The Oklahoma State Cowboys were biting their nails on Selection Sunday. In the end, they earned a No. 9 seed and a matchup with No. 8 seeded Oregon in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Cowboys are obviously limping into the NCAA Tournament, having lost six of their final seven games. But, the group still clings to six quality wins over tournament teams, such as Kansas, Baylor and Texas.

Oregon will have to deal with a multi-faceted offense and a solid defense. While the Ducks are certainly the hotter team heading into the matchup, Oklahoma State has the roster to exploit multiple weaknesses in Oregon’s makeup.

Led by senior forward Le’Bryan Nash (17.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and junior sharpshooter Phil Forte (15.1 ppg), Oklahoma State has legitimate scoring threats from multiple areas on the court.

Nash is No. 10 in the nation in percentage of possession and is No. 2 in the statistic amongst tournament teams, making him the complete centerpiece for the offense. Colorado’s Askia Booker and Cal’s Tyrone Wallace are the only players in the Pac-12 with comparable participation rates.

At 6-7, Nash is typically put at the power forward position, but has the ability to redefine his playing style as he spent 35 percent of his time on the court this season at small-forward and five percent at shooting guard. Nash can handle the ball in the half court, make plays in transition, score from the block and hit jump shots.

However, Nash’s best offensive metric is fouls drawn per 40 minutes as he ranks No. 25 nationally at 6.8 fouls drawn per game, so expect him to spend most of his time slashing towards the basket as opposed to pacing around the perimeter.

The Ducks will have to devote plenty of attention to Nash, so expect Jordan Bell, Dillon Brooks and Elgin Cook to each get their chance guarding him.

Forte, a prototypical jump-shot specialist, offers Oklahoma State the inside-out combination alongside Nash. With a solid 52.5 expected field goal percentage and a 38.2 percent clip from three point range, Nash is one of the better outside shooters Oregon has faced this season.

The junior guard is one of those players with the potential to explode, but is hampered by some awful stat lines. During Oklahoma State’s late season skid, Forte shot 28 percent from the field.

Behind those two, Oklahoma State reduces to a collection of role players. Senior point guard Anthony Hickey (9.6 ppg, 3.5 apg) operates as the team’s distributor, while small-forward Jeff Newberry (6.9 ppg) and center Michael Cobbins (6.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg) round out the Cowboys’ front-court.

The Cowboys’ profile is essentially the opposite of Oregon’s. Teams facing Oklahoma State pay a lot of attention to Nash, opening Forte up on the outside; teams facing Oregon pay a lot of attention to Joseph Young, opening things up for players like Elgin Cook and Dillon Brooks on the inside.

The most surprising factor when comparing the two offenses is Oklahoma State’s shockingly low rebounding rate, which ranks last in Big-12 at 27.1 percent. Obviously this has to do with Nash – the Cowboy’s only capable forward  – taking such a big chunk of the offense. Simply put: when Nash is shooting, Nash can’t rebound.

The match up canters in Oklahoma State’s favor on the defensive side. Although the Cowboys’ defense doesn’t stand out in the highly competitive Big-12, they’re just outside the nation’s top 50 in defensive efficiency.

Hickey is second in the Big-12 in steal percentage at 3.96 percent and averages 1.9 steals per game. Forte comes in right behind him with a 3.4 percent steal rate and an identical 1.9 steals per game average. Forte is also a very smart defender as he only commits 1.6 fouls per game on average.

Down low, 6-8 Michael Cobbins is very similar to Jordan Bell as the senior averages 1.9 blocks per game despite playing with a noticeable size disadvantage. With Nash chipping in 1.0 blocks per game, Oklahoma State ranks inside the top 20 nationally in both block percentage and steal percentage.

But again, Oklahoma State struggles to rebound. While the Cowboys hold their opponents below 45 percent shooting from inside the arc, they’re last in the Big-12 in defensive rebounding percentage as well.

So it’s a matchup between both team’s strengths. Oregon is a skilled offensive team that enjoys success from the perimeter, while Oklahoma State is a balanced team that tries to get the ball down low and get to the foul line.

