By Liam Baker
EUGENE, Ore—Last weekend for the Oregon Ducks (14-6, 6-3 Pac-12) was one of both highs and lows. On Thursday, Center Nate Bittle made his return to the lineup after over a two-month absence with a broken wrist. He played just 12 minutes in his return, and the Ducks used a huge second half to turn a five-point halftime deficit into an 80-61 win over Arizona State. On Saturday, in front of a sold-out crowd at Matthew Knight Arena, the Caleb Love-led #9 Arizona Wildcats led from start to finish on their way to an 87-78 victory over the Ducks. In the game, guard Keeshawn Barthelemy left with an injury, and yesterday the team confirmed he will miss the rest of the season. The injury adds Barthelemy to a long list of Ducks that have missed substantial time this season. Despite the loss, Jermaine Couisnard continues to play his best ball of the season. After scoring 19 against the Sun Devils, he led the Ducks with 20 points against the Wildcats. Also, N'Faly Dante seems to be rounding into form as well, scoring 16 and 19 points in the two games.
The Ducks now head to Southern California to take on UCLA and USC as they the second half of league play. The Ducks swept the L.A. schools in Eugene to open Pac-12 play, and doing so again this time on the road would be huge for their NCAA Tournament hopes. While Selection Sunday is still a month and a half away, the Ducks are squarely on the bubble, therefore every game is crucial. Oregon is tied for first place in the Pac-12 with Arizona but are listed in the "Next Four Out" category on ESPN's latest bracketology You can check out the full projected bracket here.
What to expect vs. USC (Thursday at 7:30 P.M. on ESPN)
This season for the Trojans (8-12, 2-7 Pac-12) has not met the hype. USC was picked to finish second in the conference by many media outlets and was recieving some first place votes, but currently sit in last place and are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. The Trojans have been without star freshman and likely 2024 NBA Draft lottery pick Isaiah Collier for the past four games due to a hand injury and he will miss the Oregon game as well. His absence has meant more minutes for youngsters Oziyah Sellers and Bronny James. While James has struggled to find consistency at the college level in just 12 games played, Sellers has scored in double figures in three of the fours games since Collier's injury. The best player for the Trojans is fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis. Ellis struggled in the first matchup against the Ducks scoring just 11 points but averages 18.1 points per game. The Ducks will need to contain Ellis, especially from deep as he shoots 45.3% from that range (4th in the Pac-12), if they want to pick up a road win. The ability of both teams to contain the other from behind the arc will definitely be one to watch. Both teams are in the top half of the conference in shooting percentage from three (UO at #3, USC at #6), but both rank in the bottom third in their ability to defend from that are (UO at #9, USC at #12). Oregon shot 40% from three in their win over the Trojans in December and a similar performance would go a long way towards picking up a victory.
What to expect vs. UCLA (Saturday at 7:00 P.M. on ESPN)
Much like their crosstown rival, the Bruins (9-11, 4-5 Pac-12) has been one to forget. The Bruins were expected to finish just behing USC in the Pac-12 but instead sit in 8th place in the conference. The Bruins, winners of three out of their last four, have been playing much better of late though and will want to entact revenge on the Ducks after Oregon beat them 64-59 in Eugene earlier this season. This season UCLA has won games with their defense. They rank 18th in the country and first in the Pac-12 in points allowed per game with 63.9 points allowed per contest. When the Bruins hold opponents to 65 points or fewer they are 8-3 this season, albeit one of those three losses did come against the Ducks. Conversely, they are dead last in the Pac-12 and 334th in the country in with 65.2 points scored per game. Despite the scoring struggles, UCLA does have some threats on offense. Guard Lazar Sefanovic has scored 15+ in each of the last four, but Sebastian Mack (13.3 ppg) and Adem Bona (12.1 ppg) have been the most consistent Bruins this year. Bona had 15 points and 11 rebounds against Oregon in December but the Ducks were without both of thier big men in that game. Expect both N'Faly Dante and Nate Bittle to matchup with Bona on Saturday night and limit him to a less productive outing. With this game being played at a much slower pace than the one against USC, the Ducks will need to be much more careful with the ball than they were against Arizona (12 in the first half, 14 total) in order to pick up the win.
Prediction
After losing three of their last four, this is a huge weekend for the Ducks. Securing two wins would help boost their confidence and help strength their resume as one of the premiere teams in the Pac-12. I think the Ducks pick up a win over a USC team in a tail-spin but lose a close one to the Bruins in an arena they have won just three of their last ten games at.
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