Oregon men's basketball faces Colorado in penultimate game of Pac-12 regular season
The math isn't hard for Oregon, but the coming task expects to be.
One more win will ensure a top-four finish in the Pac-12 men's basketball standings for the Ducks and thus earn them a ticket out of the first round of next week's conference tournament.
Oregon has two chances to lock it up in this final week of the regular season, beginning with a 6 p.m. game Thursday against Colorado at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (19-10, 11-7 Pac-12) and Buffaloes (20-9, 11-7) are tied for third place in the standings, with Utah and UCLA two-games behind at 9-9. The Utes will close out the season in Eugene at 4 p.m. Saturday.
“Two good teams, two good opportunities," Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad said Tuesday. "Just gotta come out and play together.”
The Ducks could also lose both games this week and still get the bye if Utah and UCLA lose once each in their final two games. That would mean a loss to Oregon State for the Utes and a loss against Arizona or Arizona State for the Bruins.
Jermaine Couisnard absent after record-setting performance
Noticeably missing from practice Tuesday was Jermaine Couisnard, who was out with an illness, though coach Dana Altman didn't sound concerned about his availability for Thursday's game.
“Knowing him, he’ll play," Altman said.
The Ducks sure wouldn't mind seeing another outing from their senior guard like the one he had in the loss to Arizona last Saturday when Couisnard scored a career-high 39.
It was the most points by a player from the Pac-12 this season, and the most scored by a Duck since Luke Jackson had 40 against Colorado in the first round of the 2004 NIT.
“He gave us a chance," Altman said. "… He hit some shots and that really got him going. He finished some really tough shots, made some plays, and then the guys just did a really good job of getting him the ball and getting out of the way. He had a run going there and they recognized it and they were getting him as many shots as they could.”
Couisnard scored 33 in the second half on 12-of-16 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
He finished the game 18-for-24 from the field.
“I mean, it was pretty crazy," Shelstad said. "We didn’t even run any plays, we just let him go. … If it wasn’t for him, who knows what (the score) would’ve been.”
Buffaloes dominated first game against Ducks
The Ducks dropped the series-opener to the Buffaloes in Boulder on Jan. 18, with the 86-70 loss snapping a six-game winning streak for Oregon.
Freshman Cody Williams had 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting to lead five players in double-digit scoring for the Colorado.
Williams and KJ Simpson led the Buffaloes in transition, as the team recorded 28 fast-break points and 24 points off 13 Oregon turnovers.
“Our transition (defense) has to be better," Altman said. "We turned it over and they turned into easy baskets.”
Oregon (19-10, 11-7 Pac-12) vs. Colorado (20-8, 11-7)
Time/date: 6 p.m., Thursday
Site: Matthew Knight Arena
TV: ESPN2. Radio: KUJZ-FM (95.3).
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: How to watch Oregon men's basketball vs. Colorado: Time, channel
