Boise St. @ Oregon preview

Boise St. at Oregon

Last Meeting ( Nov 28, 2016 ) Boise St. 63, Oregon 68

Oregon’s undefeated start hit a speed bump last weekend with two losses in three games at the PK80 Invitational. The Ducks will now try to get back on track at Matthew Knight Arena – where they boast the nation’s longest current home win streak – beginning with Friday night’s game against Boise State.

With the PK80 contested in nearby Portland, Oregon failed to take advantage of the large pro-Ducks crowds in losing to unranked Connecticut (71-63) and Oklahoma (90-80). Those losses bookended the Ducks’ lone win at the event – an 89-79 overtime victory over DePaul. In Sunday’s loss to the Sooners, Oregon had five players score in double figures for the fifth time in six games, but had no answer on the other end of the floor for Oklahoma freshman guard Trae Young who exploded for 43 points on 11-of-22 shooting and a 17-of-18 performance at the free throw line. “I think we’re a lot better than this, and we’re going to have to work awfully hard to turn it around,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said in his post-game news conference. “All the things we need to do are the tough things.”

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT BOISE STATE (6-1): The Broncos have won their last two games since their lone loss to Iowa State (75-64) in the relocated Puerto Rico Tipoff in Conway, S.C., and are off to their best seven-game start since going to 7-0 to open the 2013-14 season. The most recent victory came Tuesday as they walloped visiting Loyola-Chicago 87-53 in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge behind a barrage of 16 3-pointers and a 41-23 rebounding advantage. Guard Justinian Jessup, the team’s leading scorer at 14.3 points per outing, has moved into starting lineup the last two games and has responded with a combined 42 points on 13-of-23 shooting, while guard Alex Hobbs (13.4 points), forward Chris Sengfelder (11.6) and guard Chandler Hutchison (10.3) also are averaging double figures.

ABOUT OREGON (5-2): Led by point guard Payton Pritchard’s 14.7 points and 5.3 assists, all five starters own double-digit scoring averages. Paul White, a 6-foot-9 forward, is averaging 12.2 points and has impressed with his long-range shooting prowess in connecting on 11-of-22 3-point attempts so far. Freshman forward Troy Brown Jr. is averaging 11.7 points and a team-best 7.1 rebounds but left the court with an unspecified injury in the final minute of the Oklahoma game and his status is unclear entering Friday’s contest.

TIP-INS

1. The teams are meeting for the third straight season with each having won on its home court the previous two years.

2. Oregon has won 46 consecutive home games, including 23 straight games vs. nonconference visitors.

3. Jessup has connected on 9-of-15 3-point tries over his current two-game hot streak and is 24-of-48 from long range on the season.

PREDICTION: Oregon 78, Boise State 72