Civil War Caps Regular Season For Beavers And Ducks

Oregon (22-8, 12-5) at Oregon St. (17-12, 8-9) / Gill Coliseum / 8 PM PST / ESPNU / KEJO 1240 AM / KEX 1190 AM

Game Notes / Oregon Game Notes / Rosters

Oregon visits Oregon St. tonight for the 344th basketball battle of the Civil War to close out the regular season for both the Ducks and the Beavers.

Oregon won the first battle of the year 71-59 back on Jan. 3 at Matthew Knight Arena to kick off the Pac-12 season behind a 27 point night by Joseph Young, the Pac-12's leading scorer, who averages a nice round 20 points per game (to go with his team leading 3.6 assists per contest). Oregon St. still holds the lead in the most played rivalry in college basketball 185-158.

Last year, the Ducks and Beavers split their regular season series, with both teams protecting their home court, with Oregon prevailing 88-74 on a neutral floor, on opening day of the Pac-12 Tournament.

The Ducks swept the Oregon school's Bay Area trip, downing California 80-69 and Stanford 73-70, while the Beavers got swept, dropping a 75-48 decision to the Cardinal, and then a 73-56 contest to the Golden Bears.

Oregon also locked up at worst 3rd place in the Pac-12 regular season, and the #3 seed in the conference tournament in Las Vegas, with the sweep. The Ducks can move on up to the #2 seed with a win tonight and a Utah loss tomorrow night at Washington St., or Saturday at Washington, and even with a loss should the Utes get swept up north.

Oregon has won their last 4 games in a row, and 8 of their last 9, and has their fifth 20 win season in a row ever as a result. With their win over Stanford, the Ducks are now probably working on remaining in the NCAA field.

Oregon St., having lost 5 of their last 7 games, dropped to 6th in the Pac-12, and can no longer move up. A win would result in the first non-losing Pac-10/-12 regular season since the 1992-93 season. The Beavers are also probably on the outside looking in at the NIT, which is always hard to handicap due to all of the possible guaranteed berths that may or may nor develop depending on the upsets that do or don't happen in the mid and sub-mid major tournaments.

An upset of Oregon might get Oregon St. in, if they can also get a first day win in the conference tournament. A loss tonight probably practically ends any NIT hope, given how unlikely a deep run in the Pac-12 tournament would be with such a short roster.

The question of the game is whether the Beavers can continue their home-court success, where they are 15-1, a stark contrast with their 2-11 away from Gill selves.

The money expects it to be a close contest, as Oregon enters as just a 1 point favorite.

With no seniors on the team, Oregon St coach Wayne Tinkle will start the 5 walkons, Tanner Sanders, Dylan Livesay, Matt Dahlen, Justen Stangel, and A.J. Hedgecock.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com