Quack Fix: Reviewing Colorado, Week 12 in College Basketball

Basketball Roundup

• In a week filled with blowouts, upsets and even a blowout upset, it was only natural for No. 10 Oregon (19-3, 8-1) to see its school-record 17-game winning streak come to an end. The Ducks lost to Colorado (12-10, 2-7) on road Saturday, 74-65, to remain winless in their seven trips to Boulder all-time.

• A look at next week’s opponents: The desert schools were showered with wins this week, as Arizona State (10-11, 3-5) topped Washington (9-11, 2-6) on Wednesday, 86-75, and No. 7 Arizona (19-2, 8-0) beat Washington State (10-10, 3-5) on Thursday, 86-75. The Sun Devils snapped a four-game skid and handed the Huskies their fourth loss in five games, while the Wildcats extended their winning streak to 13 and gave the Cougars their fifth loss in six games.

Oregon will welcome Arizona State to Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday at 8 p.m. PT before hosting Arizona on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.

• Around the rest of the Pac-12: USC (18-4, 5-4) played a better version of UCLA basketball (that actually included defense) to stun the eighth-ranked Bruins (19-3, 6-3) at the Galen Center on Wednesday, 84-76. The Trojans drained 14 three-pointers and forced the Bruins into 17 turnovers for 18 points on the way to their second straight victory… Oregon State (4-18, 0-9) is still searching for that elusive win in conference play after falling 85-78 to fellow basement-dweller Colorado (12-10, 2-7) on Thursday and losing 85-78 to Utah (15-6, 6-3) on Saturday.
• Across the country: It started Monday with NC State’s 84-82 stunning win over No. 17 Duke, but #UpsetCentral blew up on Tuesday with the fall of three of the top four teams in college hoops. Marquette rallied from 17 down to knock off No. 1 Villanova in Milwaukee, 74-72; No. 18 West Virginia snapped No. 2 Kansas’ 18-game winning streak with an 85-69 win in Morgantown; and Tennessee took down No. 4 Kentucky in Knoxville, 82-80, behind Robert Hubbs III’s 25 points and seven boards. Your typical Tuesday night was made even more bazaar, as No. 13 Louisville blew out Pitt in historic fashion, 106-51, despite a backcourt that continues to thin — starting guard Quentin Snider (hip) and backup guard Tony Hicks (hand) are both out with injuries.

Probably, considering the Zags stomped San Diego and Pepperdine this week by an average of 41.5 points to move to 22-0.

• Florida State has won five of its past six games against ranked opponents, but fell 78-56 to an unranked Georgia Tech team on Wednesday. The Seminoles then lost to Syracuse on Saturday, 82-72, while the Yellow Jackets took down No. 14 Notre Dame the same day on Josh Okogie’s buzzer-beating layup in transition, 62-60.

Just one more quality win for the Yellow Jackets to add to their resume, along with dubs over UNC and NC State.

• Indiana’s defense proved to be problematic once again in a 90-60 loss to Michigan on Thursday. To put it in perspective, the Hoosiers shot 55 percent from the floor and 54 percent from distance, but still managed to lose by 30 points. Even worse, James Blackmon Jr., who had been playing some of his best basketball yet, is out indefinitely after injuring his lower leg against the Wolverines.
• On Saturday, Miami knocked off No. 9 UNC, 77-62, causing Roy Williams to go full-on Enes Kanter. #SaveTheChairs

• For news that’s not even really news anymore at this point, Grayson Allen Duke was involved in unnecessary drama. If winning cures all, Luke Kennard (34p) saved the day with his last-second three-pointer to lift the Blue Devils over Wake Forest, 85-82.

• In a battle between the bluest of blood, No. 2 Kansas overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to hand No. 4 Kentucky a 79-73 loss at Rupp Arena. Frank Mason III scored 21 points, and Josh Jackson added a double-double (20p, 10r), for the Jayhawks to secure their second straight win over the Wildcats.

All Things Ducks

• Women’s basketball (14-7, 4-5) fell at MKA on Friday, 43-40, as Oregon State captured its 12th straight Civil War win. Sabrina Ionesco (14p) and Maite Cazorla (12p) led the Ducks in scoring, as the team shot 28 percent from the floor and 13 percent from distance. The second leg of the Civil War will be played in Corvallis today at 11 a.m. PT.
• No. 20 men’s golf captured the 2017 Arizona Intercollegiate team title on Tuesday, finishing 12 strokes ahead of second-place Pepperdine. Senior Wyndham Clark finished first overall with a 4-under 209, while freshman Norman Xiong finished fourth with a 1-under 212.
• Men’s tennis (3-0) excelled in singles play to beat Rice on Saturday, 4-2. UO will take on No. 9 Texas in the regional final in Austin today at 11 a.m. PT.
• Women’s tennis (2-2) fell to No. 2 UNC in the ITA Kick-Off on Saturday, 4-0, and will play in the consolation round against Columbia in Chapel Hill today at 9:30 a.m. PT.
• Men’s track and field won the distance medley relay in an NCAA-leading time of 9:30.86, thanks to performances by Matthew Maton (1,200m), Cameron Stone (400m), Mick Stanovsek (800m) and Edward Cheserek (1,600m).
• Last but certainly not least, women’s track and field broke the collegiate indoor record in the DMR with a 10:48.77 time, thanks to performances by Lilli Burdon (1,200m), Ashante Horsley (400m), Raevyn Rogers (800m) and Katie Rainsberger (1,600m). The previous record stood at 10:50.98 (Tennessee, 2009).

That all for now! Feel free to tell me what I missed in the comments… Before I say goodbye, say hello to HI-LIGHTS!