Coming off a 1-1 weekend in Arizona, the Oregon men’s basketball team (11-7, 2-3 Pac-12) returns to Matthew Knight Arena looking to get above .500 in Pac-12 play.
The two opponents are currently on opposite sides of the Pac-12 standings. On Thursday, the Ducks play the first place Washington Huskies (14-4, 5-0) followed by the 11th placed Washington State Cougars (8-10, 1-4) on Sunday.
Oregon forward Kenny Wooten has returned from a broken jaw, which has sidelined him since Dec. 21, but now are possibly without forward Paul White, who was injured against Arizona State on Saturday.
Despite the fact the Ducks will never be at full-strength given the injuries they have suffered throughout the year, this week presents a perfect opportunity to gain some ground on the upper-half on the standings.
Let’s take a look at this week’s matchups:
Washington
Washington is in the midst of a seven-game win streak and is the only Pac-12 school receiving votes.
“They’re playing well right now,” guard Payton Pritchard said. “Their zone is giving teams problems so we just have to be ready to play.”
Although Oregon was 2-0 against Washington last season, and the roster is essentially the same as last year, so the game plan is in order for the Ducks to continue their win streak.
“I haven’t watched them too much, but I’m pretty sure they are the exact same team as last year and we figured out how to win last year so we’ve just got to do the same thing,” Wooten said. “We’ve got to pass the ball, we have to rebound and that’s gonna be our key to win.”
The roster might be the same, but the Huskies level of play is drastically different than last year’s. The veteran Husky lineup poses a threat to Oregon’s less experienced lineup. Four of UW’s top-six in minutes are seniors and they run the zone well.
“They are a real veteran team,” Altman said. “They are playing with a tremendous amount of confidence. … This is a better Washington team. They are a year older and a year better. They didn’t lose anyone off of last year’s team.”
To beat the Huskies, the Ducks will need to keep the ball moving and feed the paint. Wooten, Pritchard and Louis King will need to link up while also taking care of the ball.
Offensively for the Huskies, sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell has taken the necessary steps in becoming a legitimate scoring threat. Nowell leads Washington in points per game with 16.7 and assists with 62. The ball moves through him and either Victor Bailey Jr. or King will probably be the ones tasked with guarding him.
Washington State
The Cougars should not pose a threat to Oregon if the Ducks hope to make the NCAA Tournament.
Washington State, and former Oregon head coach Ernie Kent, are once again looking up at a lot of teams in the Pac-12 standings.
Despite posting the second highest points per game in the Pac-12 with 78.6, they have also allowed the second most with 77.3.
junior forward Robert Franks leads the Cougars in scoring. Franks’ 21.5 points per game is also leading the Pac-12 in that category. Freshman forward CJ Elleby, who is averaging 15.8 points, also poses a threat.
Oregon and Washington State have one common opponent in San Diego, with the Ducks defeating the Toreros 65-55 on Dec. 12, while the Cougars fell 82-75 on Dec. 22.
Despite posing very little threat on paper, they do possess the ability to ruin some team’s tournament chances, much like they did last season when they defeated Oregon 78-76 on March 1.
Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack
