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No. 15 Oregon remains undefeated but has yet to reach its full potential

altman

When the suspensions of point guard Dominic Artis and forward Ben Carter were announced, the question was whether or not No. 18 Oregon would drop a game (or more) without the services of their starting floor general. But the fact of the matter was that Dana Altman has multiple perimeter options at his disposal, including the experienced Johnathan Loyd, who made critical plays down the stretch to push the Ducks past Illinois in Portland by the final score of 71-64.

Loyd knocked down a critical jumper with 28 seconds remaining, and his steal and layup with four seconds remaining ruled out any chance of an Illinois miracle come back. Loyd finished with 11 points and seven assists, one of five Oregon players to score in double figures. Mike Moser and Joseph Young scored 14 apiece, and as a team the Ducks shot 55.2% from the field.

But with the incomplete roster now whole with the suspensions for Artis and Carter coming to an end, it’s safe to say that we have yet to see the best from Oregon. The question: will Oregon be able to incorporate Artis and Carter into the rotation without skipping a beat?

Artis will join a front court rotation that’s performed very well with Loyd, Young Jason Calliste and Damyean Dotson handling the majority of the minutes. Artis’ return give Oregon yet another primary ball-handling option, and that has the potential to make them an even tougher team to defend. Entering Saturday Oregon ranked fifth nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency per kenpom.com, and they were third in effective field goal percentage.

As for Carter, he’ll provide additional depth to a front court that can use it. Moser and Elgin Cook have played the best basketball of the big men through nine games, and Oregon has Richard Amardi and Waverly Austin receiving minutes as well. Artis and Carter will be able to play beginning on Tuesday night against UC Irvine, and they’ll have a total of three games to play before the start of Pac-12 play on January 4 against Utah.

Given how Oregon’s performed without that tandem, there won’t be as much pressure on them when they step on the floor. And if the on-court chemistry isn’t upset, Oregon stands to be even better than they are now.

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