Four days after its most dominant victory in four years, Oregon turned in one of its worst performances in program history.
No. 22 Illinois took down the No. 9 Ducks from the 3-point line en route to a 109-77 victory in Big Ten men’s basketball at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday.
It was the most points Oregon had ever allowed in a home game, and the most in a regulation game since a 119-78 loss to No. 2 UCLA in 1968.
It was also the most points allowed in a game since a 108-99 overtime loss to Washington State on Jan. 15, 2015.
“I’ve gotten my ass kicked a lot over the years, but we haven’t lost one like that here,” said Oregon coach Dana Altman, whose team was coming off a victory of 89-49 against Weber State last Sunday. “We were stuck in the mud all night. We didn’t play well. We didn’t play hard. Very disappointed. »
Oregon (12-2, 1-2 Big Ten) lost a conference game at home for the second time this season. But unlike UCLA’s three-pointer against the Ducks on Dec. 8, the game against the Illini (10-3, 2-1) ended much earlier.
Illinois made 16 of 29 3-pointers — the most 3-pointers against Oregon this season — with Ben Humrichous and Kylan Boswell hitting four each, and three others hitting at least two.
Illinois shot 57.5% from the field overall and 55.2% from 3-point range.
“Offensively, we scored 77 points, shot 43 percent (from the field), 33 percent from 3, it wasn’t a terrible performance, but we just got killed,” Altman said. “We gave them easy baskets and then the basket looked big and they hit tough baskets.”
Supreme Cook shines on a dark night for the Ducks
The reserve forward scored a season-high 20 on 8-of-11 shooting in 18 minutes coming off the bench.
It was the most productive performance of the season for the Oregon newcomer, who traded to the Ducks from Georgetown.
“I thought he put up a fight,” Altman said. “He finished a few pieces inside. We’re just going to have to ground him more. … He competed. He was physical.
Nate Bittle also scored 13 points for the Ducks, Kwame Evans Jr. 11 points and TJ Bamba 10.
Jadrian Tracey led Oregon with six rebounds, but the Ducks were outscored at the boards, 43-31.
Six players scored in double figures for the Illini, led by Tre White who scored 20 points.
“One team was well prepared and another was not,” Altman said. “One team was well-coached and another was not. I must take my share of responsibilities.
What’s next for Oregon?
The Ducks remain at home for a game against No. 24 Maryland at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Terrapins (11-3, 1-2) just lost 75-69 to Washington in Seattle on Thursday night, ending a three-game winning streak.
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG
This article was originally published on Register-Guard: Oregon men’s basketball loses in historic fashion to Illinois
