Men’s Basketball Recap: Oregon Torched by Fighting Illini

#9 Oregon took on the #22 Illinois Fighting Illini last night, and well… Things did not go great. The game started off ok for the Ducks, who jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, but after a 14-2 run put Illinois up 16-9 halfway through the first half, they never looked back. They would go on to blow the Ducks out 109-77.

The Fighting Illini just looked like they wanted this one more last night, imposing their will on the glass by out rebounding the Ducks 43-31. Outside of the first 5-6 minutes of the game, the Oregon defense was not good. They were allowing Illinois to get to the rim anytime they wanted, which not only led to 48 points in the paint, but also opened up the perimeter shooting, allowing the Fighting Illini to shoot 55% (16-29) from deep, and 58% (42-73) overall. The 2nd half defense in particular was bad, with Illinois shooting a remarkable 70.6% from the floor and a whopping 75% from three. Supreme Cook led the Ducks in scoring tonight, finishing with 20 points on 8-11 shooting, while Nate Bittle and KJ Evans added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Overall, it was not a night to remember. Hopefully the Ducks can bounce back in their next matchup against the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday. And, as always, ‘Sco Ducks.