College Basketball Week 11: 5 biggest takeaways

4. Jordan Bell and Oregon are on a roll

When preseason All-American Dillon Brooks limped off the court during Oregon’s 86-63 win over California on Thursday night, there were fears that the junior had re-injured the left foot that he had surgery on over the summer. On Saturday morning, the good news came that Brooks had just sprained his foot rather than re-broken it, although there is still no timetable for his return. Later in the day, the Ducks picked up their 16th straight win, breaking a school record for the longest win streak in its history.

Junior Jordan Bell has been a pivotal piece in helping Oregon extend its streak and in replacing the production lost in Brooks’ absence. In two games last week, the forward scored 37 points on 16-of-19 shooting and added 10 rebounds, five blocks, five steals and four assists. Bell has been one of the most efficient scorers in the Pac-12. He has a 130.0 offensive rating, per KenPom, and has made a conference best 75.5 percent of his 2-pointers.

For the Ducks to be a Final Four contender come March, they’ll need their leader healthy and back on the floor. In the interim, though, Bell and his teammates have shown that they can hold down the fort as Oregon trudges on through Pac-12 play. This week, the Ducks will hit the road for a pair of tough matchups at Utah and Colorado.