The 23rd ranked Oregon Ducks are zeroing in on a Pac-12 regular season title, but they have a tough stretch of games to close out the season, starting with Arizona on Monday. The Ducks are 16-5 overall and 11-4 in the Pac-12 while Arizona is 17-8 overall and 11-8 in the conference. Oregon beat Arizona back on February 13 63-61 as a 1.5 point underdog. They are home this time and favored. Can they cover?
Arizona survives against Washington
Arizona suffered a tough loss two weeks ago to Oregon at home. After a 74-60 loss to Pac-12 leader UCLA on February 18, Arizona has rattled off three straight wins. The big win came on February 20 at USC as a six point underdog. Then they followed that up with wins over Washington State and Washington to improve to 17-8 overall and 11-8 in the conference.The Wildcats were almost upset by Washington on Saturday. They held on for a 75-74 win as 14.5 point favorites. It took a jumper by Arizona's Azoulas Tubelis with 5 seconds left to pull out the victory. Arizona shot horribly in this game, shooting just 36% from the floor. But they dominated on the offensive boards and took 12 more shots than Washington. James Akinjo led Arizona with 26 points while Tubelis had 16 points and 15 rebounds. Also Bennedict Mathurin had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Oregon on a roll
The Oregon Ducks have been the hottest team in the Pac-12. They have won 7 of their last 8 games to improve to 16-5 overall and 11-4 in the Pac-12. Their only loss during that stretch came to USC. They are now tied with UCLA in the loss column and just a game behind the Bruins who are 13-4. With games coming up against Arizona, UCLA and Oregon State, the Ducks have to win out to give themselves a shot.Hitting the boards.@Lj_Figueroa with 7️⃣ rebounds
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) February 27, 2021
Ducks 25, Golden Bears 20
3:38 | 1st#GoDucks | #AlwaysUs pic.twitter.com/CZXKqIjgO5
Oregon is coming off a 74-63 2in over California on Saturday. The Ducks shot 53% from the floor and 40% from three-point range. Eugene Omoruyi led the Ducks with 21 points while LJ Figueroa had 20 points and 14 rebounds. Chris Duarte added 17 points with 3 three-pointers. Oregon had 9 steals and forced 11 Cal turnovers.
Stats & Trends
- Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
- Ducks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
The Pick
These two teams hooked up in a great game a couple weeks ago, which Oregon won 63-61. Oregon held Arizona to 38% shooting and out rebounded them 38-30. Defense has been the real strength of Oregon during this stretch. They give up 66 points per game on the season and allow teams to shoot 44% against them. There are two things that jump out me about this game. One, Oregon has been great at home against the spread, especially against good teams. Two, Arizona has struggled as of late. The near-loss to Washington on Saturday was a red flag. They shot badly in that game and against a good defense like Oregon, they will have their hands full. Plus, Oregon needs this one badly to keep pace with UCLA. So take the Ducks to cover.