Oregon and Stanford have shared in disappointing regular seasons, but with conference tournament play looming, both will be trying to pick up momentum as they square off to close the regular season on Saturday. Stanford won the first meeting 71-64 on Jan. 21 at home and will be looking to complete the regular-season sweep.
The first game came a week after Oregon beat Arizona by 19 points, which made it surprising that the Ducks turned around and lost to Stanford. It was a poor performance from a squad that still looked like a potential NCAA Tournament team until early February. Now, Oregon is firmly on the wrong side of the bubble in Jerry Palm's Bracketology after the wheels fell off a bit in mid-February.
But Oregon can still make noise in the Pac-12 Tournament with a talented and veteran-laden roster, and Saturday's rematch with the Cardinals could offer some foresight into whether a run is in the cards. Additionally, it's Senior Day for the Ducks, and six players are listed as seniors will have added motivation to close the season in style as they try and rally and avoid missing the Big Dance for a second straight season.
As for Stanford, Spencer Jones led the way in first meeting for the Cardinal with 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting, and Stanford also got 23 points from its bench while Oregon struggled offensively by shooting just 37.9% from the floor.
The first game came in the midst of a five-game winning streak for Stanford, but the Cardinal were unable to maintain the momentum during a 2-7 February that all but ended the program's chances of finishing .500 or better for the fifth time in seven seasons under embattled coach Jerod Haase.
How to watch Oregon vs. Stanford live
Date: Saturday, March 4 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Matthew Knight Arena -- Eugene, Oregon
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Oregon vs. Stanford prediction, picks
Oregon's NCAA Tournament hopes are just a faint flicker at this point, but if the Ducks can get on a run and make some noise in the Pac-12 Tournament, then perhaps they have a chance. There is talent on the roster and should be some fuel in the tank to care care of business against a Stanford team that won the first meeting back on Jan. 21. Prediction: Oregon -7
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