The key statistic for this matchup should be rebounding, with added emphasis added to second chance points and offensive rebounds. Oregon is far from a good rebounding team, but the statistics say Oklahoma State is even worse in that department. The team that wins that battle will likely win the game.

In a vacuum, Oklahoma State should be the favorite in this game. The Cowboys have almost a complete year’s worth of experience over the Ducks on average and have a player capable of scoring against Oregon’s undersized forwards.

But if you take Oklahoma State’s late season collapse into account, Oregon’s recent success looks that much more favorable.

This might be the best second round matchup in the entire field of 64 and will likely become a competition between the stars Nash and Young down to the bitter end.

Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter

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Oregon men’s basketball received a No. 8 seed in the West bracket from the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee and will face No. 9 seed Oklahoma State next Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska. The Ducks are coming off an 80-52 loss to the Wildcats in the Pac-12 title game.

“It never gets old,” Altman said about making the tournament. “I’m as excited now as I was the first time in 1987. It’s an unbelievable feeling to be included.”

The two teams faced each other in the Round of 64 in 2013, where Oregon dispatched Marcus Smart and the Cowboys 68-55.

The at-large bid marks Oregon’s third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2013 as a No. 12 seed before losing to No. 1 overall seed Louisville and dropped in the Round of 32 to No. 2 seed Wisconsin 85-77 in 2014.

“No way should they (Oregon) be satisfied,” Altman said. “I want them to feel good about what they’ve accomplished. We didn’t do well against Arizona, they’re a bad matchup for us and we struggled with them. There’s so much more they can grow into.”

If the Ducks can advance past Oklahoma State, they’ll likely face No. 1 seed Wisconsin and Wooden Award candidate Frank Kaminsky.

“We won’t be looking past Oklahoma State,” Altman said. “Our guys know better than that and we know we’ll have our hands full. Those 8/9 matchups are always tough.”

Notables

– Joseph Young and Elgin Cook are the only two returners from last year’s NCAA tournament team.

– Dana Altman, who coached at Creighton for 16 years, expects to have a lot of friends and family in attendance for their first round matchup against Oklahoma State.

“Personally, we’ll have a lot of family,” Altman said. “Just got 60 texts from people wanting tickets already, so phone’s been blowing up here.

– Oregon’s three straight NCAA tournament appearances is program best.

– Oregon ended the season having won seven of their last eight games, while Oklahoma State has lost the last six of their seven games.

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Arizona proved it is the best team in the Pac-12.

The Wildcats dominated Oregon 80-52 in the Pac-12 Championship on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in front of a deafening clad-red crowd.

Right off the bat, it was clear that it was going to be Arizona’s night. The Wildcats won the tipoff, then collected back-to-back offensive rebounds to score the first basket of the game.

Dillon Brooks and Joseph Young responded with five points a piece in a 10-2 run, but that would be the final time Oregon enjoyed any success.

Arizona turned around, got its defense set and went on a 28-7 run that buried the Ducks for good.

“We didn’t maintain,” Young said. “We weren’t stable on the defensive end and we weren’t rebounding.”

At halftime, Arizona had 25 rebounds – eight of which came on the offensive end – and a 48 percent clip from the field. Oregon had 13 rebounds and a 28 percent shooting mark.

Arizona finished the game out-rebounding Oregon 37-20.

“We all needed to battle on the boards,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “As I look at the stats, none of our guys mixed it up on the boards.”

The Pac-12 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Brandon Ashley, led all scorers with 20 points on 6-8 shooting. In addition, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Stanley Johnson, seemed to score from everywhere on the floor and finished with 14 points.

On the other side, Joseph Young went 2-10 from the field in the first half, but finished with 19 points after making four consecutive baskets in the second.

Outside of Young, Brooks was the only other Duck that could find room against Arizona’s defense. The freshman finished with 13 points on 3-5 shooting, but was mostly uninvolved during the second half.

The last time the Ducks got beat down by Arizona, they responded with an 11-1 run that catapulted them into the NCAA Tournament discussion.

After validating themselves as a legitimate contender in the Pac-12, the Ducks were reminded tonight just how far behind their program really is.

