Oregon Ducks Head to Pullman for Regular Season Finale vs. Washington State

The Ducks look to close their regular season against the Huskies in a game with playoff implications.

Author:
Joe Zochert
Publish date:
Mar 5, 2022 1:35 PM EST

The Oregon Ducks (18-12, 11-8 Pac-12) are visiting the Washington State Cougars (17-13, 10-9 Pac-12) Saturday at 1 p.m. on CBS.

Storyline to Watch | Playoff Implications

This is a pivotal game for the Ducks as they've dropped their last two games. This is the final game of the regular season for Oregon, which also serves as their last chance to get things right before the Pac-12 Tournament. With a win, they could get the fifth seed in the conference tournament and with a Colorado loss to Utah, they can get the fourth seed. Getting the fourth seed would be the best-case scenario as they would get a first-round bye.

If they lose this game, they could fall all the way to the seventh seed which is not ideal. The fifth seed and below do not get a first round bye in the tournament. Oregon would be the favorite to advance in any of these matchups, however, it would be wise to avoid these scenarios all together.

We don’t know which team we will get any given night. At times, they have looked like a top NCAA team, then the next game they look lackadaisical on both ends of the floor. If Oregon wants to make the NCAA Tournament, their best stretch of games needs to start on Saturday.

Match Up to Watch | N’Faly Dante vs. Efe Abogidi

Oregon Ducks center N'Faly Dante drives inside vs. UCLA.

The last time these two teams met, Oregon escaped with a 62-59 win over the Cougars. N’Faly Dante tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Ducks will need a similar performance to win as Washington State allows the second-fewest points in the conference at 65 points per game.

The junior will have to fight on the boards to limit the Cougars from second-chance opportunities and could provide an additional boost on the boards to give the Ducks extra possessions.

Washington St. has Abogidi, who is an energizer on both ends of the floor. The forward just had an impressive outing in their 71-67 win over Oregon St. as Abogidi had nine points, eight rebounds and five blocks in 24 minutes of play.

Abogidi is second in the conference in blocks (1.7 BPG). The sophomore could make some Ducks rethink about driving into the lane. Look for Dante to be positioned strategically in the paint to help block off the weak-side help when players like Jacob Young and De’Vion Harmon slice into the lane.

One Stat to Watch | Three-Point Shooting

Oregon Ducks guard Jacob Young shoots a three-pointer vs. UCLA.

In the last meeting, the Ducks shot 5-19 (26.3%) from three and the Cougars were 8-33 (24.2%). For the season, Oregon shoots 33.4% and Washington St. is barely better at 33.8%.

The Cougs have guard Michael Flowers, who is a gunslinger. Flowers leads the conference with 7.4 attempts from deep per game and he also makes the most with 2.9 makes. Look for Head Coach Dana Altman to implement a strategy to run the senior off of the line and force mid-range jumpshots.

The Ducks have Quincy Guerrier and Harmon flanking the perimeter. Guerrier shoots the three at 32.6% and Harmon is at 36.5% clip from beyond the arc. Both are willing shooters and don’t shy away from the moment. Watch for them in transition, as that is when they both like getting to their spots on the wings.

The X-Factor | Will Richardson

Oregon Ducks guard Will Richardson vs. UCLA.

Speaking of shooters, the Ducks have a talented one in Will Richardson. However, in the past two games he hasn't made a single shot on just 11 attempts. Look for Altman to find a way early to get the senior involved and hopefully instill some confidence in him.

If the Ducks have any hope to advance, they need Richardson to find his stroke and be more assertive.

Conclusion

This hasn’t been the easiest season for Oregon fans. When teams rely on shooting and are shaky on defense, it isn’t the most consistent basketball. However, it seems that Altman always finds a way to get his team rumbling at the right time and I couldn’t think of a better time than Saturday for this team to finally come together.