Skip to main content

Instant Recap: #16 Oregon blown out at UCLA 52-78

by:Collin King01/30/25
Oregon HC Dana Altman
Soobum Im | Getty Images

Coming into the matchup in Westwood, the Ducks are coming off an ugly loss to Minnesota on the road. Tonight, they will need to refocus and face a former Pac-12 foe in UCLA, who already beat the Ducks earlier this season. Notably, Nate Bittle is listed as questionable for this matchup. If Oregon is to be without Bittle, they will have to find some way to guard against UCLA’s Aday Mara. On the Bruin’s side, former Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau is questionable tonight as well. Quad 1 opportunity for the Ducks, should they win, and this game could propel them to 6-4 in conference play or back to .500.

Oregon ranks as the No. 27 team in Net Rankings, and No. 29 in KenPom. UCLA on the other hand is 33rd in Net, and No. 32 in KenPom. This game I’m incorporating another metric, from EvanMiya.com. His team rankings have Oregon as the 34th ranked team, and the Bruins 36th.

Starting Lineups:

Ducks starting Shelstad, Bamba, Tracey, Angel, and Bittle. Bruins starting Dylan Andrews, Skyy Clark, Kobe Johnson, Eric Dailey Jr, and Tyler Bilodeau.

First Half:

After the Nebraska vs Illinois game finally ended, coverage switched over to the Oregon game with 11:48 to play.

Ducks trail 12-21 with 11:12 left in the first half, Kwame Evans Jr just smoked a wide open layup and picks up a frustration foul right after. Oregon is shooting 5/13 from the field so far, and 0/6 from deep. The Bruins are 9/12 from the field and 3/3 from deep. Nate Bittle has 6 points for the Ducks in 7 minutes, to lead the team in scoring. Eric Dailey Jr has 9 points in only 8 minutes, he scored 19 against the Ducks in their last matchup.

Nate Bittle hits a big three, he’s already up to 9 points for Oregon. The next offensive possession down, Keeshawn Barthelemy hits a 3-pointer. The two combined have 16 of Oregon’s 18 points.

Oregon trails 18-26 now with 7:44 to play in the half. This team lacks defensive integrity and focus.

Ducks are on the brink of getting blown out before a Brandon Angel 3-pointer, which is then immediately responded to with a UCLA 3-pointer.

Keeshawn Barthelemy is able to get a floater to fall before the half, cutting the UCLA lead to 14 at halftime. Ducks trailing an ugly one 26-40.

Oregon is shooting 10/29 (34.5%) from the field, and 3/16 (18.8%) from deep. Need to stop forcing deep shots and need to have more offensive motion and spacing. The Bruins are shooting 17/31 (54.8%) from the field, and 5/13 (38.5%) from deep. UCLA has double Oregon’s rebounds, winning the rebounding battle 16-8. Oregon also has no answer for Eric Dailey Jr, he’s got 11 points on 5/6 shooting.

Second Half:

A little bit better defensively, and finally the Ducks are being aggressive on offense, taking the ball to the rim. Ducks still trail 38-48 with 15:19 to play in Westwood. Jackson Shelstad is still yet to score.

I take my previous remarks back, Ducks have two straight possessions with turnovers.

Eric Dailey Jr is elite against Oregon apparently, he’s up to 14 on 6/7 shooting.

Oregon trails by 15 with less than 10 to play, Ducks letting this one get away from them again.

My analysis for the rest of the game will be very limited, Oregon isn’t fighting at all, and now trails by 22.

Deficit has expanded to 28 points with under 5 minutes to go. The Ducks previous season low in scoring was 58 against Purdue, they are likely to go under that in this one.

Oregon falls 52-78. No passion, horrific offense, and subpar defense yet again. Ducks have dropped two straight and are now .500 in conference play. Also worth noting that Oregon went 4-4 in the month of January, with crucial matchups against Nebraska, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Rutgers, Iowa, and Wisconsin on deck for February.

You may also like