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On Saturday night, the Ducks opened Pac-12 play with a 71-59 win over the Oregon State Beavers, led by Joseph Young's 27 points. On Thursday night, the Ducks dive right into one of their toughest matchups of the season as No. 6 rizona comes to Matthew Knight Arena. In Arizona's only two visits ever to Matthew Knight Arena, the Ducks have come away with huge upset wins. The last time the Wildcats left Eugene with a win was December 30, 2010 at McArthur Court. Oregon will be looking for their third straight home win over the Wildcats. If they come out on top, all of Oregon's three straight wins against Arizona will come with the Wildcats ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
Tale of the Tape
Oregon (11-3, 1-0 Pac-12) vs. No. 7 Arizona (13-1, 1-0 Pac-12)
Oregon's Key Win: 12/13: Illinois, 77-70
Arizona's Key Win: 12/6: No. 9 Gonzaga, 66-63 OT
Key Players:
Oregon:
Joseph Young - 20.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.1 APG
Dillion Brooks: - 14.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.4 APG
Jordan Bell: 5.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.4 BPG
Arizona:
Stanley Johnson - 14.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.7 APG
Brandon Ashley - 11.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 0.9 APG
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - 11.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.8 APG
Storyline to watch: Rush the court
Whenever Arizona has come to Matthew Knight Arena since the building opened, it has ended with the Pit Crew storming the court. I was apart of one of those court stormings during my senior year in 2013, and after watching replays of it, I'm still amazed I wasn't crushed to death as I was right in the middle of it. The Ducks play incredibly well at home (68-12 since the building opened in 2011) and have squeaked out wins against Arizona in each of the past two seasons. Will Arizona finally figure out a way to come out of Matthew Knight Arena with a win, or will the Ducks stumble against a team that always looks ready for a national title run?
Prediction: Arizona over Oregon
The Ducks are off to a better start than many had expected, but they haven't been able to pull out a win against a ranked opponent yet. Two of Oregon's losses this year came in consecutive games against No. 19 Michigan and No. 14 VCU. If some of the key guys from last year were still around, I say Oregon wins this one. But unfortunately, I don't see Oregon's young roster keeping up with the Wildcats. However, I do think this one will go down to the wire much like this game has in recent years in Eugene.