Who: Oregon Ducks (8-20, 2-14 Pac-10) at USC Trojans (16-12, 7-9 Pac-10)
Time: 7:30 p.m. PST
Location: Galen Center (Los Angeles, California)
Media: Radio/Internet Only
The Oregon men’s basketball team heads south this weekend to close out the regular season with games against USC and No. 20 UCLA. Up first for the Ducks are the reeling Trojans (16-12, 7-9 Pac-10), who have dropped three in a row and six of their last seven, all but eliminating their shot at an NCAA Tournament berth. USC is vying for the sixth seed heading into next week's Pac-10 Tourney to avoid the additional game en route to the tourney champ's automatic Big Dance bid. They'll need two wins this weekend to secure the spot.
The Ducks, on the other hand, are riding a two-game winning streak, their longest since December, and have virtually nothing to lose. Funny what a little momentum can do for a team that had dropped 14 straight conference games at one point. Oregon is guaranteed the 10th seed heading into next week's conference tourney.
Concerns over Oregon guard Tajuan Porter, who suffered a scratched cornea in practice earlier Tuesday when hot-handed freshman Matthew Humphrey accidentally poked him in the eye, have minimized. Porter, the Ducks' leading scorer at 15.3 PPG, is probable for tonight's game and will more than likely start. Apparently Humphrey's hot hand, which helped him put up a career-high 17 points in the Ducks' 68-60 win over Stanford on Sunday, is more dangerous than we anticipated.
USC ran away with the teams' first meeting in Eugene earlier this season, drubbing the Ducks, 83-62. Let's hope Oregon can take advantage of a sliding team and keep the streak alive.
GO DUCKS!