After beginning the season 8-4, Oregon softball team was in a rough patch. The team struggled to find its rhythm on both sides of the ball and suffered some rare defeats. However, the Ducks righted the ship and reeled off 12 straight wins to enter Pac-12 play on a high note.

Oregon then traveled to Seattle, Washington to face the No. 8 Huskies in a three-game series.

Oregon (23-4, 3-0 Pac-12) earned a three game sweep of Washington (19-6, 0-3 Pac-12) and in doing so, moved up to No. 4 in the rankings while the Huskies dropped to No. 10. Here’s a quick recap of each game.

Game 1: OREGON 7 — Washington 2
The Huskies struck first with a run in the second inning before Oregon responded with a three-run third inning and never looked behind from there. Jenna Lilley had the big hit in the inning when she hit a two-out double that scored the final two runs of the inning.

Geri Ann Glasco added to Oregon’s lead with a three-run blast in the fifth inning before Gwen Svekis added a solo homerun in the sixth inning to complete the scoring.

Cheridan Hawkins started in the pitcher’s circe and gave up two runs over three innings with three strikeouts. Hawkins was pulled in the fourth inning after giving up a leadoff double and replaced with Megan Kleist. Kleist (9-2) threw the final four innings, giving up no runs with six strikeouts.

Game 2: OREGON 11 — Washington
Svekis was the star of this game for the Ducks as she went 2-for-2 with two homeruns and six RBI’s. Her first blast came in the first inning when she unloaded on a 3-2 pitch over the right center fence for a grand slam and a 6-0 lead. Lilley and Janelle Lindvall each recorded RBI’s in the inning when they were hit by pitches with the bases loaded.

Hawkins struggled again when she gave up three runs on two homeruns in the bottom half of the first inning before being pulled for Glasco with two outs.

Glasco (6-0) threw the final 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts.

Svekis added to Oregon’s lead when she hit a two-run bomb in the third inning for her fifth and sixth RBI’s of the game and an 8-3 lead. Oregon added it’s final three runs of the game in the fourth inning when Koral Costa had a two-RBI double and Lilley added an RBI double of her own.

Game 3: OREGON 16 — Washington 4 (6 innings)
Although the Ducks scored 16 runs in the game, they did it in three innings by getting timely hits and taking advantage of four errors and eight walks by the Huskies.

Once again, the Ducks scored first when Alyssa Gillespie was able to navigate her way to third base on a single, Washington error and sac bunt before crossing home plate on a Costa sac fly.

Oregon scored six runs in the second inning to take command of the game as Nikki Udria had a two-run single and Costa had a three-run homerun for the game.

The Huskies didn’t go away quietly as they scored four runs over the second and third innings to cut the deficit to three (7-4).

Still leading by three entering the sixth inning, Oregon’s offense exploded for nine runs to put the game away. The final eight runs all came with two outs.

Oregon returns to action when it faces Stanford for a three-game series at home starting Thursday at 6 p.m. The game on Thursday will also be the grand-opening of Jane Sanders stadium.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

Oregon’s path is only getting harder.  No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Duke all advanced to the Sweet Sixteen last weekend, making the West the only region to have all top four seeds advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s a breakdown of the four remaining teams in the West Region

No. 1 Oregon (30-6, 14-4 Pac-12): Throughout the tournament, the Ducks have looked unstoppable on offense when they move the ball and find the open teammate. But, as was evidenced by its offensive output in the second round, they are prone to an off night. Brooks leads Oregon in scoring in the tournament, averaging 18 points per game. In addition, Dorsey, Elgin Cook and Chris Boucher all average double figures. Defensively, Jordan Bell and Boucher have been phenomenal protecting the rim.

Oregon advances if: it stays efficient on offense by moving and setting screens, allowing teammates great looks. Defensively, the Ducks need to protect the three-point line by switching every screen.

No. 2 Oklahoma (27-7, 12-6 Big-12): Scoring is never a problem with the Sooners, and the luxury to offset the occasional offensive lapse is having Buddy Hield on your team. Hield was sensational in the Sooners’ second round victory over VCU. He scored 20 of Oklahoma’s final 25 points en route to 36 overall. The presence of Ryan Spangler, Isiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard gives the Sooners an experienced core as well.

