Sunday, November 25, 2001
Oregon spanks Pitino, Louisville
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — Freddie Jones scored 20 points, and Oregon got some unusually strong play from its big men to dominate Rick Pitino's Louisville team 90-63 Saturday night.
Robert Johnson added 10 rebounds for the Ducks (4-0), who have won their games by a combined 140 points but needed to face a good opponent like Louisville to show how much they've improved over last season's 14-14 team.
Erik Brown scored 20 points and Ellis Myles had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead Louisville, which quickly found out that Oregon is no South Alabama. The Cardinals (1-1) routed that team 92-38 last week at Freedom Hall in Pitino's debut.
Louisville forced 36 turnovers in the opener, but the Ducks held onto the ball better, and they knew where to get it.
Center Chris Christoffersen, a 7-foot-2, 300-pound Dane who's still learning the game, had 13 points, including six during a quick 8-2 run to start the second half, when the Ducks expanded their lead to 24.
Christoffersen, who averaged just 3.3 points and 9.0 minutes last season, put a spin move on Myles along the baseline for a layup and a free throw that made it 68-43 with 9:52 left.
Oregon actually started pulling away midway through the first half, when Louisville was within 17-16. Luke Jackson made a 3-pointer, and reserve forward Brian Helquist had three inside baskets to keep the run going.
Two free throws and a 3-pointer by Luke Ridnour ended a 22-9 surge that put Oregon ahead 48-30 at halftime.
Helquist, a 6-foot-9 transfer from Florida Community College in Jacksonville, had 10 points. He's joined by Johnson, another newcomer, in replacing last season's fairly weak front line of Flo Hartenstein and Julius Hicks.
The 6-8 Johnson, who came from Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College, had only eight points, but his and Helquist's play freed up the outside shooters. Luke Ridnour had 13 points.
Oregon also blew out Louisville last season, 88-65, and the Cardinals went on to finish a miserable 12-19. Coach Denny Crum resigned, ending an outstanding 30-year tenure that produced 675 victories and two national titles. Pitino was brought in after resigning from the Boston Celtics.
The Ducks, meantime, started 10-1 before faltering, and a big reason was defense: Oregon gave up an average of 77.3 points.
After hiring defense-minded assistant coach Fred Litzenberger from the Oregon women's team, the Ducks appear to be much better. In three games on successive nights last week, they gave up 55.7 points, albeit against inferior opponents in their own building.
While Louisville shot just 38 percent, Oregon shot 51 percent and committed 15 turnovers, two fewer than the Cardinals.
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