Oregon vs Washington: 2019 Pac-12 title game preview, TV schedule

Oregon and Washington will meet in the Pac-12 title game on Saturday night; which team will win the important auto-bid and secure their place in the NCAA Tournament?

TV schedule: Saturday, March 16, 10:30 pm ET. ESPN

Arena: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

With Bill Walton watching and commentating, 6-seed Oregon (22-12) will meet 1-seed Washington (26-7) will meet in the Pac-12 championship game. The Ducks need this victory to make the NCAA Tournament while the Huskies are in solid shape even with a loss. That being said, this is a conference title game and anything can happen in March.

The Ducks have reached the files riding a 7-game winning streak. They’ve already knocked off Washington State, Utah, and Arizona State in the Pac-12 Tournament and that streak includes a win at Washington one week ago. Oregon was just 10-8 in Pac-12 play and didn’t do enough in non-conference play to be close to at-large consideration. This game means the world to a team looking to return to the Tournament for the first time since their Final Four run in 2017.

This team lost Bol Bol (21.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg) earlier in the season, but the remaining players have really stepped up in recent weeks. Freshman forward Louis King (12.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg), who also missed time due to injury, led the team with 19 points and 7 rebounds in their semifinals win against Arizona State. Junior guard Payton Pritchard (12.3 ppg, 4.3 apg) led the team with 16 points in a defensive battle against the Huskies last week. Another player to watch is senior forward Paul White (10.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg), and he is also capable of having a big game.

Oregon sits at 49th in KenPom, though they rank impressively on the defensive end at 18th in the nation. There have been offensive struggles for this team (who could really use Bol Bol), but their defensive effort can keep them in ballgames. They play at a slow pace and are one of the best teams in the nation at defending outside shooters. If they play lockdown defense and can hit their shots early, they will win this tournament even as the 6-seed.

Despite being the favorites in this tournament, things haven’t been easy for Washington this season. They won their first 10 Pac-12 games and finished the season at 15-3, but this has been one of the weakest power conference seasons in recent memory for the Pac-12. Their resume should get them into the NCAA Tournament, but it’s going to be much closer than it should be for a regular season champion in a power conference. They also suffered a mind-blowing loss at lowly California a few weeks ago; is this team still capable of going on a run?

Sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell (16.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.1 apg) has been the player to watch on the offensive end, leading the team in scoring each of the last three games. Nowell put up 24 points against USC and can also distribute the ball very well. Senior guard David Crisp (12.8 ppg, 2.7 apg) put up 32 points in that loss against Cal and can score in bunches when needed. Senior forward Noah Dickerson (12.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg) is the Huskies’ best rebounder and definitely the guy to watch down low.

Despite their record, this Washington team is only slightly better than Oregon in the rating systems. The Huskies are 47th in KenPom, ranking 19th in defensive efficiency. Like the Ducks, they play stiff defense at a slow pace, though they also excel at forcing turnovers. Rebounding on the defensive end has been an issue for this team and they’ll need someone other than Dickerson crashing the lane on both ends of the court.

These teams split their games in the regular season with the road team twice victorious. They play similar styles of ball and I expect this to be a defensive effort. For the Ducks, they’ll need to get their guards going early, especially against this stiff defense. Head coach Dana Altman has been in many big games as a head coach and that experience can only help his squad. For the Huskies, they need to control the paint on both ends, and will win this game if they win those battles.

You can almost throw out the seed lines because these are two very comparable teams. There are some talented shooters on both teams, but both the Ducks and Huskies have struggled on offense during the year. Whoever gets off to the hotter start will have an advantage in a game where a long scoring run could decide the game. The Ducks have won seven straight and enter the game playing much better ball, as the Huskies have struggled in their first two tournament games. Oregon will return to the NCAA Tournament and the Huskies will sweat out Selection Sunday, though they likely will make it as well.

Prediction: Oregon 65, Washington 62