Ducks won't let Waves dictate play.

Byline: BOB CLARK The Register-Guard

MALIBU, Calif. - Oregon isn't quite sure what might confront it tonight in Firestone Fieldhouse.

Does Pepperdine keep pressing fullcourt as the Waves did in beating Cal-Santa Barbara? That would seem to play into Oregon's preference for a fast-paced, wide-open game.

Do the Waves add back 6-foot-9, 240-pound junior Glen McGowan? He missed Pepperdine's first five games recovering from knee surgery, but could be ready for his season debut.

How good is freshman Alex Acker? He becomes a starter with senior point guard Devin Montgomery ruled out for the next month after suffering a broken thumb.

Or do the fifth-ranked Ducks not worry about any of the above, and simply do what they do best, and go with the lineup they want to use in tonight's televised (7:30 on the Oregon Sports Network) matchup with the Waves?

The Ducks essentially did that against Kansas last week, and one of the key reasons it worked was the play of 6-foot-8 junior Jay Anderson. He not only contributed seven points in 20 minutes off the bench, but showed his versatility at the defensive end, taking on Jayhawks big and small.

In one short span, Anderson was locked up with 6-11, 255-pound Nick Collison, one of the best inside players in the country. When Collison went to the bench with a fourth foul, the Jayhawks tried a small lineup of one post player and four perimeter players, and that put Anderson on 6-3 Michael Lee.

Would the Ducks switch defenses, from their straight man-to-man to their matchup zone? Nope. Oregon stayed man, and Anderson helped make it work because he could guard the quicker Lee on the perimeter.

`I was kind of surprised that once they went small, we didn't go matchup more,' Anderson said. The man defense, though, `was working and we didn't want to go away from what was working.'

It does, if there's a player versatile enough to play a 6-11 opponent one possession, and then a 6-3 guard the next.

`It was fun,' Anderson said. `With Collison, it was deny him everything. With Lee, it was contain him, make him shoot over the top of me. Make him take a tough shot.'

Anderson's preference on a defensive assignment would be `probably something in between. Not so big, and not so fast.'

Except think of the other side of that matchup: Collison didn't like going outside to guard Anderson, and Lee was giving up five inches to Anderson.

`That's one of my biggest pluses,' Anderson said. `It's hard for big guys to guard me because I can shoot (outside) and if they put a smaller guy on me, I can take him inside.'

Anderson did some of both against Kansas, and his two jumpers from the three-point arc, one just inside, one behind it, gave the Ducks a big second-half boost.

`That's my shot, the top of the key three-pointers,' Anderson said. `They can give me those all day.'

Shooting has always been a forte for Anderson, but it's his all-around game that is earning him more playing time. That should continue, UO coach Ernie Kent said, after Anderson's performance against the Jayhawks.

`I'm hoping it's his breakout game,' Kent said. `As a young player starts gaining confidence, then comes the breakthrough game. He certainly played well, and there were not only those big baskets (he made) but a couple other shots were in and out.'

Pepperdine is likely to be an opponent where Anderson needs to contribute in similar fashion. The Waves have lost 6-11 center Will Kimball to a heart ailment and with the question of McGowan's availability, it's probably going to be a smaller, more athletic team the Ducks find awaiting them.

The Waves will sometimes play three forwards on the front line, and other times go with four guards. Pepperdine's top scorer is 6-6 senior Jimmy Miggins, but he's also the team leader in assists. There will be times when the most physical Wave on the court is 6-7, 230-pound Boomer Brazzle, the Portland native.

No matter what, the Ducks want to play it their way.

`I'd like to dictate all the time,' Kent said of using big or small lineups. `With Kansas, we got physical with them when they went small ... we didn't play down to their size.'

Instead, the Ducks played Anderson more, and he made it work.

`Hopefully that helped me a lot, if I can carry that confidence over into the next game and build on it,' Anderson said.

PEPPERDINE VS OREGON

OREGON (5-0) STARTERS

Robert Johnson, 6-8 Sr. (8.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg)

Luke Jackson, 6-7 Jr. (18.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg)

Brian Helquist, 6-9 Sr. (5.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

James Davis, 5-10 Jr. (11.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg)

Luke Ridnour, 6-2 Jr. (21.2 ppg, 7.8 apg)

PEPPERDINE (3-2) STARTERS

Jimmy Miggins, 6-6 Sr. (16.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

Boomer Brazzle, 6-7 Sr. (13.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg)

David Patten, 6-8 Fr. (2.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

Alex Acker, 6-5 Fr. (6.2 ppg, 2.4 apg)

Terrance Johnson, 6-5 So. (15.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

TIME

7:30 p.m. PST.

RADIO/TV

KUGN-AM (590). Televised live by Oregon Sports Network (KEZI locally).