Win. Still in!
The disappointment of coming up short at the Pac-12 tournament did not last long for the Oregon Ducks on Tuesday night. Led by guard Devoe Joseph’s 25 points, Oregon defeated the visiting Louisiana State Tigers (18-15) 96-76.
The Ducks (23-9) will face the Iowa Hawkeyes (18-16) at 2 p.m. Sunday in Eugene in the second round of the NIT.
The Hawkeyes beat Dayton 84-75 in Iowa City in their first round match up.
Love ‘Em
Devoe Joseph’s Comeback
After a horrid 6-26 shooting performance against Colorado in the Pac-12 tournament, Devoe Joseph bounced back strong shooting 11-16 from the field in his 25 point performance.
Never Relinquished Momentum
Oregon seized the lead from LSU with a little less than 15 minutes to go in the first half and never looked back. By halftime, Oregon had put the game on ice leading 50-33 at Matt Knight Arena.
All that was left to be decided was the difference as the Tigers only got within 10 points twice in the second half.
Milestones at Home
With his 25, Devoe Joseph became a member of Oregon’s 1,000 point club. Senior point guard Garrett Sim recorded his 134th appearance as an Oregon Duck, setting a school record for games played by an Oregon player.
Hate ‘Em
Rebounding
The Ducks got out-rebounded by the Tigers 33-28 on Tuesday night. When a team records a 20-point victory in conference play, it is hard to find too many things to complain about. That said, the Ducks must pay attention to the boards on Sunday.
Rebounding will be a toss-up as Iowa (181st) and Oregon (183rd) rank in the bottom-third in rebounds per game in Division I play, both averaging 34 rpg.
The Ducks will put their 16-3 home record on the line when Iowa rolls in on Sunday.