Oklahoma advances if: Hield continues to play at the highest level while getting one more contributor on offense. If the Sooners play defense and rebound, thus leading to fast break opportunities in transition, they’ll be difficult to stop.

No. 3 Texas A&M (28-8, 13-5 SEC): The Aggies may just be thankful to be at this stage after the theatrics that occurred last weekend. They erased an 11-point deficit in just 33 seconds to tie Northern Iowa and send the game into overtime. Danuel House and Jalen Jones are 6-foot-7 high-scoring guards and create mismatches for opposing teams. Tyler Davis mans the middle and point guard Alex Caruso controls the tempo of the game.

Texas A&M advances if: House and Jones get going from the perimeter, thus opening up things down low for Davis. The Aggies play tremendous team defense so causing turnovers will allow for easy buckets in transition.

No. 4 Duke (25-10, 11-7 ACC): The experience of Grayson Allen and Marshall Plumlee combined with the talent of Brandon Ingram make them a very tough out. Allen averages 21.3 points on the season and Plumlee had a career-high 23 points against UNC-Wilmington. And Ingram, who is a 6-foot-9 athletic wing that can shoot over the top of a defender or hit the three, is a nightmare for any opponent.

Duke advances if: It can find a way to stay out of foul trouble. The Blue Devils play six men during the game so getting off to a quick start is imperative. If Allen find a rhythm from the outside, Plumlee occupies space down low and Ingram does a little bit of everything, there isn’t a team that can keep up.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

Oregon (29-6) started out fast against No. 16 Holy Cross (15-20) and never let up, as it cruised to a 91-52 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday.

Elgin Cook led the Ducks with a superb all-around game of 11 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Chris Boucher scored 20 points and Dwayne Benjamin added 12.

The Ducks struggled from the floor in the early going as their half-court offense was nearly nonexistent. But Oregon played lock down defense, forcing multiple turnovers, and used that to get out in transition for early buckets.

Oregon began the game 4-for-12 but led 14-4 due to the Ducks going 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Boucher scored eight of Oregon’s next 13 points, six of them coming from alley oops, to give the Ducks a 27-14 lead with eight minutes to play in the first half.

As Boucher dominated the paint, it opened up the court and allowed Oregon to find its groove shooting the ball. The Ducks went 5-for-11 the rest of the half while getting to the rim at ease and controlling the boards. They held a 43-25 lead entering the half.

Oregon showed no sign of letdown when the second half began. Casey Benson hit a three-pointer on the first possession and the Ducks steadily added to their lead.

The Ducks’ lead reached 40 (85-45) late in the second half when Boucher received a pass from Benjamin and threw down another dunk.

Dillon Brooks, Oregon’s leading scorer, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jordan Bell added eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks off the bench.

Oregon will play St. Joseph’s in the second round Sunday night.

Key Stats

— Oregon shot 55.7 percent (34-for-61) from the field and held Holy Cross to 35.1 percent (20-for-57) in the game.

— Eight different Ducks scored seven or more points.

— The Ducks out-rebounded the Crusaders 47-27, including a 12-8 offensive advantage, while hitting 17-of-22 free throws in the game.

Top Plays

1) During a three-minute span in the first half, Boucher flew through the air three different times for three alley-oops, igniting the Ducks to pull away.

2) Back-to-back possessions showed Oregon’s dominance as Boucher hit a three-pointer with 5:22 remaining in the first. On Holy Cross’s next possession, Jordan Bell and Boucher combined for a monster block that led to another fast break opportunity for Oregon.

Notes

— The Ducks typically play seven players in a game, so a blowout like this is huge because it gives players such as Kendall Small and Sorkin, two guys not in the typical rotation, some valuable tournament experience.

— The most impressive part of Oregon’s victory wasn’t the defense or the dunks. It was how fluidly the Ducks moved the ball around to find an open man. On many possessions, the ball never touched the ground unless it came on a bounce pass.

