It is an insufficient salve, but Oregon’s Men’s Basketball team showed real toughness and resilience this afternoon at the Chiles Center in Portland, beating Villanova 74 - 67. This was the 7th-place game in the Phil Knight Invitational, and both teams came in having lost their opening 2 games in the tournament. Oregon faced the additional challenge of having lost both N’Faly Dante (concussion) and Nate Bittle (foot) in Friday’s loss to Michigan State. The Ducks had only 6 “scholarship” players available for this game along with 7 “walk-ons.” Like the soccer team earlier this Fall, men’s basketball has suffered a bewildering number of injuries.