By: Jack McArthur

The Oregon Ducks will host the UCLA Bruins this afternoon at 1 PM PST on December 30, as the third part of their three game home stand. Oregon have had just three losses this season with a record of 9-3, while UCLA have an even .500 record of 6-6. The Ducks have a 7-0 record at home, and the Bruins are 1-1 on the road this season. Both Oregon and UCLA recently began in-conference play. Both the Ducks and the Bruins are undefeated, with records of 1-0 in PAC-12 play.

The Ducks are riding a two game winning streak, after defeating the USC Trojans the other day, with a final of 84-72. Oregon have won four out of their last five games. The UCLA Bruins are fresh off of a 7-point 69-62 victory against the OSU Beavers. They have lost four of their last five games.

The Oregon Ducks are coached by 12th year HC Dana Altman. Altman has a record of 330-143 at Oregon. The Bruins are led by fifth year coach Mick Cronin. Cronin has a record of 105-42 as UCLA’s head coach.

Oregon have been playing some phenomenal basketball as of late, despite having numerous injuries that have depleted their roster. The Ducks have done a great job of navigating a substantial amount of injuries. N’Faly Dante, Mookie Cook, Nate Bittle and Jesse Zarzuela are the Ducks who are currently injured. The Bruins are healthy and they have a lot of size. Their tallest player is Aday Mara,  who is a 7’3 240-pound freshman center.

Recently, Oregon’s biggest performers have been Jermaine Couisnard, Kwame Evans Jr., Jackson Shelstad. 6’4 senior guard Kario Oquendo has also been playing well, and providing the Ducks some valuable minutes. Oquendo scored 15 points and had five boards off the bench the other day against USC.

The Bruins leading scorer this season is Sebastian Mack, who scores 14.5 points per ballgame on average. Despite not being very efficient and shooting 27.6% from three and just 37.8% overall, Mack is a versatile player. He averages just under two steals per game (1.9 SPG), 4.5 RPG and 1.5 assists per game. UCLA have four players who are averaging 10 points more this season. Oregon’s primary scorers and ball handlers on the other hand are Jackson Shelstad and Jermaine Cousinard currently.

The Bruins average 67.8 points scored per contest. Oregon averages 79.3 points per game as a team this season, which is 11.5 more points than UCLA. UCLA are not a great three point shooting team, shooting just 31.1% from downtown collectively this season. They additionally shoot 42.2% overall each game on average. The Ducks on the other hand have been a bit more effective than UCLA from deep this season, shooting 34.4% from three as a team.

Both the Ducks and the Bruins are talented teams. The main difference between the two teams currently is the size disparity. This size difference is apparent because Oregon’s big men, N’faly Dante and Nate Bittle, are both sidelined due to injury.

I see this game being a hard fought and a close one, with a lot of scoring. Oregon are undefeated on their home court this season, and I don’t see that changing today. My prediction is that Oregon will win with a final score of 85-79.