— The Ducks may not be a deep team, but everyone who plays contributes. Every Duck who saw more than three minutes of action scored in the game.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

For the first time in school history, the Oregon men’s basketball team earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks, who are the top-seed in the West Region, will travel to Spokane, Washington, for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. They will face the winner of Holy Cross vs. Southern on Friday, March 18 in the first round.

Here’s a small sample of the players, teams and match-ups that could make for an entertaining couple weeks.

Three teams that could stand in Oregon’s way:

No. 2 Oklahoma (25-7, 12-6 Big 12): When your team has arguably the best player in the nation, Buddy Hield (25 ppg), you’re in every game. The Sooners were 19-2 entering the last third of the regular season, before going 5-5 the rest of the way. Oklahoma is a team that relies on 3-point shooting to win. The team is shooting 42.6 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 80.4 points per game. If the Sooners can find their early season touch, they could be a hard team to stop.

No. 3 Texas A&M (26-8, 13-5 SEC): The Aggies play with a ferocious defense and balanced offense. Texas A&M fought its way through a four-game midseason losing streak to rebound with eight consecutive wins, before falling to Kentucky in the conference championship. Jalen Jones and Danuel House provide a solid one-two punch, averaging 30.6 combined points.

No. 5 Baylor (22-11, 10-8 Big-10): What makes the Bears so dangerous is their size and physicality, with 6-foot-7, 275 pound Rico Gathers and 6-foot-9, 230 pound Johnathan Motley. Both players have the potential to cause fits down low, and if that’s combined with the shooting of Taurean Prince and Al Freeman, the Bears might make a run.

Three potentially intriguing match-ups

No. 7 Oregon State vs. No 2 Oklahoma (second round): Why not have the best offensive player in the Big-12 (Hield) go up against the best defensive player in the Pac-12 (Gary Payton II)?

No. 6 Texas vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (second round): Texas head coach Shaka Smart has brought his “havoc” defense to Texas and when that goes up against the Aggie guards Alex Caruso and Anthony Collins (combined 3.5 turnovers per game), something will have to give.

No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (Elite Eight): Hield is a true star, while Oregon makes up for a lack of star power with depth. The Ducks will throw multiple bodies at Hield, but will it be enough to earn the team’s first-ever trip to the Final Four?

Three players to watch 

Buddy Hield, Guard, Oklahoma: Hield shoots 49.6 percent from the field, 46.4 percent from beyond the arc and 89.5 percent from the free throw line and has never shied away from the spotlight or the final shot.

Grayson Allen, Guard, Duke: Allen’s offensive scoring capabilities are what hurts his opponents the most. Allen averages 21.6 ppg.

Troy Caupain, Guard, Cincinnati: Caupain had a performance for the ages when he scored 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, not to mention hitting big shot after big shot, in the Bearcats’ loss to Connecticut in the AAC tournament. On the biggest stage of the year thus far, Caupain proved he’s ready to go.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @RyanKostecka

WEST REGION (FIRST ROUND)

Spokane, Washington — Friday, March 18 — 4:27 p.m. (TruTV)
No. 1 Oregon (28-6, 14-4 Pac-12): The Ducks are Pac-12 regular season and tournament champs. Although Oregon is only seven players deep, all seven contribute in many ways. Dillon Brooks (16.8 ppg) and Tyler Dorsey (13.8 ppg) score, Chris Boucher (3.1 bpg) and Casey Benson defend and Pac-12 tournament MVP Elgin Cook (14.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg) does it all. 
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Holy Cross (14-19, 5-13 Patriot): A true Cinderella story, the Crusaders won their conference tournament to earn the automatic bid behind Malachi Alexander (12.0 ppg) and Robert Champion (11.5 ppg).
Southern (22-12, 11-7 SWAC): Adrian Rodgers (16.6 ppg) and Trelun Banks (12.6 ppg) are the only Jaguars to average double figures.

**Southern and Holy Cross will play in an elimination game on Wednesday, March 16 at 3:40 p.m. (TruTV) with the winner facing Oregon in the next round.

