It was just a few weeks ago when the No. 11 Oregon Ducks managed to squeak out a thrilling three-point win over the California Golden Bears at the Matthew Knight Arena. But now, it’s the Bears’ turn to play as the host team and they’ll be certainly seeking revenge against their conference rivals. Can California succeed in doing so? Or will the Ducks make it two-consecutive wins over them?
Let’s now take an in-depth look at this promising showdown at the Haas Pavilion. And if you’re craving for some more of college hoops action, you can check out our full preview of the Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Indiana Hoosiers.
Dillon Brooks might just have the right stuff to be a really great player. He continues to get better throughout each game and will be entering this much-anticipated encounter with the California Bears fresh off his best performance of the season.
Brooks, who currently leads the Oregon Ducks in scoring (16.9 PPG), exploded for 30 points (12-for-22 shooting) and nine assists, both career-highs, to give his team the 76-66 win over Utah on Sunday. That win allowed the Ducks to extend their winning streak to six games and also strengthen their hold of the No. 1 spot in the Pac-12.
Expect the eleventh-ranked Ducks to lean on Brooks once again to lead their attack from the get go. The second-year forward has been doing it all in his previous nine games, averaging 19.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 3.7 APG while shooting 52.2 percent from the field. But Brooks struggled in their first meeting with California this season, putting up just four points, five boards and four dimes.
Meanwhile, the pair of Elgin Cook and Tyler Dorsey should be able to help the Ducks add some more points onto the scoreboard. Both players are posting around 13 points apiece this season. Cook, in particular, has been playing very efficient by finishing with 12 or more points in his last seven outings.
On defense, the onus is definitely on Chris Boucher to be that relentless rim-protector and rebounder for the Ducks. He’s done a splendid job in doing so thus far with 7.8 RPG and a nation-best 3.4 BPG. Boucher has also imposed his will at the other end of the floor with 12.7 PPG, which is the fourth-highest in the team.
Oregon is 5-5 SU and 5-4-1 ATS in its previous 10 road games.
Betting on the California Golden Bears (15-8, 5-5 Pac-12)
After falling short in back-to-back road games to Utah and Colorado, the California Golden Bears reminded people why they’re a completely much better team when playing in front of their home crowd this season.
The Golden Bears stayed perfect (14-0) at home and stopped a four-game slide to Stanford, defeating the Cardinal 76-61 on Saturday. Leading the way for California were Jaylen Brown and Jabari Bird, who combined for 29 points. But Kameron Rooks’ double-double performance was arguably the biggest positive takeaway of that game.
Rooks, who spent his entire freshman year nursing a knee injury, finished with 11 points and had 12 rebounds under his belt. It’ll be interesting if he can sustain this momentum when the Golden Bears go up against a stout Oregon Ducks defense (67.7 points allowed per contest).
Besides Rooks, the Ducks will actually need to be more wary about preventing the likes of Brown and Jordan Mathews from finding their groove.
Brown is putting up 15.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG while shooting 45.8% from the field throughout the season. Mathews, meanwhile, has stepped up in the absence of senior guard Tyrone Wallace. Mathews had 28 big points in the Bears’ 74-73 upset of Arizona last month, and had a team-high 18 against Stanford.
Also, outside shooting may prove to be a key factor for The Golden Bears later. They’ll likely be forced consistently drive and kick out the ball on every offensive possession as long as Oregon’s defensive anchor in Chris Boucher lurks around the paint.
California is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Oregon (-2) hands California its first home loss of the season with a thrilling 76-73 victory.
