PORTLAND, Ore. -- Despite a seven-game winning streak, Oregon coach Dana Altman isn't satisfied with what he sees from the Ducks.
"We're stuck in the mud," he said. "I keep talking about how much work we have to do, but we keep finding ways to win games."
The No. 22 Ducks (9-2) head to Moda Center in Portland to face UNLV (6-4) on Saturday evening.
The Rebels beat Oregon 80-69 last season at MGM Grand Garden Arena after building a 47-33 lead at halftime.
"That was an intense game," Oregon senior center Chris Boucher said. "It was my first time playing in front of a big arena like that. One thing I know is we can't let them start the game like they did last time so we have to catch up. It is hard to come out and play catch up the whole game. We have to play good defense and make sure we give ourselves a chance to win."
The Ducks are the home team playing about 120 miles from campus in the city that hosts their largest fan base. Freshman point guard Payton Pritchard will be playing in front of a hometown crowd.
"I won two state titles at (Moda Center), so I like that floor," he said. "I had good memories there so hopefully we can continue that."
The Ducks struggled to put away unranked Alabama and Montana in their last two games as Altman considered adjusting his lineup.
"We are still trying to figure things out," Altman said. "We are probably going to make some adjustments. After three days of practice, I don't know who will start the next one. We may go a whole different direction."
One change that could come soon would be the addition of all-conference forward Dillon Brooks to the starting lineup. The 6-foot-7 junior missed the first three games following offseason foot surgery and has come off the bench in all eight games since returning while averaging 12.3 points per game.
"It is always different, it's a change and not only for him, but for us too," Boucher said. "Coach will make the right decision and when Dillon is back, he will be ready to play and help us too."
Boucher had a career-high 19 rebounds in Tuesday's 81-67 win over Montana while scoring 23 points and blocking five shots. He ranks 11th in the nation with 3.2 blocks per game.
"It makes my life a lot easier defensively," Pritchard said of having Boucher as the final line of Oregon's defense. "I can pressure on defense and if I get beat, I know Chris has my back. It is big time."
Boucher leads Oregon with 14.1 points per game while sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey is averaging 13.5.
UNLV bounced back from a 94-45 loss to Duke on Saturday to defeat Incarnate Word 92-64 on Wednesday.
Guard Jalen Poyser leads UNLV with 16.1 points and 3.9 assists while forward Tyrell Green averages 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds for first-year coach Marvin Menzies.