Spokane, Washington — Friday, March 18 — 6:57 p.m. (TruTV)
No. 8 St. Joseph’s (27-7, 13-5 A-10): The Hawks are led by high scoring forwards Isiah Miles (18.2 ppg) and DeAndre Bembry (16.8 ppg). Both players average 35 minutes per game so staying out of foul trouble is crucial to success.
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No. 9 Cincinnati (22-10, 12-6 American): The Bearcats thrive on defense with the 1oth best scoring defense in the nation, while four players average double figures in scoring.

Providence, Rhode Island — Thursday, March 17 — 11:45 a.m. (CBS)
No. 5 Baylor (22-11, 10-8 Big-12): Size and physicality is what makes the Bears so dangerous as Rico Gathers (6-foot-7, 275 pounds) and Johnathan Motley (6-foot-9, 230 pounds) anchor down the paint while Taurean Prince (15.5 ppg) does the damage scoring.
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No. 12 Yale (22-6, 13-1 Ivy): Makai Mason and Justin Sears both average 15.8 ppg and give the Bulldogs a terrific inside-outside combination.

Providence, Rhode Island — Thursday, March 17 — 9:15 a.m. (CBS)
No. 4 Duke (23-10, 11-7 ACC): Duke has no problem scoring as five players average double-figures, led by Grayson Allen (21.6 ppg) and Brandon Ingram (16.8 ppg). The problem is the Blue Devils can’t stop anybody (72.1 ppg given up).
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No. 13 UNC-Wilmington (25-7, 14-4 CAA): Chris Flemmings (16.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg) does a little bit of everything for the Seawolves while Denzel Ingram provides the defense.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Friday, March 18 — 6:50 p.m. (TBS)
No. 6 Texas (20-12, 11-7 Big-12): Eleven players averaging double-digit minutes for the Longhorns. Isaiah Taylor (14.8 ppg) and Cameron Ridley (11.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg) lead the offense.
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No. 11 Northern Iowa (22-12, 11-7 MVC): Four players average 10 points or more.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Friday, March 18 — 4:20 p.m. (TBS)
No. 3 Texas A&M (26-8, 13-5 SEC): Jalen Jones (15.6 ppg) and Danuel House (15.0 ppg) will try to prove that the Aggies are no fluke although they come from the SEC, perceived as a weak basketball conference.
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No. 14 Green Bay (23-12, 11-7 Horizon): The Phoenix are the nation’s 6th highest scoring team (84.2 ppg) but they can’t stop anybody on the defensive side of the ball (328th in scoring defense).

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Friday, March 18 — 10:30 a.m. (TNT)
No. 7 Oregon State (19-12, 9-9 Pac-12): Gary Payton II does everything for Oregon State with 15.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg,  5.1 apg and 2.5 spg (all-team highs). But, the success of the Beavers will rely on Tres Tinkle’s health (13.1 ppg).
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No. 10 VCU (24-10, 14-4 A-10): Melvin Johnson (17.8 ppg) and Korey Billbury (11.4 ppg) lead 10 Rams who average double-digit minutes.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Friday, March 18 — 1:00 p.m. (TNT)
No. 2 Oklahoma (25-7, 12-6 Big-12): Buddy Hield is the nation’s second leading scorer (25 ppg) while the Sooners are second in the nation in three-point percentage (42.6). If Oklahoma plays defense, it has the talent to win the whole tournament.
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No. 15 Cal-State Bakersfield (24-8, 11-3 WAC): The Roadrunners, with five players averaging double-digit points, got into the tournament after Dedrick Basile’s three-pointer at the buzzer won the conference tournament. 

Typically when a team advances to the Pac-12 Tournament championship game, it’s not only because of the balanced play of the entire team, but the ability of a star player catching fire.

This was evident last year when Oregon’s Joseph Young carried the Ducks to the championship game by averaging 25 points per game in the tournament.

Here’s a list of players who could perform like Young and lead their respective teams to the championship:

Dillon Brooks, Forward, Oregon: Brooks is Oregon’s leading scorer but what he does for the Ducks goes far beyond his 16.7 points per game. It’s through him that the Ducks get into their rhythmic and efficient offense. On the other side of the ball, he can defend anyone from the opponents point guard to power forward position. If Brooks can find his groove again after his recent slump, the Ducks could be crowned champions Saturday.

