Duck Dynasty

Player of the Week

After having a strong individual season last year and leading his team to the Sweet 16 in March Madness, Payton Pritchard is having an electric senior season with the Ducks. His scoring average is up nearly seven points per game from last year while also shooting seven percent better from the floor and nearly eight percent better from 3-point range this year. Also, his assists and rebounds per game are up while playing the same amount of minutes last season. This year his numbers are elite. 19.2 points per game to go with nearly six assists and 4.5 boards per contest. He’s shooting 48.7 percent from the floor this season and 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Oregon had to face a hungry 24th ranked Arizona team on January 9th and it took overtime for Pritchard and the Ducks to come out on top. The 6’2 senior did everything for the Ducks in the game except sell popcorn. He had 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and also got it done defensively recording three steals. The Ducks want the ball to be in his hands when the game is on the line and that is exactly how it went. It is no surprise Oregon came out with the overtime win because they have a closer.

Pritchard had an even more impressive performance on January 11th in a win over Arizona State. He contributed 29 points on an efficient 56 percent shooting from the floor to go with six assists and a steal. After three wins in a row for the Ducks, it is apparent that having a multi-threat guard like Pritchard will be huge from them as we inch closer to the postseason. This young man should be the focal point of the game plan of any of Oregon’s opponents moving forward.

Who’s Hot

After having a tough first chunk of the season, this young man has provided the spark to help the Golden Bears win two straight conference matchups. The 6’4, 220 lb. sophomore had an impressive double double performance January 9th in a win over Washington State. Bradley poured in 26 points on 71 percent shooting from the field to go along with 10 boards and four assists.
He had another strong game on January 11 when the Golden Bears were able to battle the Huskies into overtime and come out on top. Bradley had 17 points in the game as well as five rebounds and two assists. Perhaps Bradley has been the spark that gets this team heading back in the right direction after a tough start to the year. If Bradley keeps up this kind of production, Cal has someone to really gameplan around moving forward.

Stanford Cardinals

Stanford is now the only team in the Pac-12 that is undefeated in conference matchups. With a 14-2 overall record and having won their last three, the Cardinals are poised to become a ranked team if they keep it up. In it’s win over Washington, four of five starters were able to score in double figures. Stanford really gets after it on the defensive side of things, forcing 21 turnovers. Oscar da Silva , Bryce Wills , and Daejon Davis all combined for 7 steals in the game.
Stanford’s next matchup was a blowout win against Washington State. The Cardinals simply outdid the Cougars in every team statistical category in this game. This team has been bringing it as of late and if they continue to do so, the rest of the Pac-12 outta watch out.

Who’s Not

Utah Utes

Utah’s last matchup was against the Colorado Buffaloes and it was a 91-52 blowout. Riley Battin was the leading scorer for the Utes putting up only eight points. Not one player was able to score in double figures against the Buffaloes. The story to this game is that the Utes were severely outrebounded 42-24. When the opponent grabs almost twice as many rebounds, it is nearly impossible to win that basketball game. Perhaps the Utes can bounce back and this just was not their night. Utah is 1-2 in conference play and that is absolutely not where they wanted or expected to be.

Top 5 Games Played in the Pac-12 last week

1. Oregon Ducks def. Arizona Wildcats 74-73 OT (January 9)

It comes as no surprise that Payton Pritchard was the catalyst on both ends for his team in a close, in conference game. The Oregon guard had 18 points with 7 boards, six assists and three steals while being the only player in the game who never came off the floor. Pritchard had some help from his teammates Chris Duarte who had 17points and eight boards and Will Richardson who contributed 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. The 20 point performance from Arizona’s Nico Mannion was not enough to stop the Ducks.

2. Cal Golden Bears def. Washington Huskies 61-58 OT (January 11)

The Golden Bears are playing almost a whole new brand of basketball the last two games. They played tenacious defense and held the Huskies to just under 30 percent shooting. Cal was just able to execute better in the extra period awarding them their second win in a row. Matt Bradley had 17 in this game but also scoring in double figures for Cal was Grant Anticevich and Paris Austin

3. Arizona State Sun Devils def. Oregon State Beavers 82-76 (January 9)

The Beavers’ Tres Tinkle and Ethan Thompson had 22 points each but it was not enough to stop the hot Sun Devils. Remy Martin had 24 on 9/19 shooting from the field as well as three assists and two steals while teammate Rob Edwards had 18 on 6/10 shooting and three steals. The Sun Devils made life hard for the Beavers with their defense, especially Alonzo Verge Jr. who had four steals.

4. Cal Golden Bears def. Washington State Cougars 73-66 (January 9)

This was a big bounceback win for Cal who desperately needed a game like this. CJ Elleby had a strong game for the Cougars with 22 points and nine boards but the Golden Bears made him miss 11 of his 17 shots. Matt Bradley had a 26 point, 10 rebound performance that really gave Cal the firepower needed to win this game. Paris Austin had a nice game as well scoring 17 on 6/8 shooting from the field. Maybe the Golden Bears keep it going?

5. Stanford Cardinals def. Washington Huskies 61-55 (January 9)

This was a big conference win for Stanford at this juncture in the season. The Cardinals held Isaiah Stewart to just four points and five boards on just 2/8 shooting. In other words, Washington’s best player this season was shut down by Stanford. Spencer Jones was the high scorer for Stanford with 14 points to go with a blocked shot and a steal. Watch out for Stanford Pac-12. Here they come.