Oregon Ducks Look to Get Back on Track against Visiting Washington State Cougars

The Ducks are ready to bounce back from an embarrassing home loss to Cal this past weekend.

The Oregon Ducks will conclude their three-game home stay with a matchup against the Washington State Cougars.

The game was originally set to be played in Eugene on Jan. 20, but COVID-19 Protocols within the Washington State program forced a delay of nearly a month. Now, both squads find themselves in the middle of a chaotic Pac-12 season.

Oregon (9-4) and Washington State (7-5) sit at fourth and sixth, respectively, in the conference. Arizona has run away with the top spot with a 12-1 conference record. The rest of the field is scrambling, as the Pac-12 isn’t guaranteed many at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament.

Joe Lunardi’s latest issue of “Bracketology” predicts just three Pac-12 teams making the Big Dance. Oregon dropped into the “First Four Out” section thanks to its 78-64 loss to California at home on Saturday.

Oregon’s latest misstep against Cal may be the final nail in the coffin of its at-large bid dreams, which means Oregon joins the likes of Washington State and the rest of the conference in vying for victory in the Pac-12 Tournament.

De'Vion Harmon :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

De'Vion Harmon attempts an off-hand floater over Cal's Makale Foreman.

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Will Richardson :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Will Richardson whips a pass around the back of Cal's Lars Thiemann to N'Faly Dante.

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N'Faly Dante :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

N'Faly Dante attempts a contested layup under the basket.

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Jacob Young :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Jacob Young draws a crowd of defenders as he drives into the paint.

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Will Richardson :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Will Richardson runs into Cal's Jalen Celestine while dribbling.

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The Ducks have seven regular season games left on the schedule, and they will get a few more shots to show how they fare with the best of the Pac. Most notably, the Ducks will travel to Tucson for College Gameday vs. No. 3 Arizona. L.A. schools No. 13 UCLA and No. 17 USC will get shots at revenge in Eugene shortly after.

Oregon will also get two games against Washington State before the season ends: Monday night in Eugene, and March 5 in Pullman for the regular season finale.

So let’s get familiar, because it should be a doozy of a matchup. On paper, Washington State looks like a tough team, particularly for Oregon. The Cougars rank first in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 62.5 points a game.

The Cougs live and die by the three-pointer. They have attempted and made more shots from behind the arc than any other Pac-12 team, although they convert on just 33.8% of those shots — the seventh-highest clip in the conference. The Cougs also maintain the best three-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a harsh 30.9% shooting mark from downtown.

This is definitely a concern for Oregon. Last game against Cal, the Ducks went a shocking 5-for-27 on three-point shots. Oregon is a team that loves to shoot the three-ball just like Washington State, and the Ducks still rank second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage at 35.0%.

The problem for Oregon lies with consistency. When the Ducks are playing well, they are one of the most electrifying teams in the country. Oregon has been its best with Jacob Young and N’Faly Dante running fast-breaks to perfection, while Will Richardson and De’Vion Harmon handle the half-court offense.

At their worst, the Ducks are prone to embarrassing performances like last game against Cal. The Ducks dropped 42 points in the second half, just to still lose by double digits to a struggling Cal team.

Time is of the essence for Oregon and Washington State. Will the Ducks get closer to the top of the Conference of Champions? Or slide further down the ladder heading into March?

You may also like:

Takeaways from Oregon's 78-64 Loss to Cal

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