What to expect: Oregon in 186 words

Let us never speak of Monday night again. Time to look forward to tonight’s matchup against the Ducks!

November 25, 2014; 10:45 AM • by Aaron Williams

It’s Tuesday, and the sun rose despite #12 Villanova’s Monday-ing of #14 VCU. Less than 24 hours after the loss, VCU will face Oregon at 7:30 PM on ESPNU.

Two seasons removed from a Sweet 16 run, Coach Dana Altman is left with a patchwork roster after three players were accused of rape and expelled from school.

Guard Joseph Young is the star (24.5 PPG .562 2PFG, .353 3PFG, 3.8 RPG, 4.5 APG), but Altman’s ability to quickly build a supporting cast was evidenced by the Ducks’ performance against #19 Michigan (a 63-70 loss). There’s no flashy number next to the name, but Oregon is capable–very capable.

But for VCU, the opponent seems less important than the team in the mirror. Hopefully Coach Smart is burning last night’s box score in the locker room and preparing his team to improve their half-court offense, half-court defense, rebounding, fouling, and, most importantly, poise.

Bad Mondays are a dime a dozen. They only become a problem when they define weeks. Tuesday is an opportunity to reboot and get back to the fundamentals of aggressive, confident, and loose (ACL) basketball.