How the Ducks match up with Washington State in Round 2 of Pac-12 Tournament
This is why the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team worked so hard late in the season to receive a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament.
The 4-seeded Ducks will take on the 5-seed Washington State team after the Cougars took down California 69-52 in the first round down in Las Vegas.
Now the Ducks and Cougars will meet in the quarterfinals with a scheduled tip time of 2:30 pm PST on the Pac-12 Network. The two teams split their two meetings this season with each team winning on their home floor.
The winner of the Oregon game will take on the winner between Colorado and UCLA.
In order for the Ducks to advance past WSU, winners of eight straight, they’ll have to play better than they did in the Palouse where a late rally fell short.
December 1 - Oregon 74, WSU 60
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It seems like so long ago, but in early December, the Cougars came into Matthew Knight Arena and watched a halftime lead evaporate and the Ducks opened the conference slate with a 14-point win. N’Faly Dante score 16 of his 22 points in the second half.
February 19 - WSU 68, Oregon 65
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Oregon got off to a hot start, but couldn’t sustain the momentum and then a late rally fell short in the narrow road loss in the Palouse. Washington State was 7-of-12 in the second half from long range as the Cougars outscored the Ducks 41-35 after the break.
It happens to be Oregon’s last defeat as the Ducks have gone on the win their last three contests.
Keys to victory
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Hold the Cougars down from three-point range: WSU leads the conference in made threes with nine threes made per game. They hit nine in the win over Oregon, but just four in the loss in Eugene.
Get off to a good start: In the first two games in the Pac-12 tournament, the two losers, Washington and Cal, each had very slow starts to begin their respective games.
Will Richardson needs to be active and productive: The Oregon point guard has had a recent history of not showing up in games to the Ducks’ detriment. If the good Will Richardson shows himself, Oregon has a chance to not only beat WSU but make some serious noise in Las Vegas.
Contain Mouhamed Gueye: The Cougars center scored 18 and 19 points, respectively, in the two games against the Ducks. N’Faly Dante needs to make sure Gueye doesn’t have his way in the paint.
