within the squad.
“I feel like with all my teammates I somewhat have connections,” Bamba said, “but it’s still got to improve.”
Oregon held Montana to 34 percent shooting from the field and forced the Grizzlies into 14 turnovers.
Bittle was the key performer with 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Ducks are 51-10 all-time against the Pilots, including a 78-56 victory on Dec. 17, 2022, in the latest matchup.
Portland (1-1) opened the season by beating NAIA program Lewis & Clark before being routed 94-53 by visiting UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.
Vukasin Masic, who missed the opener with an ankle injury, scored 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting against the Gauchos.
Chris Austin had just five points on 2-of-10 shooting on Saturday during a contest in which Portland shot 30.3 percent from the field and a measly 5 of 31 (16.1 percent) from 3-point range.
“What we try to do is get up on the floor and play fast,” Portland coach Shantay Legans told reporters prior to the season. “… The best players should get the most shots on the team.”
The Pilots went 19-15 in 2021-22 in Legans’ first season, their lone winning campaign over the past nine.
–Field Level Media
