Washington plays Oregon on theScore
The Washington Huskies will try to hang on to sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 Conference as they head to Matthew Knight Arena to take on the talented Ducks of Oregon.
This will be the second meeting of the season and 291st in history between the Huskies and Ducks. Washington holds a 186-104 lead in the series after its 76-60 victory on New Year's Eve. The Huskies dominated the first meeting by shooting 53.7 percent from the floor and holding the Ducks to 32.3 percent shooting.
Head coach Lorenzo Romar has led his team to a 16-7 record and an unmatched 9-2 mark in league action so far. The Huskies won their fifth in a row on Saturday as they dominated the USC Trojans and walked away with a 69-41 victory. Washington's rebounding effort was unbelievable against the Trojans, as it held a 52-23 advantage in the battle of the boards to control the contest. The Huskies' reserves stepped up to help power the victory, as they outscored their USC counterparts 31-5.
Washington is led by its dynamic duo of Tony Wroten and Terrence Ross. Wroten has been one of the top freshman in the nation. The rookie guard is third in the Pac-12 in scoring with 16.7 ppg after his eight 20-plus point outings this year. Ross is 5th in the league in scoring with 15.2 ppg as he has reached double figures in 22-of-23 games this season. Aziz N'Diaye is second in the conference in rebounds with 8.0 boards per game and Abdul Gaddy is handing out 4.7 assists per contest.
The Ducks dropped to 16-7 overall and 7-4 in Pac-12 play their last time out as they dropped a 72-71 decision to the Colorado Buffaloes in a contest that went down to the wire. Head coach Dana Altman had to be disappointed in the result of the contest after his team went 10-of-17 from the charity stripe in the contest. The loss put the Ducks in third place, two games back of the Huskies, in the league standings. Oregon is outscoring its opponents by 3.0 points per game this season.
Oregon is led by the trio of Devoe Joseph, E.J. Singler, and Garrett Sim. Joseph has scored in double figures in 16 of his 17 games this season, and has been especially impressive lately with an average of 21.3 ppg over the span of his past three outings. Singler has been very consistent with averages of 13.0 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game. The junior forward recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards in the loss to Colorado on Saturday. Sim is the team's third leading scorer (11.7), but has been in a slump as of late as he has gone 6-of-27 from the field in his last three games.
This battle should be much closer than the initial encounter. The only game Joseph did not reach double figures in since joining the team mid-season was against Washington as he went 1-of-13 from the floor in the loss. Joseph will have his chance at redemption in this one in front of the rowdy home crowd. Singler's consistent play should continue in this one as Oregon challenges the Huskies.
