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Quick Hits: UCLA And Oregon Earn Crucial Victories

By Andrew Kahn

Last night’s two Pac-12 results were both expected and necessary for the teams that won. One was never really in doubt while another went down to the wire.

UCLA 75, Oregon State 59

Needing to continue to win to remain on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, UCLA engineered the most efficient offensive performance of any team against Oregon State this season. The Bruins hit shots inside and out (10 for 18 on threes) last night but also crashed the glass, grabbing a larger share of their misses than any other Pac-12 team has done against the Beavers. At this point, Oregon State’s offense is not equipped to survive a lackluster defensive effort. As a result, UCLA never trailed, gradually building its lead to 15 at half and never looking back.

Oregon State’s Gary Payton, Jr. and Langston Morris Walker combined to make 17 of their team’s 20 field goals. The Bruins were far more balanced, led by Bryce Alford’s 22 points. Seven-foot freshman Thomas Welsh was impressive in his 14 minutes of action, converting three nice baskets. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has UCLA as one of his last teams in the field. Four of their remaining six regular season games are at home, and at 7-5 in the Pac-12, they can’t really afford to lose any of those. The Beavers, despite their identical conference record, aren’t getting the same love from bracketologists. They could add another signature win when they face Utah next week at home, where they’re unbeaten this season.

Oregon 80, USC 75

Needing a win just as badly as UCLA, the Ducks also delivered, winning their fourth in a row at USC last night. Oregon didn’t have its best game (14 turnovers), particularly defensively, but the Trojans have just one league win for a reason. Coming out of a timeout down 76-73 with 36 seconds left, USC bricked a contested three with 27 seconds on the game clock and 25 on the shot clock. Television analyst Bill Walton, prone to hyperbole, called it “one of the first worst possessions in USC history.” Joe Young, the Pac-12’s second leading scorer, had 26, which is remarkably his lowest output in the last three games. USC is not quite as bad as their record might suggest—five of their past nine losses have been by five points or fewer—and they’re very young. But they missed a ton of easy shots around the rim last night that did them in.

Up next

There are two Pac-12 games tonight: Stanford visits Utah in a game that features two of the three Pac-12 players on the Wooden Award Top 20, Chasson Randle and Delon Wright (Arizona’s Stanley Johnson is the other), and Cal goes to Colorado. Washington hosts Arizona and Washington State hosts Arizona State tomorrow night, with plenty more action over the weekend.

Andrew Kahn is a regular contributor to CBS Local who also writes for Newsday and The Wall Street Journal. He writes about college basketball and other sports at AndrewJKahn.com. Email him at andrewjkahn@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @AndrewKahn.

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