The Pac-12 basketball slate on Saturday was limited to the Los Angeles schools and the Oregon schools. USC lost to Oregon State in Corvallis in the night game, but in the day game on CBS Sports, Oregon stopped UCLA by a score of 64-59.
The Ducks didn’t dominate, but they did enough to prevail. Oregon scored only four points in the final 4:34 of regulation but was able to keep UCLA at bay by preventing the Bruins from scoring easy baskets.
Oregon dared UCLA to shoot 3-pointers and basically told the Bruins they would need to make jump shots to win. The Bruins couldn’t do it. UCLA finished the game 3 of 19 on 3-point shots, with Dylan Andrews going 1 of 7 from long range and 2 of 12 overall. UCLA also committed 16 turnovers and earned only 11 free throws, additional proof of how effective Oregon’s no-layup, no-dunk defense truly was. If UCLA can’t score easy baskets, it’s in trouble, because it doesn’t have elite scorers and shooters who can make difficult shots on a consistent basis.
UCLA, like USC, is now 6-7 through 13 games. Imagine that scenario before the season began. It’s hard to process, but it’s reality.
Oregon is 10-3 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-12. The Ducks have battled a lot of injuries but are finding ways to cope, unlike the Los Angeles men’s basketball schools.
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