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Bracketology 2021: Creighton, Loyola-Chicago, Arkansas among big winners

By Joey Loose

Drake junior guard D.J. Wilkins, right, knocks the ball away from Loyola's Braden Norris in the first half on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, at the Knapp Center in Des Moines.20210213 Drakevsloyola
Drake junior guard D.J. Wilkins, right, knocks the ball away from Loyola's Braden Norris in the first half on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, at the Knapp Center in Des Moines.20210213 Drakevsloyola /
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Bracketology Oregon Ducks Eugene Omoruyi Ncaa Basketball Oregon At Arizona State
Bracketology Oregon Ducks Eugene Omoruyi Ncaa Basketball Oregon At Arizona State /

Oregon

The Pac-12 has been a bit of a disappointment in recent years, even though the Conference of Champions sent a team to the Final Four as recently as 2017. The overall depth of the league has been abysmal, but things are starting to turn around. More programs are competitive this season and the league could very certainly get a number of them into the NCAA Tournament.

The one with the prolonged recent success has been Oregon, and this week certainly got them back on track. Plagued by recent struggles, the Ducks got the week started well with an 11-point win at Arizona State on Thursday. On Saturday, it was Chris Duarte’s last 3-pointer that led the Ducks to a great and hard-fought road win at Arizona, completing the sweep over the two Copper State schools.

The wins take Oregon to 12-4, with a solid 7-3 mark in Pac-12 play. The two LA schools are shining at the top of the conference, but Oregon is right there in contention as they always seem to be. One issue plaguing the ducks is the lack of a premiere win, as their games with USC and UCLA were wiped out and they dropped an early-season game to Missouri.

Don’t be surprised to see the Ducks do something in March, as they always seem to do. We’re adjusting to a world where the Pac-12 has multiple competitive teams, and hopefully some of those games with the Los Angeles teams can be made up in the coming weeks. Either way, these wins over the Arizona squad get them some momentum back after some struggles in January; is it full speed ahead in March again for Dana Altman’s squad?

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