Jakob Poeltl, Center, Utah: There isn’t anyone playing better in the conference right now than Poeltl. The Pac-12 player of the year is dominating offensively with his 17.5 ppg and grabs anything near him on the defensive end, evident in his 9.1 rebounds per game. Poeltl forces Utah’s opponents into a huge mismatch down in the low post and when double-teamed, he does a phenomenal job of finding the open man. Utah will go as far as Poeltl takes them.

Gabe York, Guard, Arizona: Arizona has no problem scoring in the post, but what the Wildcats need is a sharpshooter. Enter York, who ended his regular season by scoring 32 points and hitting nine 3-pointers. Not only does he lead the conference with 88 3-pointers on the season, he hits them at an efficient rate (42.9 percent). If York can provide Arizona with the spacing it sorely needs, the Wildcats can beat anyone in the conference.

Andrew Andrews, Guard, Washington: It’s impossible to not have the conference’s leading scorer on this list. Andrews is a complete offensive player. He controls Washington’s offense and is just as willing to play distributor as scorer. The Huskies will always have a chance as long as Andrews has the ball.

Jaylen Brown, Forward, Cal: Cal has used a late-season surge to become a lock for the NCAA Tournament, and Brown is the main reason why. Brown’s ability to dominate smaller defenders in the paint and use his quickness to create his own shot against bigger opponents makes him nearly unguardable. Thanks to Brown playing up to his potential, the Golden Bears are starting to thrive at the right time.

Bryce Alford, Guard, UCLA: Alford is known for hitting the big shots at the end of games — evident in wins over Kentucky, Gonzaga and Arizona. UCLA has a talented starting five, but not much depth beyond. In order to pull off a few unexpected upsets, Alford is going to have to star when the lights shine brightest.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka 

With the Pac-12 conference tournament about to be underway in Las Vegas, the Pac-12 appears to have four virtual locks for the NCAA Tournament, and could send as many as seven.

Here are the Pac-12 power rankings entering the tournament:

1) Oregon (25-6, 14-4 Pac-12): It’s hard to bet against the Pac-12 regular season champs. The Ducks are on a five-game winning streak, including wins over UCLA and USC to clinch the championship during the final weekend. Tyler Dorsey seems to have found his second wind, and combined with Dillon Brooks, Chris Boucher and Elgin Cook, this team is the favorite to win it all.

2) Utah (24-7, 13-5 Pac-12): The Utes are the hottest team in the conference and are winners of their last seven. To win the tournament, Utah will lean heavily on Jakob Poeltl and Jordan Loveridge, two players who have been nearly unstoppable during the winning streak.

3) Arizona (24-7, 12-6 Pac-12): Although the Wildcats are the defending tournament champs, they return only one starter from last year’s squad in Kaleb Tarczewski. Still, the low post play of Ryan Anderson combined with the athletic Allonzo Trier and sharpshooting of Gabe York make Arizona as dangerous as ever.

4) California (22-9, 12-6 Pac-12): The Golden Bears have won eight of their last nine — the only defeat coming in a three-point loss at Arizona — and seem to be clicking at the right time. Arguably the most talented team in the conference — five players average double figures in scoring — Cal is finally living up to its lofty preseason expectations.

5) Colorado (21-10, 10-8 Pac-12): Colorado suffered a loss to Utah in the regular season finale. But before that, the Buffaloes swept Arizona and the Washington schools at home. This team has proved it can play with the best — evident in victories over every team above them except Utah — but can they win in an arena other than their own?

6) Oregon State (18-11, 9-9 Pac-12): The Beavers, winners of seven of their last 10 games, have the star power. And if  Gary Payton II can lead them to the conference semifinals, it should guarantee the desperate Beavers a spot in the NCAA tournament.

7) Washington (17-13, 9-9 Pac-12): The Huskies boast the conference’s leading scorer in Andrew Andrews and maybe the most versatile athlete in Dejounte Murray. Like Oregon State, Washington is a bubble team so two wins could mean a lot.

