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Oregon is on the right side of the bubble
Oregon started the week off with a necessary 73-60 win against Colorado. The Buffs gradually cut into a 17-point halftime deficit, but the Ducks were able to hold them off thanks to Dwayne Benjamin's hustle inside and Joseph Young's ability to score. Benjamin finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds while Young added 23 points and six assists. Dana Altman's team simply just outworked Colorado.
The biggest win of the weekend came on Sunday as Oregon took down Utah 69-58. It was Senior Day at Matthew Knight Arena and the Ducks managed to get effort from every player on the floor. Jalil Abdul-Bassit and Dwayne Benjamin hit some timely jumpers in the second half while Ahmaad Rorie hit some in the first. Casey Benson nailed a three-pointer which prompted a Utah timeout late in the first half.
Dillon Brooks, Joseph Young and Elgin Cook were all in double figures, with Brooks stealing the show with 19 points to lead the Ducks. Brooks railed off 11 in a row in the second half and threw down a monstrous dunk to cap it off with less than three minutes to go. Young added a dagger three a minute later in response to a Delon Wright three. The most impressive part of the game was that each time Utah narrowed their deficit, Oregon had an answer. They didn't have the size or talent to really match up with the Utes, but it didn't matter for the Ducks.
Coming into the game, Oregon didn't have a major win on their resume, but now they do. With three road games ahead against Cal, Stanford and Oregon State, they still need to solidify their tournament chances, and go at least 2-1. But for now, though, they're on the right side of the bubble and have one of the final spots in the field, according to Joe Lunardi.
UCLA needs more out of Tony Parker and Isaac Hamilton
The Bruins went on the road and were swept. If they don't hear their name on Selection Sunday, their loss to Arizona State might end up being one of the reasons. Isaac Hamilton had 13 points on 13 shots and went 1-of-6 from three. Tony Parker played 20 minutes and had two points, one rebound and fouled out. Parker isn't necessarily the key to the Bruins' success, but when he plays well, UCLA doesn't usually lose. His defense was lazy all game long against the Sun Devils.
Arizona State shot 46 percent from the field and outrebounded UCLA by 12. Kevon Looney fouled out and Norman Powell dealt with foul trouble as well. Simply put, it was a game they should have won, but the lack of defensive effort was nowhere near close enough for the Bruins to win.
The game against Arizona was an ugly battle that didn't see a team crack 10 points until over eight minutes had been played. The Wildcats' defense stifled the Bruins late in both halves and UCLA got into foul trouble once again as Parker, Looney and Thomas Welsh all fouled out. The Bruins also only had one offensive rebound the entire game. Looney, Bryce Alford and Norman Powell did their best offensively combining for 43 out of their 47 points, but they got a combined four points from Hamilton and Parker.
It was reasonable to expect a loss to Arizona, but the game against the Sun Devils should have been a win. The Bruins still have three remaining home games against Washington, Washington State and USC. They should win all those easily, but their performance in the Pac-12 Tournament will determine if they make the NCAA Tournament.
Chasson Randle is still looking for his shot
After losing four of their last five, Stanford was able to pull itself together and take down Cal 72-61. The game was never close due to Cal's inability to score or defend with any consistency. Chasson Randle finished with 19 points on 5-of-16 shooting and hasn't shot better than 33 percent from the field in any of his last five games. He did facilitate and dictate the tempo of the game against Cal as he racked up eight assists, but the Cardinal are going to need him to find his shot in the final four games of the season.