Oregon men's basketball will aim for sixth straight win vs. California: What to know
UPDATE: An ice and snow storm is hitting the Eugene area Saturday. Just before noon, the City of Eugene declared an ice and snow emergency and requested residents don't drive and to remove any parked cars from the roads so maintenance crews can address safety hazards.
As of 12:40 p.m., Saturday's game at Matthew Knight Arena against California is still scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. and the Ducks were at the arena for their pregame practice, according to a team spokesman.
Oregon (12-3, 4-0 Pac-12) vs. California (6-10, 2-3)
Time/date: 5 p.m. Saturday
Site: Matthew Knight Arena
TV: Pac-12 Networks. Radio: KUJZ-FM (95.3).
About the matchup: Oregon is on a five-game win streak and the hottest team in the Pac-12. But is it possible California's two-game win streak is more impressive? The Golden Bears had lost 19 straight conference games before beating UCLA (66-57) last Saturday in Pauley Pavilion and then shocking Colorado (82-78) on Wednesday at home as they rallied from a 20-point deficit. They'll come into Matthew Knight Arena supremely confident. The Ducks, however, have been on a roll. They're 8-1 since the start of December and have owned Cal for nearly a decade. Oregon has won all but two of their 15 games against the Bears since the 2014-15 season. They lost once in 2016 and again in 2022. The Ducks are unbeaten at home this season in eight games.
About the Ducks: Oregon is alone in first place after Arizona State's loss to Washington Thursday night and are 51st in the NET rankings. The Ducks are 8-1 since point guard Jackson Shelstad was inserted into the starting lineup against Michigan on Dec. 2. The freshman leads the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game and is shooting 51.6% from the field. Guard Jermaine Couisnard is averaging 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds and leads the team with 40 assists and 30 steals. Reserve guard Kario Oquendo is scoring 10.7 per game and shooting 53.0% from the field. Guard Brennan Rigsby is averaging 8.7 points and leads the team with 24 3-pointers while shooting 48.0% from deep. During the Ducks' road sweep of Washington and Washington State last week, Rigsby scored a combined 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from 3-point range. Starting center N'Faly Dante, who has been out with a knee injury since the second game of the season, was practicing earlier this week and could play on Saturday.
About the Golden Bears: Despite its losing record and early season struggles, Cal has some of the best talent in the conference, particularly Texas Tech transfers Jaylon Tyson and Fardaws Aimaq. Tyson, a 6-7 guard, leads the Pac-12 in scoring (20.73) and is seventh in rebounding (7.13) per game. He's also shooting 51.4% from the field and coming off a career-high 30-point night against the Buffaloes. Aimaq, a 6-11 forward, is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double as he leads the Pac-12 in rebounding (10.63) and is 11th in scoring (14.94). Northern Arizona transfer Jalen Cone is the conference leader in 3-pointers, both overall (52) and per game (3.25). The Golden Bears are less impressive on defense. They rank last in the Pac-12 in points allowed (76.44) and opponent's shooting percentage, both overall (45.5%) and from 3-point range (36.6%). They're also 11th in scoring margin (-0.94).
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: How to watch Oregon Ducks men's basketball vs. Cal Golden Bears
