Six weeks after they played one of the most exciting games of the 2016-17 season to date, No. 5 Oregon and No. 10 UCLA will meet Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion in a showdown that has huge implications for both the Pac-12 title race and NCAA tournament seeding.
UCLA vs. Oregon 2017 live stream: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch online
A rematch of one of this season’s most exciting games will go a long way towards deciding who will win the Pac-12.
Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images
Oregon, which defeated UCLA 89-87 on Dec. 28 in Eugene, is coming off an 85-58 pasting of Arizona that put the Ducks in the Pac-12 driver’s seat. Dana Altman’s team has lost just one time since Nov. 21, and a second victory over the Bruins would be a giant step in the direction of Oregon landing a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance for a second straight year.
For the Bruins, Thursday’s game is about more than just revenge for the loss they were dealt on Dillon Brooks’s three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left. The Bruins have been beaten just three times this season, but all three defeats have come in conference play. If they can’t get payback against the Ducks on Thursday, then both a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and even share of the Pac-12 title would appear to be long-shots.
While Duke and North Carolina are sure to steal the bulk of the headlines heading into the evening, it’s the second game of the ESPN Thursday night doubleheader that may feature the more entertaining action.
Oregon and UCLA are two of the most offensively gifted teams in the country, and each has proven to be capable of putting up some absurd numbers this season. The Ducks are coming off a game in which they routed Arizona thanks largely to making 16-of-25 shots from beyond the arc. Their 43.6 percent shooting from three in league play is the only mark in the Pac-12 that’s better than UCLA’s 41.9 percent.
HOW TO WATCH
DATE: Thursday, Feb. 9
TIME: 10 p.m. ET
WHERE: ESPN
HOW TO STREAM: WatchESPN
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