It is the moment of truth for the Oregon Ducks (16-7, 7-4) tonight as they host the Washington Huskies for an 8 p.m. tip.
The Huskies come into Eugene winners of 11 of their last 13 games and are in first place in the Pac-12 confusing standings.

The Ducks fell last Saturday night at Colorado 72-71 on a foul called with only a second left on the clock.

With Colorado playing at Arizona this week the Huskies have a chance to separate themselves from the rest of the league which makes Thursday's game even more important than just a rivalry game. Oregon however, two games out of first, still have a chance to get into the top four of the league and even try and win the league.

That chance starts Thursday night against the Huskies. The Ducks still also have Cal and Colorado on their schedule who are also ahead of the Ducks. Wins against all three would launch the Ducks back into first place most likely.

But none of that can't happen unless Oregon comes out strong Thursday night and gets the win against Washington.

However betting Washington is easier said than done. The rivals to the north have won 14 of the last 20 meetings including a 76-60 victory earlier this season up in Seattle.

However the last time the Ducks and Huskies met inside Matthew Knight Arena the Ducks were far away the better program 81-76 while Washington was ranked 20th in the country.

E.J. Singler had 16 points, five assists, and four rebounds while Tyrone Nared added 14 points and six rebounds and Garrett Sim chipped in five points and four assists and no turnovers.

Last season in Matthew Knight Arena the Ducks won the game on free throw shooting, 19-of-23, and forcing the Huskies into 15 turnovers which the Ducks converted into 26 points.

But this year the Huskies are rounding out to the team many thought they could be, the best in the league.

The Huskies have picked up wins against Stanford, Arizona, and UCLA in impressive fashion and have also seen their rotation sort themselves out.

A big reason for the Huskies surge has been because of freshman guard Tony Wroten. Wroten has scored 10 or more points in 21 of 23 games this season and has scored 20 or more eight times this season. He currently is third in the pac-12 in points, fourth in steals, and seventh in assists per game. Wroten is also alone in fifth place for most points by a freshman in Washington history.

Sophomore forward Terrence Ross is also just one of two players in the Pac-12 who is in the top-five for scoring and rebounding.

Oregon’s Devoe Joseph however continues his streak of scoring in double-digits and now stands at nine games in a row and averaging just over 18 points over that time period. Senior Olu Ashaolu has also come alive playing well the last few weeks but must cut down on his turnovers and more importantly the offensive fouls.

If the Ducks are going to win Thursday night Oregon will have to limit Wroten and Ross from exploding for 20 points each while also speeding up the pace and forcing the Huskies into a tempo that forces them into turnovers.

Date: Thursday Feb 9th at 8:00 p.m. pst
Location: Matthew Knight Arena 12,500
Teams: Oregon (16-7, 7-4) vs Washington (16-7, 9-2)
TV: Fox Sports Net (Root Sports NW) Kevin Calabro pxp and Marques Johnson color
Radio: 95.3 FM The Score (Eugene,OR)

Starters

Washington

G- Abdul Gaddy 6-foot-3 JR 8ppg
G- Tony Wroten 6-foot-5 FR 16.7 ppg
F- Terrence Ross 6-foot-6 SO 15.2 ppg
F- Desmond Simmons 6-foot-7 FR 5 ppg
C- Aziz N'Diaye 7-foot-0 JR 8 ppg

Oregon

G- Garrett Sim 6-foot-2 SR 11.7 ppg
G- Devoe Joseph 6-foot-4 SR 15.8 ppg
F- E.J. Singler 6-foot-6 JR 13 ppg
F- Olu Ashaolu 6-foot-7 SR 8.3 ppg
C- Tony Woods 6-foot-11 JR 6.7 ppg