8) USC (20-11, 9-9 Pac-12): If USC can shoot the ball well from 3-point territory, it has the talent to run the table and earn the conference’s automatic bid. On the other hand, if the Trojans struggle on offense, they could be bounced in the first round.

9) UCLA (15-16, 6-12 Pac-12): The dark horse to win the conference tournament has arguably the conference’s most clutch player in Bryce Alford and the person playing the best in Isaac Hamilton. What’s going to hurt UCLA is the four games in four days schedule. But, if there was a team talented and stubborn enough to do it, it’s the Bruins.

10) Stanford (15-14, 8-10 Pac-12): Stanford ended the regular season after getting throttled by 32 at Arizona so its confidence isn’t very high at the moment. Roscoe Allen will give them a chance but don’t except much from them this week.

11) Arizona State (15-16, 5-13 Pac-12): Tra Holder is an explosive offensive player and Eric Jacobsen is coming off his best game of the year in the regular season finale. But that’s about all the Sun Devils have going for them.

12) Washington State (9-21, 1-17 Pac-12): Miracles do happen, but not for Washington State this week.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

Oregon softball wasn’t worried about pitcher senior Cheridan Hawkins when the 2016 season began.

11 games into the season,though, it seems Oregon’s biggest issue might be what’s going on with her?

Widely considered the top pitcher in college softball entering this year, Hawkins has had a case of Jekyll and Hyde complex. During some appearances, she is the dominant first team all-American pitcher many expected her to be. In other appearances, she has very little control and is giving up extremely meaningful home runs in bad positions.

Hawkins has a team-high of 29.2 innings pitched and 42 strikeouts. But, she also leads the Ducks with 16 earned runs given up, 14 walks and a 3.78 ERA. While she has posted a 3-2 record, out of the 18 hits she’s surrendered, 11 of them have gone for extra base hits — five doubles and six homeruns.

Even with their ace struggling, the Ducks are ranked No. 7 in the country and boast an 8-3 record, with two of those losses coming against No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette.

Oregon put an exclamation point on last weekend’s Louisiana Classic when it defeated Central Arkansas 19-3 in five innings. The Ducks hit four home runs in the game, en route to their highest scoring game of the season.

Before the offensive explosion, the Ducks lost two of three to Louisiana-Lafayette. Both losses came by one run. In the lone victory, Hawkins was the primary reason for the win. She threw a complete game with nine strikeouts, giving up three runs on five hits. The three runs given up came in the seventh inning with the game firmly in control.

Freshman Megan Kleist has emerged as Oregon’s no. 2 pitcher. She has posted a 4-1 record on the season with a 1.70 ERA. She picked up her first loss of the season in the opener against the Ragin’ Cajuns but she responded with a 4.1 innings, three hits, no run performance in a no decision the next day.

The Ducks  return to the west coast this week to play in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Classic will arguably be Oregon’s most difficult non conference tournament — two of Oregon’s opponents, Missouri and Fresno State, rank No. 17 and N0. 20 in the nation. The Ducks will also play Nebraska, a team receiving votes in the national poll.

Koral Costa has continued the hot start to her senior season. She’s hitting a team-leading .515 on the season thus far. She’s also hit three home runs and has a team-high 13 RBI’s.

Nikki Udria and Alyssa Gillespie are becoming a formidable duo at the top of the lineup. Gillespie, who is hitting .436 in the leadoff position, is consistently keeping defenses off balance with her power (one homerun, five doubles) and ability to drop down a bunt and beat it out. Udria, who bats second, leads the Ducks with four home runs and a .966 slugging percentage.

Oregon will open up this week’s tournament with games against Nebraska and Cal State Northridge on Friday, before facing Fresno State and Missouri on Saturday. The Ducks will then wrap up the Classic with a single game against Oklahoma State on Sunday.

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Wednesday night had the potential to be a classic “trap game” for Oregon men’s basketball. After beating Oregon State last Saturday and a matchup with rival Washington looming on Sunday, the Ducks certainly could’ve played down to last-place Washington State’s level.

“We knew we had to come out with the same mentality (as Saturday). We knew we had to come out and not slack on them,” guard Tyler Dorsey said.

