Oregon out to extend win streak vs. skidding Washington

The Big Ten Conference’s regular season ends Sunday in Seattle with a rivalry game between Oregon and Washington.

One team is rolling into the conference tournament while the other concludes its 2024-25 campaign.

The Ducks (22-8 overall, 11-8 in Big Ten) appear to be in good shape for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. Having won six straight games, they will finish no lower than eighth place in the conference, securing them a first-round bye in the conference tournament next week.

Oregon coach Dana Altman is proud of his team’s resilience in bouncing back from a five-game losing streak earlier this season.

“A lot of teams fold, a lot of teams give in,” Altman said. “I’m glad this group didn’t, stayed with it. … Now we’ve just got to finish it at Washington. I know we are going to have our hands full over there.”

The Ducks’ leading scorer and most clutch performer of late has been Jackson Shelstad, who scored 17 points in a win over Indiana earlier this week. It was his eighth double-digit performance in the last nine games.

The Huskies (13-17, 4-15) will play their final game of the season Sunday, guaranteed to finish in the bottom three of the conference and miss out on the Big Ten tournament. Washington is on a five-game losing streak as it aims to avoid a season sweep by Oregon.

Great Osobor leads the team in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (8.2). But the Huskies have lost six of their last seven conference home games, and on Wednesday lost by 31 at USC in what might have been the season’s low point.

“You always have to compete for the name on the front of the jersey, but in moments like this, these are some character moments,” coach Danny Sprinkle told The Daily of the University of Washington. “You have to play a little bit for the name on the back of the jersey, too.”