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With the very best of the Pac-12 basketball media clan in Las Vegas, the Emerald got a chance to catch up with Adam Butler (@PacHoopsAB) of PacHoops.com. Butler breaks down the Pac-12 Tournament and looks ahead to the championship game between No. 2 seed Oregon and No. 1 seed Arizona.

After seeing Delon Wright, Stanley Johnson and Joseph Young put some impressive outings together, what’s a better label for Young: Player of the Year or Most Valuable Player?

I’m a millennial so clearly I’d love to get everyone an award. But because we’ve got to hand out just the one piece, I’ve loved watching Joe Young graciously show why he was the conference’s POY.

Now, as for your question, it’s really hard. And if we are operating in the vacuum of just this tournament, I think it’s pretty fair to call him the MVP. Look at the halves. Young’s Ducks were down at the half against both Colorado and Utah. In those halves, Joe was less than mighty. But in the second half, when Oregon would pull away, Young has been fantastic. I mean, Oregon shot 82 percent against Colorado in the second half where Young made nine buckets. 

UCLA’s 3-2 zone had Arizona spinning its wheels for a while. What’s up with Wildcats and jump shooting? 

Jump shooting just tends not to be a part of their DNA. They aren’t bad at it they just try to operate closer to the basket. That zone is also really unique in that the Bruins had Kevon Looney (7’1″ wingspan).

The scary prospect for Arizona opponents could be that in this tournament Stanley Johnson has found his stroke. In Vegas, he’s shooting 6-11 from deep.

Additionally, as it applies to tonight’s game, Gabe York – a key shooting threat for the Wildcats – has played well against Oregon, scoring a combined 23 points against the Ducks in two games this season. He will be a factor if Oregon chooses to continue its zone and zone press and if Arizona chooses to attack that with one of their smaller lineups as they effectively did late against UCLA. 

Arizona is obviously going to align its defense towards Young. What’s the better matchup for him: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson or T.J. McConnell?

I think Young would have a better chance of having another big tournament game with McConnell on him. Young is clearly a great shooter and would have a better chance at getting a shot off against the 6-1 McConnell as opposed to the 6-7 Hollis-Jefferson.

Whatever the case, Young will be challenged. As will the Wildcats. I mean, Young is a white hot hero on a mission. Buckle up. 

Brandon Ashley went crazy yesterday. What does he add to the team that Arizona missed last season?

Last year at this time Arizona was playing great but incomplete as he had a broken foot. What he’s doing this March, however, has been incredible. He’s averaging 19 and 7 on 72 percent shooting. Tonight is basically a battle for the tournament’s most outstanding player between him and Young (and probably Johnson, too).

What he brings – particularly right now – is a true post scoring threat, offensive rebounding (he’s really great at that), and the ability to hit jumpers created by a driving McConnell. It’s kind of heartbreaking for Wildcat fans to see what the March version of Ashley looks like after last year. That said, this March is shaping up into something pretty special for them again and Ashley is key to it.

There’s a huge difference in average height for tonight’s game. How can Elgin Cook and Dillon Brooks get involved in the paint with so many big Wildcats swatting shots?

The most effective thing those two can do is rebound. It’s always a team effort but you watch what UCLA and Cal have done against Arizona and the thing that’s caused Arizona the most trouble has been those teams’ efforts on the glass. Cal, in particular, did a great job of this, limiting Arizona to just five offensive rebounds.

Think about this, if Arizona is only average at jump shooting, then there’s an opportunity to force them into shots they’re perhaps not inclined to make. Grab those misses. Because if you don’t, there’s a lot of size that’s wearing red hovering around to connect on the far easier second chance bucket. 

What’s one stat Oregon fans should keep their eye on?

I kind of alluded to it above in offensive rebounds, but if we are going to think a little outside the box I’d consider keeping an eye on transition points. Arizona is great in transition and in general really wants to push the pace.

The last two contests between these teams have been played to the tune of about 70 possessions which is a very fun basketball game. Sounds about perfect for a championship game, right?

