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No. 19 Oregon holds off Georgetown and Josh Smith, 82-75

Oregon v Georgetown

PYEONGTAEK, SOUTH KOREA - NOVEMBER 09: Joshua Smith #24 of the Georgetown Hoyas drives to the basket against the Oregon Ducks during the Armed Forces Classic at United States Army Garrison-Humphreys on November 9, 2013 in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

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Oregon got 55 points from their three notable transfers as the No. 19 Ducks shook off the suspensions of Dominic Artis and Ben Carter to hold off Georgetown out in South Korea, 82-75.

Dana Altman’s club got 24 points from Joseph Young and 16 points from Jason Calliste, who combined to hit just 7-for-17 from the floor and 3-for-10 from three but knocked down all 23 of their free throw attempts.

The difference maker for the Ducks ended up being Mike Moser and, to a lesser extent, Richard Amardi. Moser finished with 15 points and seven boards, but he also chipped in with four steals and a block, showcasing his ability to use his length to make plays on the defensive end of the floor. He only made two of the seven threes he took, but the threat of that shot caused issues for Georgetown defensively.

Oregon was a different team without Artis on the floor last season, but that doesn’t seem to be the case this year. The Ducks have depth at the guard spot, enough that it’s reasonable to think that Artis could end up losing his spot as a starter at the point if guys like Jonathan Loyd, Young and Calliste continue to play well.

Where they aren’t as deep is in the front court, which is why this win is so impressive. The Ducks got abused on the interior by Josh Smith, who finished with 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting while seemingly getting every single front court player for Dana Altman into foul trouble. But they were still able to pull out a tough win on the other side of the world, a win that is made all the more important by the fact that a) the Ducks don’t have too much else on their non-conference slate, and b) that this win will end up looking better in March than it does right now.

Why?

Because Georgetown is only going to get better.

Smith is a special talent, and Georgetown’s ability to turn skilled big men into stars will allow them to maximize Smith’s ability. He’s impossible to stop in the post, but he’s a good enough passer and decision-maker that double-teaming him is difficult. He’s a liability on the defensive end, however, as he can’t defend the pick-and-roll, he’s not a shot-blocker and he can’t rebound out of his area. As well as he played tonight, Smith didn’t get a single defensive rebound.

That defensive liability is what keeps Georgetown from being a team that’s a legitimate Final Four contender. But this is still a group that should be good enough to play their way into the top 15 or 20 nationally. Come March, this is going to be a marquee win for the Ducks.

Follow @robdauster