*Duc& g‘7%ac^
__ By Bob Robinson
^ Emarild Sporti Editor
What has happened to the University of Oregon basketball
team? 'I hat has been the question on the tongues of almost
every 1 hick basketball fan for the past two weeks. After ripping
through league opponents with relative ease for half of the sea
son and compiling a seven won and two lost record for their
fir. t nine games in Northern Division play the Webfoots
suddenly fell apart at the scams and lost three straight encount
ers.
W adiington State, a team that the Ducks had beaten three
straight times, was the first to knock Bill Borcher’s five off
their perch with a 74-98 win at McArthur Court two weeks ago.
rl hen, after a ten day rest, the Webfoots travelled to Moscow,
Idaho and absorbed two consecutive shellackings from the
\ andals, 68-5 1 and 79-65.
'1 hcse losses cost the Oregon quintet dearly, because, before
they took place the Ducks were firmly entrenched in first place.
Now, with a seven and five won-loss mark, they are in second
place, one full game behind the OSC Beavers. In order to win
the Northern Division crown, the Ducks would probably have
to win all four of their remaining games or at least three of
them.
Seattle Jinx
'I he possibility of Oregon winning all the rest of their tilts is
i next to impossible. This weekend, when the Webfoots invade
Seattle, they will be encountering a jinx that has plagued them
f<<r many years. The last Duck win over the Washington Husk
ies in Kdnumdson Pavilion came in 1947, when Dick Wilkins
tossed in a long howitzer just before the final gun to give Ore
gon a 49 IS victory. Since that time, the Huskies have won 13
straight..
If that isn’t a formidable enough obstruction, the Ducks arc
j^wed with even a tougher problem in their final series of the
Season as they face the rangy Oregon Staters in a pair of
^•tussles.
Since the Beavers are the team that is just ahead of Oregon
“ in the N.D. standings it is almost certain that the Ducks will
have to beat the Orangemen in both games in order to have a
chance for the championship. To beat Swede Halbrook and his
colleagues two nights in a row is a very rugged assignment for
the shorter Wcbfoot five.
Champs to Chumps
But no matter what happens the rest of the way, people will
always wonder why the Ducks changed from champs to chumps
right in the middle of the season. There are a million different
1 ways that one can speculate on this subject but we think there
|jj| one primary reason for the slump and we would like to take
this opportunity to elaborate on it.
Probably the most obvious aspect of the situation is the
Ducks’ lack of bench strength. If one of the Oregon starters is
having an off night Borchcr has very few reliable men to call
upon for relief duty.
But even this shortage of reserves is not the main reason for
the “big collapse.” At least we don’t think so. The whole
h&ouble, we believe, can be summed up with one word, TEM
PTER AM ENT. Never in our life have we seen a more tempera
> mental club than this year’s Oregon team. It they want to play
ball and win they can reach amazing heights of success. But,
> on the other hand, if they aren’t feeling just right, they are the
most pathetic team in the league, barring none.
►
Ducks Inconsistent
A good example of the Wcbfoot inconsistency occurred only
a short time ago. The Ducks looked sharper than a tack in
downing OSC 42-40 but only four nights later they looked
lousy in absorbing their six point loss to last-place Washington
State.
Center Max Anderson is one of the most temperamental
players on the team. Against the Beavers, Max was a tiger on
the boards and terrific on defense, besides scoring a very neat
18 points. In the WSC series Anderson was a different player.
He lacked scoring punch, hustle, and he rebounded far below his
capabilities.
An even better example is Duck Captain Kenny Wegner.
Wegner, deemed as an All-American candidate before the
season began, has looked good in some games but has been so
poor in others that lie will be lucky to get an honorable mention
rating on this season’s Northern Division all-star quintet.
. Need "Will to Win"
► We could elaborate on many of the other Duck players in the
»ame way but it would be somewhat pointless. The main point
r that the Oregons can be great when they have the desire to
f win but they don’t always have this desire.
[ In their last three games the Ducks obviously have been
lacking the old “will to win spirit.” Will they have it back with
^tliem against the Huskies this weekend? Nobody knows. If
I they do they will be very tough to beat despite the “Seattle
L jinx.” If they don’t have it, well, heaven only knows how bad
F Washington will pour it on.
Webfoots Face Washington'
In Do-or-Die Cage Contests}
With their last fading
chances of a Northern Division
championship hanging in the
balance, the University of Ore
gon basketball team takes on
the fast-improving Washington
Huskies in an important two
game series at Seattle this
weekend.
The Ducks, who trail Oregon
State by one full game, need to
win both contests in order to stay
in the running for the league
championship. The Beavers are
playing two tussles with Washing
1 ton State this weekend, but, the1
joillmen are expected to win both
! battles and, if they do, it will
| make two Oregon wins necessary,
' also.
Although the Webfoots of coach
Bill Borcher currently hold a pair
Duck Captain
HEX WEGNER, Oregon guard and captain, will be In the line-up to
night and Saturday evening as the Ducks play a very important ser
ies with the Washington Huskies at Seattle. Wegner is a senior from
Portland.
5f wins over the Washingtonians^
they will by no means go into the
series as the favorite. The Huskies
have improved constantly evert
since they made their disastrous
trek to Eugene one month ago and
now are considered to be a much
stronger team.
Ducks Win First Series
In their Eugene session the
Ducks won both game.s, the first
by a 77-76 score and the final
by a 64-48 tally.
Borcher has been shifting his
line-up around all week long in art
effort to find a combination that
will be able to break the three
game Duck losing streak". AD
though he hasn't decided for sure
it appears that the rangy Oregon
mentor will start the fracas with
Ed Halberg and Barney Holland,
at the forward spots. Max Ander
son at center, and Ken Wegner
and Howard Page in the back
court.
Dye will try to match this team.,
with Karl Voegtlin and Jim Cos
how at the forward posts, Dean
Parsons at center, and Doyle Per
kins and Jerry Johnson at guards.
Perkins, who has been one of the
Husky stars as of late, did not.
play in the first Oregon-Washing
ton series.
Defense vs. Fast Break
The key to the outcome of the,
series will probably lie on just,,
how well Washington’s "vastly im
proved defense can slow down the.
Ducks’ lightning fast break.
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