Following a dominant performance on both ends of the floor last Friday against Montana, Oregon basketball is back in action on Tuesday night against Portland.
The Ducks will host the 1-1 Pilots who are coming off one of the worst beatdowns of the season between two unranked teams. They faced UC Santa Barbara on Saturday and lost by 41 points. Yes, the Pilots lost by 41 to a non-power conference team that also happens to be unranked which makes me think that Tuesday night could be a bloodbath.
Oregon, on the other hand, is 2-0 after beating Montana by 31 and UC Riverside by 15. The Ducks are one of those teams that could surprise the Big Ten this year, but they need to prove themselves against a top team before anyone really takes notice.
That won't happen on Tuesday against a mediocre Portland team.
What is Vegas saying about this matchup?
Here are the final odds as of Tuesday afternoon via DraftKings.
Line: Oregon -26.5
Over/Under: 152.5
Moneyline: Oregon -4500 | Portland +1700
As you can see, Vegas isn't giving Portland much of a shot here as Oregon is a heavy favorite and the odds of an upset are 17-to-1.
The Ducks should be able to handle business as this isn't the same pesky Portland team from a couple of years ago and they should have this one decided by halftime. Honestly, I like the spread at 26.5 because I think the Ducks cover that and win by somewhere around 30. Jackson Shelstad finally wakes up and scores 20 in the win and Oregon cruises.
Final score: Portland 51, Oregon 83