Pac-12 Tournament: Oregon Has Eight Game Winning Streak Snapped by UCLA, 82-63
Oregon had the recipe to win the Pac-12 Tournament heading into the game on Thursday night against UCLA. In the first game, the third of the year against Oregon State Senior Jason Calliste led the Ducks to 80 percent shooting in the second half to beat the Beavers. Unfortunately the same energy that sent them through a good part of the last few months seemed to fizzle out in the second half against the Bruins. UCLA handed the Ducks their worst loss of the season 82-63 thanks to a second half outburst that Oregon could not match.
Mar 13, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Richard Amardi (13) Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins shot over 56 percent for the game and the Ducks had a solid start with 43 percent, but shot at 35 percent in the second half. UCLA had a run toward the end of the first half that turned into a 20-2 run between halves that for the most part put the game away. Jason Calliste who scored 17 on Wednesday against Oregon State had two shots vs the Bruins, one good. Joseph Young did his best with 29 points. It also did not help that the Ducks had 17 turnovers in the game.
The Ducks finish the regular season at 23-9 and now await word of where they will end up in the post season. Many have Oregon ‘in’ for the NCAA Tournament, and being the only team in the Pac-12 Conference with two winning streaks throughout the season of eight games or more, plus quite the rebound from starting Conference play 3-8 and getting through two games in the Conference Tournament should be enough for them to be in. As to where they will be seeded, that’s a different story.
With late season wins over Arizona State, Arizona and Oregon State – twice, the Ducks should find themselves somewhere in the 7 to 10 seed range. This is also where several notable ‘Bracketologists’ place them as well. The NCAA Selection Show is Sunday March 16th.
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