Dana Altman expects a physical game on Saturday night inside Matthew Knight Arena. The Oregon Ducks will host visiting UTEP at 6 PM, and he's been preparing his team for the coming physical contest.
During the portion of practice this week the Ducks allowed media to watch, Altman repeatedly preached the importance of not shying away from contact. He hammered home UTEP is coming into Saturday night's game, hoping to speed the tempo up and play physically. He wants his Ducks to be ready for the fight that's coming.
"They are very athletic, really aggressive defensively; we are going to have to be strong with the ball," said Dana Altman.
The Miners are 6-3 on the season, and they've already secured a win over the Pac-12 program in California in November. They beat UC Santa Barbara by 13 points in November and are coming off a 28-point win over Western New Mexico.
Altman hopes Oregon's players tap into the same mindset they used last Saturday at home against Michigan, in which the Ducks out-played a taller and deeper Michigan squad. Oregon won in overtime.
"We are going to have to play well, no doubt about it," Altman said of this weekend's game against UTEP. "We gave a lot of energy in that Michigan game. Grit. The crowd was great. We're going to need that same type of effort, same type of energy to beat a really good UTEP team."
The Minors create nearly 12 steals per game this season, and six players average one steal or better. Guards Tae Hardy and Zid Powell lead the team in two steals per game. Oregon will again be shorthanded at the guard position as starting point guard Jesse Zarzuela will be unavailable due to a foot injury. Freshman point guard Jackson Shelstad will start in his place for the second straight game.
"They force over 18 turnovers a game. Ball handling, handling their pressure will be critical," said Altman.
Oregon continues to play without starting center N'Faly Dante and starting power forward Nate Bittle due to injury. Oregon freshman wing Mookie Cook has begun to do light workouts outside of practice as he recovers from his injury before the year started, but Altman said he's still not ready to play.
That means the Ducks will continue to rely on a two-person rotation at the forward spot between first-year student and five-star forward Kwame Evans Jr and senior transfer Mahamadou Diawara. Diawara's offseason addition may have gone unnoticed by most in August, but the move has proven to be a critical addition.
"He's done a great job. I don't know where we'd be without him with Nate and Dante down and Mooki not playing [yet]," said Altman.
"Mo has been our most physical player. Whatever we need, he tries to do. I couldn't be happier with him. "
Over his last four games in a more significant role, Diawara averaged 20 minutes, 6.25 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4-four shots. Altman said as he gets more settled into his new role, the confidence to perform on the court is growing.
"He knows he has to play, that helps anybody," said Altman. "He's worked hard ever since day one. I've had no hesitation to put him in at all. He's been banged up a bit, but he's playing through it. He's done a tremendous job."
The Ducks have also changed their offense without Bittle and Dante on the floor, and that's been a move Altman says has helped freshman Kwame Evans Jr. The 6-foot-10 freshman is more of a face-up stretch forward than a true center.
"He does get some matchup advantages with bigger five-men, so it should be to his advantage on the offensive end," said Altman.
In the last four games, Evans has averaged 8.25 points, shot 4-of-9 on 3-pointers, and blocked five shots. Rebounding and defense are where Altman notes he needs to improve. Evans had just two rebounds in the last two games while picking up seven total fouls.
"He has to change his physicality on the defensive end of the end and the boards, but he's working on it," said Altman. "But it's an adjustment."
During the portion of practice this week the Ducks allowed media to watch, Altman repeatedly preached the importance of not shying away from contact. He hammered home UTEP is coming into Saturday night's game, hoping to speed the tempo up and play physically. He wants his Ducks to be ready for the fight that's coming.
"They are very athletic, really aggressive defensively; we are going to have to be strong with the ball," said Dana Altman.
The Miners are 6-3 on the season, and they've already secured a win over the Pac-12 program in California in November. They beat UC Santa Barbara by 13 points in November and are coming off a 28-point win over Western New Mexico.
Altman hopes Oregon's players tap into the same mindset they used last Saturday at home against Michigan, in which the Ducks out-played a taller and deeper Michigan squad. Oregon won in overtime.
"We are going to have to play well, no doubt about it," Altman said of this weekend's game against UTEP. "We gave a lot of energy in that Michigan game. Grit. The crowd was great. We're going to need that same type of effort, same type of energy to beat a really good UTEP team."
The Minors create nearly 12 steals per game this season, and six players average one steal or better. Guards Tae Hardy and Zid Powell lead the team in two steals per game. Oregon will again be shorthanded at the guard position as starting point guard Jesse Zarzuela will be unavailable due to a foot injury. Freshman point guard Jackson Shelstad will start in his place for the second straight game.
"They force over 18 turnovers a game. Ball handling, handling their pressure will be critical," said Altman.
Oregon continues to play without starting center N'Faly Dante and starting power forward Nate Bittle due to injury. Oregon freshman wing Mookie Cook has begun to do light workouts outside of practice as he recovers from his injury before the year started, but Altman said he's still not ready to play.
That means the Ducks will continue to rely on a two-person rotation at the forward spot between first-year student and five-star forward Kwame Evans Jr and senior transfer Mahamadou Diawara. Diawara's offseason addition may have gone unnoticed by most in August, but the move has proven to be a critical addition.
"He's done a great job. I don't know where we'd be without him with Nate and Dante down and Mooki not playing [yet]," said Altman.
"Mo has been our most physical player. Whatever we need, he tries to do. I couldn't be happier with him. "
Over his last four games in a more significant role, Diawara averaged 20 minutes, 6.25 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4-four shots. Altman said as he gets more settled into his new role, the confidence to perform on the court is growing.
"He knows he has to play, that helps anybody," said Altman. "He's worked hard ever since day one. I've had no hesitation to put him in at all. He's been banged up a bit, but he's playing through it. He's done a tremendous job."
The Ducks have also changed their offense without Bittle and Dante on the floor, and that's been a move Altman says has helped freshman Kwame Evans Jr. The 6-foot-10 freshman is more of a face-up stretch forward than a true center.
"He does get some matchup advantages with bigger five-men, so it should be to his advantage on the offensive end," said Altman.
In the last four games, Evans has averaged 8.25 points, shot 4-of-9 on 3-pointers, and blocked five shots. Rebounding and defense are where Altman notes he needs to improve. Evans had just two rebounds in the last two games while picking up seven total fouls.
"He has to change his physicality on the defensive end of the end and the boards, but he's working on it," said Altman. "But it's an adjustment."