Follow Adam Butler on Twitter @pachoopsab

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The Four Factors:

• Effective field goal percentage (eFG): Regular field goal percentage with additional weight given to three-pointers
• Turnover rate (TOV): Measurement of ball security
• Rebounding percentage (Reb): Percentage of the possible rebounds an offense or defense collects
• Free throw rate (FTR): Rate at which a team gets to the foul line, or fouls the opposing team

Advanced statistics have doubted Oregon men’s basketball for a while now. The Ducks’ unconventionally small lineup and sporadic defense have doomed them to extremely unfavorable odds when facing the Pac-12’s better teams.

KenPom.com gave Oregon a 20 percent chance to beat Utah at Matthew Knight Arena, then a 22 percent chance to repeat the feat in Las Vegas. But the Ducks scoffed at those probabilities and topped the Utes both times.

Tonight, the Ducks face the unequivocal class of the Pac-12 and No. 1 seeded Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Looking at the numbers, there’s no rational way to explain Oregon winning this game. The Wildcats aren’t just the best in the Pac-12, they’re one of the best teams in the entire country in multiple key statistics.

If the Ducks pull off the upset, it would surely be held as the crown jewel of Joseph Young’s legacy at Oregon.

Just like the semifinal, the Ducks have the offensive metrics that match up with the best teams the country can throw at them. Arizona is far from a fluid offensive team, but still boasts extremely favorable efficiency numbers with extensive advantages in multiple areas.

Both teams have identical effective field goal percentages over Pac-12 play, but the Wildcats limit turnovers, then recover more offensive rebounds and draw more fouls than any team in the conference.

Pac-12 freshman of the year Stanley Johnson leads the way, averaging 14.1 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. Forwards Brandon Ashley (12.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (11.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg) round out the scoring. Point guard T.J. McConnell (9.7 ppg, 6.4 apg, 2.2 spg) stands in as the team’s distributor as the senior boasts the fifth best assist rate in the country.

While Arizona is virtually impossible to defend when its ball handlers get into the paint, the Wildcats are a mediocre jump-shooting team.

Yesterday, UCLA’s 3-2 zone held Arizona scoreless from the field for over six minutes. Expect Dana Altman to opt for plenty of full-court pressure and zone defenses to attempt to stymie the Wildcats’ slashing forwards.

The biggest gap between the two teams comes on defense. Arizona is the nation’s third best defensive team. The Wildcats have used their size, speed and versatility to lock down numerous high-powered offenses over the course of the season.

Hollis-Jefferson can match up with every single player on Oregon’s roster and has frequently been assigned to his opponents’ top scoring threat, whether it’s a point guard or a power forward.

Joseph Young should anticipate a mix of both Hollis-Jefferson and McConnell defending him throughout the night, so achieving any point total over his season average would be nothing short of a memorable feat.

Oregon is going to have to look for big contributions from other parts of its lineup. Dillon Brooks and Elgin Cook need to turn in the performances of their careers as they’ll be matched up with either Johnson and Ashley, who are weaker defenders, but are still two of the better defensive players in the Pac-12.

It’s virtually impossible to expect Oregon’s offense to operate anywhere close to its typical rate against the Wildcats. Young is the only Duck capable of manufacturing a shot against Arizona’s defense and it will require nothing short of a herculean effort from the Pac-12 Player of the Year to complete the upset.

Does Young have another miracle in him? The Ducks might need one to beat Arizona and win the Pac-12 tournament.

Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter

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The Four Factors:

• Effective field goal percentage (eFG): Regular field goal percentage with additional weight given to three-pointers
• Turnover rate (TOV): Measurement of ball security
• Rebounding percentage (Reb): Percentage of the possible rebounds an offense or defense collects
• Free throw rate (FTR): Rate at which a team gets to the foul line, or fouls the opposing team

There was a point in this season when Oregon’s flimsy resume was desperate for a quality win. When then-No. 9 Utah came to town last month, many analysts were expecting the Ducks to not only lose, but get blown out by a team that counters every advantage Oregon typically owns.

Instead, Oregon came away with a 69-58 win. The Ducks out-rebounded the lanky Utes 35-31, had three players with double-digit scoring totals and forced 13 turnovers against one of the nation’s most efficient offenses. Instead of Joseph Young leading the Oregon offense on Senior Day, freshman Dillon Brooks paced the team with 19 points.

