Autzen Zoo
Fansided

Oregon Ducks Need A Complete Game Effort vs UCLA Bruins

By Justin Phillips

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 01: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks looks on early in the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 01: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks looks on early in the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Oregon Ducks Men’s Basketball team entertains the UCLA Bruins in a must-win game Saturday.

If you were there, you remember the last second shot by Dillon Brooks to seal the win for the Oregon Ducks. It was a key game of the Pac-12 season that eventually led to the Final Four. This season is a different story. After coming off a loss to USC, the Ducks season the rest of the way may depend on a victory Saturday against UCLA.

Oregon already has seven losses this season, their total number of losses for all of last season. USC, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State are the four teams that everyone else is chasing so far this season. With the loss to USC, Oregon is falling toward the bottom third of the Pac-12 Conference, a place that is very hard to come back from, especially with four losses already in the Pac-12 this season.

The Oregon Ducks have the talent to get the job done. The team had the lead in their last two ball games in the final minutes, only to let them slip away. Dana Altman needs his team to play a complete game for sixty minutes.

Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh are the players to watch for the Bruins. Holiday scored 22 points in a loss to Oregon State on Thursday, netting his 9th game with 20 points or more. Welsh had his 11th double-double of the year. The Bruins are working on an NCAA Tournament schedule that has wins at Kentucky and also victories against Washington and Washington State to open Pac-12 play.

The Bruins are 13-6 and have lost their last two games. They are 1-3 on the road this season. Oregon has lost three games at home, the most they have lost since the building opened. The Ducks NCAA Tournament hopes this season is waning. A win against UCLA could be the jumpstart the Ducks need with a chance to go on a run against lesser teams in the Conference upcoming.

Next: Ionescu Pushes Oregon To Overtime, But Ducks Fall vs Oregon State

Autzen Zoo will have Live Coverage starting at 6:15 pm. The Oregon Ducks and UCLA Bruins tip off at 7:15 pm Pacific Time on ESPN.

Home/Oregon Ducks Basketball