Hoops Primer: Oregon set to kick off postseason play with Washington State

The Oregon men’s basketball program is officially in “survive and advance” mode.

The Ducks (18-13, 12-8 Pac-12) will be fighting for their NCAA tournament lives this afternoon when they kick off play at the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas. After reeling off three straight wins to close out the regular season, Oregon is still on the outside looking in for a spot in the 68-team tournament field.

In his most recent bracket projection, ESPN’s Joe’s Lunardi listed Oregon as the last of his “next four teams out” with seven schools listed ahead of the Ducks as potential bubble teams with better resumes.

The only conceivable way for the Ducks to earn a trip to the big dance is to run the table in Vegas this week.

“There is no Friday if you don’t play well on Thursday,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said when meeting with reporters earlier this week. “So, you lay it all out there. You’ll find the energy to play.”

No. 4-seeded Oregon will begin postseason play this afternoon when it faces No. 5 Washington State at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

Oregon vs. Stanford: How to watch

Tip-off: 2:30 p.m. PT.

Location: Michelob Ultra Arnea (Las Vegas)

TV: Pac-12 Networks

More on Washington State

The Cougars advanced past the first round of the conference tournament with an emphatic 69-52 over No. 12 Cal to close the book on the Golden Bears’ season.

Washington State is enjoying arguably its best stretch of the season and is in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. That run included a 68-65 win over the Ducks in Pullman on Feb. 19 that ultimately dashed Oregon’s at-large tournament hopes for good.

During that win, the Cougar’s star big man, Mouhamed Gueye, tallied 18 points and 12 boards. It marked the second time this season that Gueye has posted a gaudy stat line against the Ducks; he torched them for 19 points when the two teams met on Dec. 1.

Oregon emerged with a 74-60 win in that game, though, because star big-man N’Faly Dante delivered a strong performance of his own and scored a then-career-high 22 points.

The matchup between Dante and Gueye will be one to watch on Thursday. Oregon will also have its hands full with senior forward DJ Rodman, who recorded a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double during Wednesday’s win over Cal.

Oregon injury report

When meeting with reporters earlier this week, Altman said that Brennen Rigsby is the only Oregon player who he is certain will be unavailable. Last week, Altman said that Rigsby is out for the season due to a broken finger.

Junior forward Lok Wur missed the regular season finale against Stanford as he was in concussion protocol.

Altman said on Monday that Wur went through non-contact drills during practice that afternoon.

” We’ll be as healthy as we’ve been all year,” Altman said. “That’s encouraging. If we’re going to make a run, having depth will be big.”

Projected starting lineups

Washington State

• G: TJ Bamba
• G: Justin Powell
• F: Andrej Jakimovski
• F: DJ Rodman
• F: Mouhamed Gueye

Oregon

• G: Will Richardson
• G: Jermaine Couisnard
• F: Rivaldo Soares
• F: Nate Bittle
• C: N’Faly Dante

Betting Odds (Via Vegas Insider)

Spread: Oregon -2.5

Moneyline: Oregon -152, Stanford +126

Total: 133.5

ESPN BPI Prediction

Predicted winner: Oregon

Predicted point differential: 2.3

Win probability (for Oregon): 59.8%

Matchup quality: 86.5

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a tool that measures team strength and uses that to predict outcomes of future performances. ESPN’s BPI has Oregon vs Washington State ranked as the 11th highest-rated game on Thursday’s slate in terms of matchup quality.