Now Oregon’s resume looks polished. The Ducks ascended to No. 29 in the RPI and virtually locked themselves into countless bracket projections.

So when No. 2 seed Oregon plays No. 3 seed Utah on Friday night in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinal, an NCAA Tournament bid won’t be on the table.

Instead, this game is chock-full of auxiliary storylines. Did Joseph Young deserve the Pac-12 Player of the Year award, or was Utah’s Delon Wright snubbed? Should Larry Krystkowiak have earned Coach of the Year honors over Dana Altman? Was Oregon’s run through the end of the season a fluke?

If one thing is certain, this game will go a long way towards answering those questions for the offseason ahead.

Friday’s matchup features two of the best offenses not only in the Pac-12, but in the country. According to KenPom, Utah is currently ranked No. 16 nationally in adjusted efficiency while the Ducks own the No. 20 ranking for the statistic.

Most of Utah’s offense comes from the pace set by its star guard Wright (14.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.1 spg), who exploded for 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the Utes’ blowout of Stanford in the quarterfinal. Wright is currently ranked third on KenPom.com’s national Player of the Year rankings behind Wisconsin’s versatile center Frank Kaminsky and Arizona’s star freshman Stanley Johnson.

It’s safe to say that Oregon doesn’t have someone that can match up defensively against Wright. No matter what the Ducks do on defense, Wright will find a way to contribute either through his own scoring, or by setting his teammates up with assists.

Utah’s supporting cast is led by wing Jordan Loveridge (10.5 ppg), point guard Brandon Taylor (10.2 ppg, 3.4 apg) and center Jakob Poeltl (8.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg).

Loveridge and Taylor operate as Wright’s kick-out options. Stanford fell victim to that tradeoff time and time again as the Utes shot 12-19 (63 percent) from three point range on Thursday night. Poeltl, on the other hand, is a prototypical rebounding center.

The freshman doesn’t have a full arsenal of posts moves, but plays hard and gets to the tough areas on the court to soak up rebounds and put-back baskets. One of the biggest keys to Oregon’s victory over Utah in their first matchup was neutralizing Poeltl, who finished with just five points and four rebounds despite being at least five inches taller than any player that guarded him for an extended period of time.

While the two teams are essentially equal on offense, Utah has significant advantages in defensive metrics.

The Utes have the conference’s best effective field goal percentage against at 42.9 percent, while Oregon ranks seventh in that statistic at 49.7 percent. Utah is No. 1 in the Pac-12 in three point shooting percentage against and No. 2 in both two point shooting percentage against and blocked shot percentage.

Utah causes more turnovers and collects more defensive rebounds than Oregon, but tends to be the victim of high foul totals. Unfortunately for the Ducks, they’re one of the conference’s worst teams in terms of drawing free throws, making that category a matchup of the two teams’ weaknesses.

As fun as the matchup between Oregon’s offense and Utah’s defense is on paper, this game will be won and lost on the boards. The Utes shoot and make more three pointers than any other team in the Pac-12, but still own gaudy percentages from two point range, giving lots of weight to second chance points.

Jordan Bell needs to shake off his listless performance against Colorado on Thursday for the Ducks to have a chance at defending the paint against the Utes, while Dillon Brooks, Dwayne Benjamin and Dillon Brooks have to turn in efficient outings on offense.

Keep an eye on Oregon’s point total in this matchup. The Ducks are a perfect 17-0 when they reach the 70-point mark and should be aiming for a similar total tonight.

Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. –It wasn’t pretty, but No. 2 seeded Oregon men’s basketball survived No. 10 seeded Colorado, 93-85 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday night.

The Buffaloes bookended runs to start and finish the game, but the opportunistic Ducks turned 13 Colorado turnovers into 27 points to survive and advance.

Joseph Young overcame an early slump and led the way with 30 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Elgin Cook pitched in 20 points on 8-10 shooting, while Jalil Abdul-Bassit and Benjamin chipped in 15 and 12 points, respectively.

The quarterfinal matchup could not have started any worse for the Ducks. Colorado leaped out to a 12-4 lead.

In an effort to jump-start his team’s energy, Oregon head coach Dana Altman opted to use a three-quarter court press which led to a quick 6-0 Oregon run.

