Talkin’ Tall Firs: Will the Losing Ever End?

Oregon is on a three-game losing streak (@ Oregon State, @ USC, @ UCLA). The Ducks have their last home stand of the season and will go up against the teams from the state of Arizona once more. Oregon lost the first matchup against the Sun Devils, 78-64, and won the first matchup versus the Wildcats, 59-54.

Arizona State Sun Devils

ASU is on a three-game winning streak (quite the opposite of Oregon) and the Sun Devils are still very much in the running for a NCAA Tournament at-large bid with an impressive resume. They’ve since added a strong win against the PAC-12 leader, Washington Huskies, and made up for the loss at Stanford by taking the Cardinal down the second meeting at home. A bad loss against the Washington State Cougars at home does hurt but barring any sort of collapse at the end of the season, the Sun Devils could be one of the last teams to end up dancing into March.

Wins - Cal State Fullerton, McNeese State, Long Beach State, #15 Mississippi State, Utah State, Omaha, Texas Southern, @ Georgia, #1 Kansas, Colorado, @ California, Oregon, @ UCLA, Arizona, Washington, @ Utah, Stanford, California

Losses - #6 Nevada, @ Vanderbilt, Princeton, Utah, @ Stanford, @ USC, Washington State, @ Colorado

KenPom Ranking - #58

Game Time:

Arizona State (19-8, 10-5) @ Oregon (15-12, 6-8) 11:00 PM ET, PAC12 on Thursday, February 28th

Key Numbers:

• 79.1 Points Per Game
• 41.1 Rebounds Per Game (Ranked 9th in the Nation)
• 14.0 Assists Per Game
• 6.3 Steals Per Game
• 3.1 Blocks Per Game
• 73.1 Points Allowed Per Game
• 44.9 Field Goal Percentage

Player to Watch For:

Remy Martin, Sophomore - 13.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.4 SPG

This sip of cognac is lighting fast and has become an elite passer. He is a true leader on the court and won’t back down from any challenge that he may face.

Score Prediction: 81-71, Sun Devils over Ducks

It’s simple. Arizona State is the #1 scoring offense in the PAC-12 (79.1 PPG) and Oregon is the second worst in the PAC-12 (70.0 PPG).

Arizona Wildcats

Oregon handed Arizona their first loss in conference play after starting 4-0. The Wildcats went 3-7 after falling to the Ducks and just haven’t been playing good ball as of late. They were on a 7-game losing streak that ended only one week ago. To make matters worst, it was announced that Sean Miller will be subpoenaed in a federal criminal trial for college basketball corruption. This has been one season Arizona fans in Tucson want to forget.

Wins - Houston Baptist, Cal Poly, UTEP, Iowa State, Georgia Southern, @ Connecticut, Utah Valley, Montana, UC Davis, Colorado, Utah, @ California, @ Stanford, Oregon State, Stanford, California

Losses - #3 Gonzaga, #8 Auburn, @ Alabama, Baylor, Oregon, @ USC, @ UCLA, @ Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, @ Utah, @ Colorado

KenPom Ranking - #77

Game Time:

Arizona (16-12, 7-8) @ Oregon (15-12, 6-8) 9:00 PM ET, ESPN2 on Saturday, March 2nd

Key Numbers:

• 72.1 Points Per Game
• 34.8 Rebounds Per Game
• 12.8 Assists Per Game
• 5.4 Steals Per Game
• 2.3 Blocks Per Game
• 68.2 Points Allowed Per Game
• 42.9 Field Goal Percentage

Player to Watch For:

Chase Jeter, Junior- 11.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, .593% FG

The 6’10” Duke transfer was a highly-recruited high school player but seemed to fall off the national radar after a disappointing first two seasons in Durham. Jeter is still a skilled big who has solid footwork around the basket and can run pretty well in transition for his size.

Score Prediction: 69-62, Ducks over Wildcats

Arizona had trouble guarding the perimeter in the first matchup at the McKale Center and I expect the Wildcats to have the same problem at Matthew Knight Arena.

*Arden Cravalho is a senior at Gonzaga University... Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho