The last time the Oregon Ducks beat Cal the Ducks made the NCAA Tournament back in 2007-08 and tonight the Ducks will once again try and end a losing streak to the Bears that has eclipsed eight games.

Oh and should the Ducks get a win they'd most likely put themselves in prime position to get into the NCAA Tournament with a strong finish of the regular season.

You could say this is a game with epic repercussions for both the Ducks and the Golden Bears.

The two teams last met Jan. 8 in Eugene when the Ducks were leading at the half but Cal was fueled by an array of three-pointers by sophomore Allen Crabbe and went on to win 77-60.

The loss has haunted the Ducks all season long as one of two losses the Ducks let their opponent back into the game and the Bears have been able to use that win to keep the Ducks back one game all year.

The Bears are led by senior guard Jorge Gutierrez who Dana Altman has called "an NBA player without a doubt" earlier this week. Gutierrez has developed his game in his four years at Cal] from being a solid defensive player into an all-around star that averages 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal per game.

Sophomore Crabbe has also developed himself into a scorer into an all-around player that leads the Bears in scoring at 16 points per game while also grabbing six rebounds per game.

Senior Harper Kamp has been a terrific low-post option for the Bears all season and averages 10 points and five rebounds a game while playing great defense on the block all year long.

The Bears however will be without Richard Solomon who is out due to academic issues but freshman post David Kravish has filled in nicely without missing a beat for the Bears and averages six points and five rebounds per game.

For the Ducks they will need to attack the Bears inside as Oregon has the advantage in numbers and athleticism in the post.

Carlos Emory has come alive the last five games scoring double-digits in four of them including two double-doubles. Tony Woods, Olu Ashaolu, and Tyrone Nared will also need to have big games for the Ducks as they will try and attack the Bears in waves and get to the free throw line.

Oregon's Devoe Joseph has also been terrific for Oregon since he's become eligible and averages almost 16 points a game this season but will have the task of scoring on the league's best defender in Gutierrez.

Because of the attention Joseph will garnish from the Bears' defense Oregon will need big games from E.J. Singler and Garrett Sim on the wing and then once again a post player will need to step to the plate and provide the Ducks another scoring option.

That man might be senior Asholu who plays his better basketball on the road this season. Ashaolu averages 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds which are both above his season average. Ashaolu has also had his three highest scoring totals on the season on the road.

The Bears won't have a player on the block who has the quickness and athletic ability to stick with Ashaolu and he could be the Ducks' wildcard tonight.

The problem with the Ducks at Haas Pavilion has been slow starts and bad defense. Both areas have been cause for concern for the Ducks this season and a good start out of the gate not only in the first half but also the second half will be very important for Oregon's chances.

Date: Febrauary 16th, 2012
Time: 7:30 PM P.S.T.
Location: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA
TV: Comcast 37 and KEVU in Eugene, OR
Radio: 95.3 FM The Score in Eugene, OR

Projected Starters

Cal

G- Justin Cobbs 6-foot-2 SO 12.8 ppg
G- Jorge Gutierrez 6-foot-3 SR 13.7 ppg
G- Allen Crabbe 6-foot-6 SO 15.9 ppg
F- David Kravish 6-foot-9 FR 5.9 ppg
F- Harper Kamp 6-foot-8 SR 10.3 ppg

Oregon

G- Garrett Sim 6-foot-2 SR 12 ppg
G- Devoe Jopesph 6-foot-4 SR 15.7 ppg
F- E.J. Singler 6-foot-6 13.4 ppg
F- Jeremy Jacob 6-foot-8 SR 4.7 ppg
C- Tony Woods 6-foot-11 JR 6.5 ppg