TV schedule: Friday, March 12, 8:30 pm ET. Pac-12 Network
Arena: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
In the 1st PAC 12 semi-final, the 1 seed Ducks will take on the number 5 seed Oregon State. Oregon defeated Arizona State 91-73 and was led by LJ Figueroa with 21 points and the Ducks had 4 other players in double figures.
Oregon State led by the coach of the year candidate Wayne Tinkle has got a lot better throughout the year. The Beavers were down by 16 points with 4.42 in the 1st half and ended up winning the game 83-79 in overtime. Warith Alatishe was awesome he was 11-14 from the field and had a team-high 22 points along with 10 rebounds. There were three other Beavers in double figures.
In the first meeting, Oregon State defeated their rivals, 75-64 Ethan Thompson scored a team-high 19 points and went 12-14 from the free-throw line. Alatishe scored 14 points and grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds and Jared Lucas added 13 points.
The Ducks were coming off a COVID pause and were without their best player Chris Duarte and Figueroa due to protocols. Will Richardson also didn’t return from injury yet so the Ducks were without three of their current starters. Oregon shot poorly with a 38.9/27.6/60.9 line from the field as a team.
Their last game was also the last game of the regular season for both teams. The Pac-12 leaders have been in a better rhythm lately since they got out of their Covid pause and won 80-67. The Ducks shot much better from the field with a 57.4/65.2/68.8 line. Richardson was missed and scored a game-high 22 points. Thompson was also really good again going 7-15 from the field and 16 points.
It’s gonna be interesting to see what adjustments are made in Game 3 under such a short turnaround. You have to wonder if fatigue will settle in for the Beavers after coming off two games in two days compared to the Ducks that played one game in one day.
Oregon State is playing for its season where Oregon will be in the tournament for sure. The Beavs will battle but with fatigue and the Ducks being the better team, I think they’ll win.
Prediction: Oregon 75, Oregon State 69