MBB: Even at their worst, Ducks are still far better than the Beavers

If there’s one thing that Dana Altman and the Ducks can hang their hats on in this frustrating and disappointing season, it’s that at least they are not Oregon State.

In typical Duck fashion, Oregon let the lowly Beavers hang around for far too long but in the end they rather easily put away one of the worst teams the conference has ever seen.

After a shocking Pac-12 Tournament championship and run to the Elite Eight last season, Oregon State decided to give head coach Wayne Tinkle a lucrative extension.

Tinkle followed that up by winning a TOTAL of three games this season.

But enough about the Beavers.

With the 86-72 victory, the Ducks stayed alive in a time where recently they have looked dead in the water.

With Will Richardson staying home to heal from his head injury, guard Jacob Young stepped up and notched 23 points and 11 assists to lead Oregon, while Quincy Guerrier scored 20. Eric Williams Jr. contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, and N’Faly Dante had 15 points and five blocks.

After jumping out to a 12-0 lead to start the game, Oregon found itself in a closer-than-it-should-have-been battle that ended with the Ducks leading by only seven at halftime.

Twice in the second half, Oregon State cut the lead to three, but Oregon wasn’t about to stoop to their little brother’s level, and the Ducks ran away with the game in the final five minutes.

Oregon will now face Colorado at 2:30pm in the Quarterfinals, the two teams split their regular season series, with each winning on the other’s home court. Turn to Slurms Mac Court for the game thread and coverage!