Oregon St. @ Oregon preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 8, 2020 ) Oregon 53, Oregon St. 63

Oregon’s frontcourt should receive a welcome boost Thursday when the 16th-ranked Ducks host rival Oregon State in the 354th edition of the Civil War. Freshman center N’Faly Dante is set to return after missing nine games due to a left knee injury but figures to be limited against the Beavers, who have lost three in a row and have fallen into a tie for 10th place in the Pac-12.

Senior point guard Payton Pritchard was named Pac-12 player of the week after making six 3-pointers and finishing with a career-high 38 points in last Saturday’s 73-72 overtime win over Arizona as the Ducks pulled within a half game of first place Arizona State. Pritchard, who is leading the conference in both scoring (20.1 points per game) and assists (5.4), should be able to generate even more offense with Dante's return. “He’s somebody that you can throw it to in the post and get a bucket,” Pritchard told reporters. “He is a big body and he has long arms. So that will affect people going to the rim; it’s not going to be an easy shot for them. And he’s a good teammate and a competitor, so we need him.” Thursday’s contest features a matchup of two of the top 30 scorers in conference history in Pritchard (27th, 1,866) and Oregon State’s Tres Tinkle, who ranks eighth all-time with 2,153 points.

TV: 11 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT OREGON STATE (15-12, 5-10 Pac-12): Tinkle recorded 25 points and nine rebounds in last Saturday’s 74-73 loss to Arizona State and averages 18.2 points, seven rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 80 percent from the foul line. The Beavers boast a second proven scorer in junior guard Ethan Thompson, who averages 15.1 points and has tallied 29 assists over the last four games. Coach Wayne Tinkle’s starting lineup also includes forward Kylor Kelley and guard Zach Reichle, who combined for 25 points and 13 boards in a 63-53 win over the Ducks on Feb. 8.

ABOUT OREGON (21-7, 10-5): Senior forward Shakur Juiston averages a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game and scored all nine of the Ducks’ overtime points in the win over Arizona, including the game-winning layup with 1.4 seconds remaining. The Ducks’ stellar backcourt features Pritchard along with sophomore Will Richardson, who has averaged 14.2 points while shooting 58.3 percent from 3-point range over the past eight games. Pritchard will be looking to improve on his performance in the loss to Oregon State earlier this month, when he was held to 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Oregon State has won the last three meetings against the Ducks and owns a 190-163 lead in the all-time series.

2. Oregon is 5-1 in overtime this season with five straight wins.

3. Oregon State is 12-3 this season when leading at halftime.

PREDICTION: Oregon 74, Oregon State 69