“It just got us moving,” Altman said. “We were dead to start the game. I must have put them to sleep before the ballgame with my inspirational speech, because our activity just wasn’t very good.”

Things looked bleak for the Ducks when the Buffs hit a three pointer to take an 11 point lead with 13 minutes left in the first half. At that point, Oregon was 0-8 from three-point range and couldn’t find any rhythm on offense against an uncharacteristically stingy Colorado defense.

But in the blink of an eye, the Ducks found their legs. A pair of Elgin Cook jumpers started a long 16-4 run capped off by back-to-back-to-back three pointers. When the dust settled, Oregon had earned its first lead of the game at 34-33.

“I really felt our energy level pick up,” Altman said. “We had a different energy about us in the second half.”

Oregon started the second period in style, hitting its shots and making plays on defense.

After trading baskets to start the half, the Ducks caught fire. Solid press defense forced Colorado into bad possessions, leading to easy buckets on the other end for Oregon. The Ducks exploded on a 16-1 run, pushing their lead up to 18 points.

With precious seconds ticking off of Colorado’s season, the Buffs made one last push.

Colorado strung together four three pointers on a 18-6 run and cut Oregon’s lead to just four points at the two minute mark.

But just as the Buffs looked like they were going to complete the comeback, Oregon shut the door. The Pac-12 player of the year, Young, hit back-to-back clutch jump shots.  Dillon Brooks and Dwayne Benjamin hit six straight free throws to preserve Oregon’s lead and deliver the win.

With the victory, Oregon advances to the Pac-12 Tournament’s semifinal where the Ducks will face the winner of the Utah-Stanford game Friday night.

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The Four Factors:

• Effective field goal percentage (eFG): Regular field goal percentage with additional weight given to three-pointers
• Turnover rate (TOV): Measurement of ball security
• Rebounding percentage (Reb): Percentage of the possible rebounds an offense or defense collects
• Free throw rate (FTR): Rate at which a team gets to the foul line, or fouls the opposing team

Oregon men’s basketball gets its turn in the Pac-12 Tournament Thursday against No. 10 seed Colorado at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Ducks had a first round bye. The Buffaloes are coming off a hard-fought 78-71 win over No. 7 seed Oregon State on Wednesday night.

The Buff’s 78 points were the most points any team has scored against Oregon State all year long, so it’s safe to say that Colorado has figured something out on offense.

That wasn’t the case when Oregon first faced Colorado at Matthew Knight Arena in February. The Ducks won 73-60 on 23 points from Joseph Young, but Askia Booker was held to 5-17 shooting and Josh Scott scored just 10 points, all while the Buffs committed 16 turnovers.

This time around, Josh Scott is coming off of a tremendous three game streak in which he averaged 23 points and 11.7 rebounds, while Askia Booker looks to be locked in on both ends of the floor after struggling in the first half against the Beavers.

Regardless of Oregon’s hot streak, its seed, or its past success against the Buffs, Colorado is not a team worth overlooking.

As was the case the first time around, Booker is the “do-everything” man for Colorado. Booker takes 36.3 percent of the team’s shots, contributes to 31.9 percent of Colorado’s possessions and averages 17.2 points per game.

Booker is experienced and crafty. After struggling early against the Pac-12’s premier perimeter defender Gary Payton II, the senior found a way to put up 20 points despite shooting just 4-13 from the field.

Scott seems to be playing back at his usual high level as well. Scott is one of the nation’s premier offensive players in terms of efficiency with a nationally ranked turnover rate, lending to his solid averages of 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

Behind those two stars is Xavier Johnson. Johnson (10.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is a versatile wing that fits the saying “jack of all trades, master of none.” At 6-7, 230 pounds, Johnson can work down low, or hit jump shots over sagging defenders.

Oregon and Colorado play mirror-image offenses. While Oregon tends to play from the perimeter, Colorado slashes to the paint and cashes in on second chance points and free throws. As a result, Oregon has kept its turnovers and blocked shots to a minimum, while Colorado is ninth in the conference in blocked shot rate and last in turnovers committed.

On the other end of the court, Oregon and Colorado are relatively similar defensive teams.

