Oregon basketball drops important opportunity vs. Oregon State

Oregon basketball had not only the chance to take the season series vs. Oregon State but advance in the Pac-12 tourney. A flat start led to a missed opportunity.

In a 2020 season that has Oregon currently at 20 wins and six losses, Pac-12 Tournament wins count for more. Oregon has one win following their 75-64 loss versus the Beavers. The Ducks shot just 6-of-25 from 3-point range, which was the key statistic. Oregon State shot better than 50 percent from the floor and from distance.

Will Richardson, who has been hot the last few games, finished with just seven points after scoring in double-digits against Arizona State on Thursday. Chris Duarte who was named Pac-12 Player of the Year by the AP earlier this week finished with 14 points. Eugene Omoruyi and LJ Figueroa also finished with 14 each in the loss.

Oregon State was able to overcome 16 turnovers which led to 14 points, but the game was won with rebounding. The Beavers had 38 rebounds to Oregon’s 24, among their season lows in the category. Both teams were close to even when it came to free throws hitting close to 70 percent.

For Oregon basketball, the waiting game begins perhaps a day earlier than they expected. After entering the week as a team that should have been ranked after winning the regular-season title, the Ducks entered the week ranked 27th. A good showing and win in the Pac-12 Tournament could have been enough to put Oregon on the line for a No. 4 seed as they would have been one of the top 16 teams in the country with just five losses.

Now they have six but were bounced early from the conference tournament. I expect Oregon will fall somewhere between a No. 5 and No. 8 seed. Their record and winning streaks are still impressive this season

Selection Sunday for the 2021 NCAA Tournament is March 14 starting at 3 p.m. Pacific Time.