By: Jack McArthur

The Oregon Ducks will play their first conference game of the season against the Washington State Cougars at home tonight, December 1, at 7:30 PM. The Ducks have had a rocky start to their season, as they currently sit at 3-4. Although Oregon is a below .500 team, they’re coming off of a 74-67 victory against Villanova last Sunday, November 27. The Cougars on the other hand are 3-2 this season, and they’re coming off of a 96-54 non-league win against Detroit Mercy. In that game against Detroit Mercy last Friday Nov. 25, the Cougars set a school record for most made three pointers in a game. They shot 65.5% from three, making 19 out of 29 attempts against Detroit Mercy last Friday November 25.

Tonight’s match-up between Oregon and WSU will be the first meeting between the Cougars and Ducks since nearly nine months ago on March 5, 2022, when the Cougars crushed the Ducks by 20 points in Pullman, 94-74. Comparatively speaking, Oregon has less size than Washington State. Oregon has three solid centers, including 6’11 senior center N’faly Dante, seven foot freshman phenom Kel’el Ware, and Oregon native, seven foot sophomore Nate Bittle. Kel’el Ware has done a good job protecting the paint this season for Oregon, as he’s currently averaging 1.7 blocks per game. Additionally, N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle pose defensive threats, as they both are averaging 1.3 blocks per game this season. The Cougars on the other hand have some sizable rim protectors, in 6’10 250-pound junior Dishon Jackson, 210-pound 6’11 sophomore forward Mouhamed Gueye, and in 6’6 215 pound senior forward DJ Rodman. They also have some tall, lengthy guards.

The Cougars are a deep team that shouldn’t be underestimated. They have size, and have four players averaging over 11 PPG this season. Oregon on the other hand currently have three players averaging over 10 PPG. The Ducks will need to contain 6’5 junior guard, #5 TJ Bamba. Bamba has led the way for the Cougars this season, averaging 16 PPG and 4.2 rebounds per game, while also shooting an astounding 56.5% from three. 6’6 junior guard, #3 Jabe Mullins, has also averaged 14.2 PPG while shooting a team high 56.7% from behind the arc. 6’11 sophomore, 210-pound forward #35 Mouhamed Gueye and 6’6 junior guard #24 Justin Powell are both averaging 12.2 PPG for the Cougars this season. This season Gueye has shot 49% from the field, while also adding seven rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Powell has docked an impressive 50% from three, while shooting 47.7% from the field for the Cougars this season. The Cougars have some talented shooters, meaning that Oregon will need to lock down defensively in order to win.

WSU’s ability from three is scary, as they’ve shot 44.4% from three point range as a team seasonally, while averaging 11 made threes per game. As a team, the Cougars have five players that are shooting 40% or higher from three point distance this season. Oregon on the other hand have shot a sub par 29.8% from behind the arc as a team, while only averaging seven made threes a game this season. Senior guard Will Richardson has averaged 13.7 PPG and 4.9 assists per game in seven appearances for the Ducks this season, while shooting 46.1% overall. Will Richardson is Oregon’s leading scorer, while N’Faly Dante is a close second, averaging 13 PPG, while also averaging 6.3 rebounds per game with a 59.6% efficiency from the field. The Ducks third leading scorer this season is Kel’el Ware, who’s averaged 11 PPG and 6.4 rebounds a game in seven appearances. 6’8 senior wing Quincy Guerrier, has also been an outside threat for Oregon this season, with his three-point shooting capabilities. This season Guerrier has averaged 9.1 PPG for Oregon, while shooting 37.5% from three. The Cougars are a very talented team that has a knack for scoring, averaging 76.2 points scored per contest this season. The Ducks on the other hand know how to score too, averaging a total of 68 points scored per game.

Oregon’s main keys to success for the game tonight are to keep up the defensive pressure by protecting the paint, and to limit turnovers by having better ball security as a team. Turnovers have been a massive problem for Oregon this season, as Oregon’s opponents average 18 points per game off turnovers. On the flipside, WSU’s opponents average a total of only 12.4 points scored per game off turnovers, exemplifying the fact that WSU turns the ball over less than Oregon does. Overall, the Cougars are a more effective team offensively than Oregon, as they’ve shot 46.3% from the field this season, compared to Oregon’s 43.3% field goal efficiency this season. The Ducks also need to box out more, and do a better job rebounding overall if they want to win tonight. Oregon will also have to limit WSU’s three point attempts tonight, as the Cougars are shooting a staggering 44.4% from three point range this season. This homestand against the Cougars will be by no means an easy match-up for the Ducks, as Washington State has a lot of size and athleticism to go along with their sharpshooting abilities from outside. I predict that it will be a hard fought match-up, and the Ducks will come out on top, with a final score of 71-65.