Ducks blow opportunity with 71-64 loss to Stanford

The Oregon Ducks had a good big of momentum on their side. After the season was put on life support with a big loss to Arizona State at home, Dana Altman and his team flipped the script and turned around on a dime, beating the No. 9 Arizona Wildcats in a blowout just a couple of days later. They followed that win up with a blowout over the California Golden Bears on Thursday.

It appeared that things were clicking in Eugene, and all hope was not lost.

That’s no longer the case.

On Saturday night, Oregon closed out their Bay Area road trip with a disastrous loss to the Stanford Cardinal, falling 71-64 to the last-place team in the Pac-12. It feature abysmal shooting, poor effort until it was too late, and another head-scratcher for Altman in a season that’s been full of them.

The Ducks’ chance at an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament is all but dashed, and it’s seeming likely that it will be another trip to the NIT for Oregon.

Here’s how it all went down:

Jan 21, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Harrison Ingram (55) passes against Oregon Ducks center N’Faly Dante (1) during the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

 Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

• The Ducks played well to start the game, but the Cardinal simply played better. In the opening 10 minutes, Stanford shot 10-for-14 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3FG, racing out to a 25-21 lead early in the game.
• The Ducks turned the ball over seven times in the first half, which is always a problem when facing a team that is as hot as Stanford is shooting the ball. Fortunately, the Cardinal only had five points off of those seven turnovers.
• Stanford’s hot shooting did not tail off before halftime. The Cardinal shot 67% from the floor and 58% from 3FG in the first 20 minutes. The fact that Oregon was able to enter the break only down 42-37 honestly felt like a win.
• Not much changed early in the second half when it came to the scoreboard, other than the fact that Stanford’s impressive night continued as they build a 12-point lead at one point. Instead of the deep ball falling, though, it was effort plays that pushed Stanford forward.
• The Ducks shooting became atrocious in the second half. At one point with under 10 minutes left, Oregon went 1-for-11 from the floor. Fortunately, the Cardinal went cold as well, so Oregon’s 10-point deficit did not grow bigger.
• In the second half,…