Ducks on a tear: What to know for Oregon men's basketball vs. Washington State Cougars
Oregon (11-3, 3-0 Pac-12) vs. Washington State (10-4, 1-2)
Time/date: 7 p.m. Saturday
Site: Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, Washington
TV: ESPNU. Radio: KUJZ-FM (95.3).
About the matchup: Oregon has won four straight games and seven of its last eight for its best start to a season since also opening 11-3 in 2019-20. The Ducks, who are in first place in the conference standings, haven't started a Pac-12 season at 4-0 since winning their first eight conference games during the Final Four season of 2016-17. Oregon has lost three straight to Washington State in Pullman and four of the last seven matchups overall, though the Ducks did win two of three last season, including in the Pac-12 Tournament. Neither team is in the AP top 25, but the Ducks were No. 64 in the NET rankings prior to Friday's games, and the Cougars were No. 60.
About the Ducks: As of Friday, Oregon ranks ninth in the Pac-12 in free-throw shooting at 68.7%, though its performance at the line is improving. During the four-game win streak, the Ducks have made 77.9% of their free throws (67-for-86). The Ducks need key reserve Kario Oquendo to get back on track. The guard has eight total points on 3-of-12 shooting over the last two games, a stretch that followed four games where Oquendo was scoring 16.5 per game and shooting 48.7% from the field. The freshman combo of point guard Jackson Shelstad and forward Kwame Evans Jr. continues to impress, with Shelstad averaging a team-leading 14.9 points and Evans averaging 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds. The Ducks are averaging 77.93 points per game and allowing 70.5. They are 10th in the conference in rebounding at 35.86 per game, but are tied with Arizona State for first in turnover margin at +2.93.
About the Cougars: Washington State improved to 8-0 at home on Thursday with its 65-58 win against Oregon State. The Cougars are arguably the top defensive team in the conference. They're No. 1 in opposing team's field-goal percentage (38.8%), opponent's 3-point percentage (29.6%) and blocks, both overall (78) and per game (5.57). They had seven blocks in the win against the Beavers. They're also second in scoring defense (64.21 ppg) and third in rebounding (38.29 rpg). On offense, Washington State is led by Isaac Jones, who averages 14.36 points, 7.29 rebounds and is shooting 59.1% from the field. Myles Rice also scores 14.07 per game.
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks men's basketball vs. Washington State Cougars
