Oregon will head to Vegas next week on a high note.
The Ducks survived a furious late-game rally from Washington to win their Pac-12 finale against the Huskies 72-64 on Saturday in Seattle. Oregon finishes its regular conference schedule with an overall record of 20-11, the eighth straight year the program has won 20 games, and a 10-8 record in the Pac-12.
Depending on the outcome of the UCLA/USC game later Saturday night, the Ducks will either be the five or six seed in the Pac-12 Tournament next week. Had Oregon lost to Washington, the Ducks would’ve been the seventh seed.
Payton Pritchard led the Ducks in scoring with 14 points on Saturday. Paul White chipped in 13 to go with his five rebounds and four assists while Troy Brown finished with 12 points and six assists.
Oregon led Washington by as much as 16 in the second half but went cold down the stretch. The Ducks led 65-51 with 6:48 left but a 13-3 run by the Huskies over the next 2:46 made it 68-64 with just over three minutes left.
Then, both teams went cold. Neither team scored over the next two minutes until White broke the dry spell with two free throws to put Oregon up six with 26 seconds left. Washington missed a three its next possession down and Elijah Brown made two free throws to seal the win for the Ducks.
David Crisp scored 19 points and Noah Dickerson 18 to lead the Huskies who trailed 44-29 at halftime. Oregon made eight of their first ten shots of the game and hit eight of their 11 threes in the first half. The Ducks outrebounded the Huskies 37-29 and had 17 assists on their 24 made shots to Washington’s nine assists on 22 makes.
Oregon will now watch and wait for the result of the USC vs. UCLA game. Oregon would be the five seed in the Pac-12 Tournament if UCLA loses or the six seed if UCLA wins. If the Ducks are the five seed, they’ll play Cal in the first round. If they’re the six seed, they’ll play Washington State.
Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris