Montana Grizzlies
Montana-Oregon Preview (Dec 13, 2016)
Montana Grizzlies

Montana-Oregon Preview (Dec 13, 2016)

Published Dec. 11, 2016 10:49 p.m. ET

EUGENE, Ore. -- After rallying late to beat two unranked teams at home, Oregon coach Dana Altman isn't taking any game for granted.

The No. 24 Ducks (8-2) put a six-game winning streak on the line when they host Montana (3-7) on Tuesday night at Matthew Knight Arena.

"We will have our hands full with anybody right now," Altman said. "We have to worry about ourselves and worry about playing better."

After moving up to No. 4 in the rankings in November, the Ducks fell following losses to Baylor and Georgetown. Oregon's current winning streak includes a 68-63 win over Boise State when the Ducks rallied from a 14-point deficit and the Oregon needed to come from behind in the final four minutes during Sunday's 65-56 win over Alabama.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We're just stuck in the mud a bit," Altman said.

Oregon has three nonconference games left before opening Pac-12 play against No. 2 UCLA on Dec. 28.

"There has got to be more of a sense of urgency than we have got," Altman said. "We have to get a lot of things straightened out in the next two and a half weeks. I don't sense that urgency that the coaching staff has among the team so we have to do a better job."

Montana had a two-game winning streak snapped with an 85-83 loss at Wyoming on Saturday. The leading scorer for the Grizzlies with 13.7 points per game is sophomore guard Ahmaad Rorie, who transferred from Oregon after his first year.

"Ahmaad is a great kid," said Oregon point guard Casey Benson, who split starting duties with Rorie two years ago. "I look forward to getting out and playing. We have got to get better as a team. Montana is coming in and we know they are talented. We have to be ready to go and come out and play well. That is the focus for us. We want to win, but we want to play well and make improvements."

Oregon sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey is averaging 19.2 points per game in his last five outings while shooting at least 50 percent from the field in each game. He tops the Ducks with 14.3 points per game.

"That's what I do, I practice shooting every day," Dorsey said. "My teammates find me in good spots and all I do is catch and shoot."

Oregon continues to bring all-conference junior forward Dillon Brooks off the bench as he returns from offseason foot surgery. Brooks missed the first three games of the season and ranks third on the team with 13.1 points per game since his return.

The Ducks have had to adjust their offense since Brooks returned and he will likely go back into the starting line-up soon.

"A lot of it is not having a rhythm and not having a feel for each other," Altman said. "Offensively and defensively, I don't like the flow to our game right now. It can be corrected, guys just have to get a better feel for it, but we have to do it quickly."

share


Get more from Montana Grizzlies Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more