Before we tip-off tomorrow afternoon's game, we decided to get a little Pre-Game chat going with Addicted to Quack, the SB Nation Oregon blog. We asked Matt Takimoto some questions about tomorrow's game, and his responses are below. To see my answers to Tako's questions, follow this link. Enjoy!
Q. Who has been the best player so far the Ducks? Who should Beaver fans be looking out for?
A. Our best player has been Joevan Catron, and hopefully his veteran presence will be good and healthy Saturday, as he's missed the past two games with a calf injury. Beaver fans might not be aware of freshman Johnathan Loyd, who provides a scoring spark despite being 5'9".
Q. What has been the main problem for Oregon this year, or is it just the lack of talent and new coach?
A. We don't make shots. And if you don't make shots, you won't win basketball games.
Q. Who do you want to punch in the face?
A. Cigarette smokers, Glenn Beck, and Byron Hout. Oh wait, do you mean relating to Oregon-OSU? Keaton Kristic. I know he plays football, and he's not on the team anymore. He still bugs me.
Q. What must happen for Oregon to make the postseason?
A. PLAYOFFS? Don't talk about playoffs? You kidding me? There'd have to be some kind of miracle where we get drastically better at shooting and guys like Martin Seiferth get way better in a hurry for us to even think about postseason. Our only real shot is to catch fire in the tournament and win the whole thing.
Q. Which newcomer has had the biggest impact for the Ducks?
A. Senior transfer Jay-R (Not J-Are) Strowbridge is averaging 7.8 ppg for us this year, and also look for Johnathan Loyd and Tyrone Nared to have an impact.
Rest of the Q&A after the break
Q. Exactly how "deep in the woods" are you?
A. I'm "no one can hear you scream" deep.
Q. You get exactly one stupid excuse for the National Championship Game, and it can't be "It's stupid to win the Natty on a Field Goal, the refs sucked, Dyer's run shouldn't have counted, or the field sucked". What do you choose?
A. Nick Fairley punches babies. Is there evidence? No. But search your heart. You know he gets a cheap thrill from assaulting infants. I'm convinced his baby punching was the difference in the game.
Q. Did you guys lose anyone from last year's team, and if so, were they key player(s)?
A. With the firing of Ernie Kent and the ensuing coaching search fiasco, many players chose not to stick around. Most notably, center Michael Dunigan retreated to Israel to play professionally amidst rumors of academic improprieties. Guard Matt Humphrey is now at Boston College, forward Drew Wiley is at Boise State, and forward Josh Crittle is at Central Florida. We also lost swingman LeKendric Longmire to academic ineligibility.
Q. Predictions for the game?
A. My prediction is the team with the least number of turnovers will win. Both teams play an attacking style of defense and will force mistakes. For the sake of homerism, I'll say Ducks 72-68.
Go Beavers!