The Oregon Ducks are riding high as they enter the third round of the Global Sports Classic on Monday night against Jacksonville State.
The team has won three-straight home games and is undefeated on the season with a 3-0 record after winning 74-48 against Vanderbilt on Friday night.
Forward E. J. Singler had a team-high 22 points and added five points and six assists. He appears to be nearly 100 percent after dealing with injury issues in October, which forced him to miss practice.
"We knew how big of a game this was for us as a collective unit, a test to kind of measure where we're at," said Singler to the Associated Press. "We came out and really showed a good team effort."
The senior leads the team in points with 13.3 per game and is first in assists. Singler is an all-around player and is one reason why the Ducks are undefeated. He is shooting 33 percent from three-point range this season and is also averaging over a steal a game.
The Ducks played staunch defense against the Commodores, forcing them to shoot just 34 percent in the game, including 4-of-21 from three-point range. Oregon was much more efficient, hitting 46 percent of their shots.
"We knew they were going to shoot 3s coming in," Singler said. "That was a big emphasis on us this week, containing the 3 and not letting them get good open looks."
Senior forward Arsalan Kazemi finally suited up for the Ducks after missing the first two games due to NCAA issues. He was cleared to play after transferring from Rice last season and has his hardship waiver approved by the NCAA. Kazemi played for 21 minutes, scoring five points and grabbing a team-high seven boards.
"He can really change the game for us," said coach Dana Altman to the Register Guard. "He's a wonderful young man," he said of Kazemi. "He's so easy to be around, he's so mature, he loves the game. ... I think he's going to be an awfully good player for us."
Kazemi will give the Ducks much-needed size and efficiency. Last season he was one of the best defensive rebounders, ranking third in the nation, and also was one of the top free-throw shooters in Conference USA.
According to ESPN.com's Eammon Brennan, "Kazemi has been one of the nation's most underrated players for the last two years, a dominant rebounder and interior finisher."
Jacksonville State comes the game on Monday night after a 77-58 loss against the No. 18-ranked UNLV Rebels.
The Gamecocks won three in a row to start the season, but could not stop the high-powered offense of UNLV. It was the first 3-0 start for the school since it "became a Division I program before the 1995-96 season," according to the Associated Press.
Jacksonville was completely overwhelmed by the size of UNLV and was outrebounded by nearly 20 boards.
"We have to understand our offensive game plan versus the team we're playing against," Jacksonville State coach James Green said to the Associated Press. "We have to be stronger around the basket and rebound better. It really demoralized us to give up the defensive rebounds."
The Rebels never trailed in the game and held the Gamecocks offense to only 14 points in the first half. Ronnie Boggs led the team inc scoring with 16 and also added nine rebounds.
"It was a tough first half," Green said. "We played like we were totally intimidated. We didn't get our game plan into the game for the most part. We let it get away from us in the last 5 or 10 minutes of the first half."
Boggs has been the most impressive player for the Gamecocks this season, leading the team in points and rebounds. Against Alabama A&M on Thursday, he hit 53 percent f his shots and scored 15 points while grabbing eight assists.
Sophomore Darion Rackley is second on the team in scoring with 11 points per game, but has slumped lately. After scoring 31 in the first two wins of the year, he only has 13 and has missed half of his three-point attempts.
The Gamecocks offense is scoring 72 points per game, but the team has been outmatched while rebounding the ball, ranking only 155th in the nation. They have played efficiently, ranking 62nd in assists and 94th in field goal percentage, but scored the lowest amount of points this season in the loss against UNLV.
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