Three minutes into the game and it was clear there would be no letdown from the Ducks.

Oregon jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game and never looked back, en route to a 76-62 victory. With the win, the Ducks improve to 23-5 overall (11-4 in the Pac-12), good enough for first place in the conference after Arizona fell to Colorado.

“We out-rebounded them which is good — our second chance points and points off turnovers obviously were the difference in the game,” head coach Dana Altman said. “It was a game that we had to have and we got to continue to get better.”

Elgin Cook led the Ducks with 24 points, including 10-for-11 from the free throw line, and added six rebounds and three assists.

“I was just trying to lock into our scouting report and just be active out there,” Cook said. “My teammates did a good job of helping me.”

Chris Boucher added 18 points and 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Dillon Brooks finished with 17 points and seven rebounds while Dorsey chipped in 12 points.

The Ducks came out firing from three-point territory to start the game. Dorsey hit two 3-pointers and Boucher added another within the first five minutes.

Defensively, Oregon bothered the Cougars into contested shots nearly every trip down the court. Combine the length of Boucher with the strength on Brooks and Cook and Washington State had a tough time finding any easy buckets.

“Chris is back there blocking shots and making good plays and with me blocking shots, it also helps set up our defense too,” Cook said.

The Cougars rallied and cut the deficit down to seven after a Que Johnson jumper with 8:59 to play in the half. That was the closest Washington State got the rest of the way, as Boucher tipped in a Dorsey miss on the following possession and the lead continued to increase from there.

Oregon closes out its home portion of the schedule with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Washington on Sunday.

Extra Notes

— With the victory, the Ducks won their school-record 24th consecutive home game.

— Elgin Cook set a career-high with three blocks.

— Sunday’s game against Washington will be senior night for the Ducks. The Ducks will honor Cook, Chris Boucher, Dwayne Benjamin, Dylan Ennis and Max Heller. The Ducks are appealing the senior statuses of Boucher and Ennis in hopes both players can return next year.

— It was the first time all year the guard Casey Benson finished a game with more turnovers (1) than assists (0). Benson leads the nation with a 5.12 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

— The Oregon women’s basketball team is on the cusp of doing something it hasn’t done in 11 years — make the NCAA Tournament. According to the latest projections of ESPN’s Bracketology, the Ducks are the third team listed on “Next Four Out.” This puts Oregon right on the cusp of program history and with four meaningful games lift on their schedule, the Ducks will have the chance to bolster the resume and move themselves into the field of 68.

— GoDucks.com editor Rob Moseley wrote about how the Oregon men’s basketball is keeping its eyes on the winning prize as the Ducks prepare to host the Washington universities this week. Up first is a game with Pac-12 bottom dweller Washington State before the all important, and rivalry game, against Washington. With the victories, Oregon could move as high as No. 2 seed in the bracketology predictions for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

— After a monstrous win over rival Oregon State in the Civil War, Oregon moved up in the AP rankings to No. 13. With the win over the Beavers last Saturday, Oregon kept its undefeated record at home in tact and are still in position to clinch their first regular season Pac-12 title since the Luke Ridnour/Jackson combination of 2001-02. Arizona is the only higher ranked Pac-12 team, coming in at No. 9, and tied with the Ducks atop the conference standings.

— The Ducks will make history on March 30 when the acrobatics and tumbling team will play host to Baylor at Matthew Knight Arena. The reason of importance is due to the fact that the match will be televised on the Pac-12 Network, making it the first ever acrobatics and tumbling match to be broadcast to a national audience on tv.

— Redshirt senior Steven Packard showed his speed and maturity this past weekend in Oregon’s season-opening sweep of San Diego State. Andrew Bantly tells the story of how Packard stole the series-opening win for the Ducks with a heads up play and how that can be the catalyst Oregon needs for a run at the College World Series.

— The Oregon women’s golf team shot a 10-under 854 to earn its first tournament win of the season at the Westbrook Invitational in Peoria, Ariz over the weekend.  Junior Cathleen Santoso and senior Caroline Inglis led the way for the Ducks as they tied for third overall with a 4-under 212.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka