ASU Basketball: 2018 Pac-12 Tournament Preview
By Trevor Booth
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Washington State
The 6/11 matchup between Oregon and Washington State will likely provide the best offensive battle in the whole tournament.
Both teams come in ranked at No. 1 and No. 4 in total three-pointers made in the conference, a stat that didn’t waver much in their two regular season meetings.
Their first clash came on Feb. 11, a game Oregon dominated by a score of 84-57.
In that game, the Ducks converted north of 50 percent of their field goal attempts while making 11 3-pointers at a clip of 39.3 percent. Despite losing the game, 30 of Washington State’s 57 points came from 3-point attempts, allowing them to find a consistent shooting touch at the very least.
In the second game, Washington State pulled off a tremendous upset, winning a 78-76 thriller in Pullman on March 1.
The Cougars flashed their offensive brilliance in that game, connecting on 51.9 percent of their shots to out-duel an Oregon team that hit on 46.9 percent of their field goal attempts.
Robert Franks and Malachi Flynn combined for 47 points in that game, giving the Cougars’ a 3-point barrage that looked similar to their win over Saint Mary’s in the nonconference season.
The decisive factor in this game will likely come down to which tandem can outshine the other: Payton Pritchard/Troy Brown or Franks/Flynn.
In the first matchup, Pritchard and Brown combined for 35 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field, outshining a combined 27 points from Franks and Flynn. Pritchard also added 10 assists for the Ducks, as he looked to push the ball in transition after his team got stops on the defensive end.
In the second matchup, Oregon’s duo didn’t have the same effect. They combined for 33 points, but had nine less assists between the two, as the Cougars’ offensive explosion kept Oregon from getting similar opportunities in the open floor.
Regardless, it’ll be fun to watch the 3-point ball reign supreme in this prolific matchup.
The Ducks and Cougars will square off at 9:30 p.m. MT Wednesday with the winner advancing to take on No. 3 Utah.