Oregon Avoids Bad Loss at USC, Must Now Prepare for Saturday Trip to UCLA

On Thursday night, Oregon made the trip south to USC, hoping to avoid the “trap game” and came away with a victory.

Fresh off the dismissal of their head coach earlier this week, the Trojans played well on Thursday night, but the Ducks were able to squeak away with the victory that they needed. At 15-2 overall, Oregon now boasts a 4-0 mark within the Pac-12 Conference and their date with UCLA on Saturday evening has now become that much more intriguing.

The Saturday afternoon match-up in LA will pin two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the league against each other. The Bruins have been on fire since their early season stumbles and while they will play host this weekend to Oregon, the game holds equal bearings for each squad.

While UCLA will look to keep things rolling, the Bruins face the task of living up to their opponent and protecting their home court. Oregon, on the other hand, faces the disadvantage of being on the road, but this game very well could just come down to balance vs. star power.

We know the talent level at UCLA is far superior to the lineup that the Ducks will feature, especially given the continued production of freshmen play makers Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson. However, Oregon head coach Dana Altman has a rotation that very well may be a coach’s dream. Five players are averaging double-figures offensively for the Ducks and that incredible balance is what has made them so difficult to play against. Senior forward Arsalan Kazemi is also in that mix, averaging 8.1 points in his own right, which ironically enough ranks sixth on the team offensively.

Tip-off between the Ducks and Bruins is scheduled for 4:00pm (EST) on Saturday.

 

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