Colorado has a slight edge in effective field goal percentage against, turnover rate and rebounding, but Oregon has significant advantages in peripheral stats like attempts per field goals made against and free throw rate.

Colorado’s biggest advantage over Oregon is its size. With an average height of 77.8 inches, the Buffaloes are ranked No. 31 in the country in terms of size, while Oregon is No. 228 nationally at 76.3 inches on average.

Jordan Bell will be the key to stopping Colorado. Bell only scored six points against the Buffs the first time out, but recorded three blocks and was a major factor in defending Scott down low. As long as Bell stays active and involved, Oregon’s defense should hold against the Buffs.

If the Ducks can get out to a good start from the field and contain Booker, Oregon should win. But considering the intensity Booker and Scott showcased to close out their first round matchup, this game will probably come down to the wire.

Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter

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Oregon picked up two Pac-12 honors on Monday.

Joseph Young was selected as the 2014-15 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and head coach Dana Altman was named the John R. Wooden Coach of the Year.

Young’s Pac-12 leading 19.8 points per game was enough to take the award over Arizona’s Stanley Johnson and T.J. McConnell. The senior guard also led the league in free throw percentage (.918) and three-point field goals made per game (2.5). Young is now the fourth Oregon player to win the award, joining Ron Lee (1975-76), Terrell Brandon (1990-91) and Luke Ridnour (2002-03) as one of Oregon’s all-time greats.

Dana Altman became the first Oregon coach to win Coach of the Year honors twice (2013, 2015). He put together arguably his most impressive coaching season to date. The Ducks were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 this season, but under Altman’s leadership, went on a 9-1 streak to end the season and finished second in the Pac-12 standings with a final record of 23-8(13-5).

Altman now has 18 consecutive winning seasons as a head coach and has led Oregon to its most successful era ever, with a school-record five consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins.

Elgin Cook was selected to the second All-Pac-12 team, while Dillon Brooks and Jordan Bell were added to the All-Freshman Team.

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Oregon men’s basketball defied the odds over the final stretch of the regular season and wound up with the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament. This granted the Ducks a valuable first round bye and–more importantly–put them as far away as possible from top-seeded Arizona.

The Ducks are a combined 6-1 against their half of the bracket, with their only loss coming at the hands of Robert Upshaw and Washington to start Pac-12 play.

Three of the teams on Oregon’s side of the bracket– Utah, Stanford and Oregon State – have lost to the Ducks within the past three weeks.

Stanford is also the only team desperate for a win, as the Cardinal are listed as a major bubble team in multiple projections.

Taking all those factors into consideration, Oregon’s path to the championship game is relatively favorable.

(Data via TeamRankings)

Advanced metrics still favor Utah’s efficiency over Oregon’s scoring, so TeamRankings gave Utah a 65 percent chance to advance past Oregon in their potential semifinal matchup.

On the other hand, Utah hasn’t been playing very well lately. The Utes have lost three of their last five games including a 77-68 loss to the woeful Washington Huskies in Seattle last Saturday night.

UCLA and Arizona State’s second round matchup could prove to be the most impactful game of the tournament, as the Bruins are listed as one of the “Last four out” in ESPN’s latest bracket projection.

The winner of that game will run into Arizona, which is the clear cut favorite to run away with the Pac-12 Championship. The Wildcats are virtually guaranteed to make the championship game and will have advantages over every team in the opposite half of the bracket.

The bad news for Oregon is that beating Arizona at this point in the season is virtually impossible. The Wildcats kicked it into overdrive to end the year and have beaten each of their last eight opponents by at least 10 points.

The good news is that the Ducks don’t need to beat Arizona to reach the NCAA tournament after their performance to end the month of February.

It’s no longer a matter of whether or not Oregon will be seeded in the NCAA tournament, it’s a matter of which seed it will receive.

If the Ducks are bumped from the conference tournament early, they’ll probably wind up in the historically difficult No. 8-No. 9 seed matchup in the NCAA tournament.

But if they can reach the Pac-12 championship game, they could rise as high as a No. 6 seed, which would be the Ducks’ highest seed since Ernie Kent led the team to a No. 3 seed and Elite Eight finish in 2007.

Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter

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