ESPN College Basketball Analyst Jeff Borzello Criticizes Oregon, Using Two Words That Seem Insulting to “Go Ducks!” While Making the “O” Hand Gesture.
In his most recent men’s power rankings, which were released on Thursday, ESPN college basketball expert Jeff Borzello criticized the Ducks’ subpar January performance and moved Oregon down from No. 15 to No. 21.
Borzello remarked, “They haven’t looked impressive lately,” noting that the team went 4-3 in January, suffering a 32-point home loss to Illinois and a road defeat at Minnesota.
Borzello pointed out several analytical statistics that reveal Oregon’s recent underlying problems, even if the team’s six-spot loss was the most of any team in his top-25.
Borzello noted that, based on BartTorvik.com, Oregon’s adjusted efficiency margin for the month ranks 72nd nationally. In Big Ten play, the Ducks are 13th in offensive efficiency and 11th in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
Prior to the Ducks’ 78-52 loss to UCLA on Thursday, the ESPN analyst’s rankings were made public, suggesting that they will probably decline even more in his upcoming edition.
Oregon only made 41.2% of their field goals and 17.4% of their three-pointers in the defeat, letting the Bruins shoot 55.6%. However, Borzello notes that the Ducks’ problems go back farther than Thursday.
Although Borzello praised Oregon’s good overall body of work, the Ducks will need to regain their footing with a challenging schedule ahead of them. Oregon is only 1-3 in its previous four games.
After hosting Nebraska on Sunday, Oregon will hit the road to face Michigan and No. 7 Michigan State, both of whom rank among the top three in the Big Ten standings.
The Ducks will then take on Iowa and No. 17 Wisconsin following home matchups against Northwestern and Rutgers.
Tez Johnson, a receiver for Oregon, overcomes size concerns during Senior Bowl drills.
MOBILE, AL Tez Johnson is aware that any discussion regarding his NFL possibility starts with his size.
The former Oregon wide receiver was among the lightest on record at the all-star game, standing 5′ 9 1/4″ and weighing 156 pounds at this week’s Senior Bowl. For those who seen Johnson’s explosiveness for the Ducks and Troy, it was scarcely surprising that he won every one-on-one rep he took and easily created space over the three days of practice.
However, in a league consisting of bigger, stronger, and faster defenders, endurance becomes an obvious issue because few NFL players are so light.
Johnson said he has a plan for handling the physical demands of the NFL. In 12 games this season, he had 13 punt returns for 155 yards and a touchdown and 83 receptions for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Johnson stated that he looks up to Seattle Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett (5-foot-10, 182 pounds), LA Rams receiver Cooper Kupp (6-foot-2, 207 pounds), and Houston Texans wide out Tank Dell (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) as role models.
Johnson has almost a month until this year’s NFL combine to put on weight and perhaps return to the 165 pounds he listed at UO. However, Tutu Atwell, who was selected by the LA Rams in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, was the last non-specialist player to weigh less than 160 pounds at the combine.
“How many hits do I take, considering you obviously observed me for two years? “Not much,” Johnson remarked. “I am certainly aware of that, but we are football players, not bodybuilders. You must learn the game.
