Oregon St. @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 26, 2019 ) Washington 79, Oregon St. 69

Washington has already wrapped up its first Pac-12 title since 2011-12 but seeks a strong finish to the regular season starting Wednesday when it tries for its 15th straight victory over Oregon State in Seattle. The Huskies seem to be assured a spot in the NCAA Tournament regardless of whether they win the conference tournament in Las Vegas next week, but can rest easier with two more victories before they depart for the desert.

Washington's position became more precarious when it lost at last-place California 76-73 on Thursday before squeaking past 10th-place Stanford 62-61 on Sunday. Also, the Huskies have not defeated a team that will make the NCAA Tournament - unless it's an automatic bid - and will not even if they win their next five games, including three in the Pac-12 tourney. The Beavers are in a three-way tie for third in the Pac-12 with UCLA and Utah, and there's three other clubs at 8-8 who are also in pursuit of the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds for the conference tournament and the first-round byes that come with them. Washington's 10-0 start in Pac-12 play included a 79-69 victory at Oregon State on Jan. 26 with Beavers senior guard Stephen Thompson Jr. scoring 30 points.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT OREGON STATE (17-11, 9-7 Pac-12): Junior forward Tres Tinkle is the only player in the country averaging at least 20.0 points (20.1), 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists - all team highs - after scoring 24 points in each of his last two games. Thompson (16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists) has averaged only 14.0 points in his last three games after scoring 21.3 per contest in his previous three. Kylor Kelley, a 7-0 junior forward, leads the nation with 3.54 blocked shots per game while sophomore guard Ethan Thompson (13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists) has averaged 16.7 points in his last three contests.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (23-6, 14-2): Sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell (team-high 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds) has reached double figures in his last 14 games while senior guard David Crisp (12.6 points) had only seven points versus Stanford after scoring a career-high 32 against Cal. Senior guard Matisse Thybulle leads the nation with 3.4 steals per game and has 101 this season, matching the school record he set year and nine shy of the Pac-12 mark set by Jason Kidd in 1992-93. Senior forward Noah Dickerson (12.5 points, club-best 6.6 rebounds) is averaging 9.3 and 5.0 in his last four games after recording his fifth double-double of the season with 18 and 10 against Washington State.

TIP-INS

1. Oregon State has lost three of its last four games by a combined six points while posting a 67-62 victory at USC on Feb. 23.

2. Washington is second nationally in blocked shots at 5.9 per game led by Thybulle (2.2), who is the only player ranked in the active Top 25 in steals (306) and blocks (170) entering Wednesday.

3. The Beavers pace the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage at 46.6. The last time they finished leading the conference in that category was in 1984-85, when they shot 52.5 percent.

PREDICTION: Washington 79, Oregon State 69