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BYU misses out on a chance for marquee road win at No. 13 Oregon

Joseph Young, Nate Austin

Oregon’s Joseph Young, left, goes up to shoot against BYU’s Nate Austin during the first half in an NCAA college basketball game in Eugene, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)

AP

No. 13 Oregon scored the first bucket against BYU on Saturday night, taking a 2-0 at Matthew Knight Arena.

Their next lead?

96-94 in overtime.

In between that time, the Cougars more or less controlled the game, riding Tyler Haws’ hot-hand to a lead that grew to double-digits in the second half. It looked like BYU was going to buck the trend of late. They were going to get a big win on the road. They were going to have a statement victory on their non-conference resume. They were going to have a good chance at earning an at-large bid.

Instead, BYU was lucky to get to overtime, as Elgin Cook missed two free throws with 1.8 seconds left that kept the game tied at 84. Matt Carlino missed a three that would have tied the game with 20 seconds left and Mike Moser hit two free throws at the other end. The Ducks would win 100-96.

Jason Calliste led the way with 31 points while Joseph Young chipped in 25. Mike Moser hit a handful of big shots down the stretch, while Ben Carter and Dominic Artis once again played roles off the bench, combining to go scoreless.

Needless to say, this is a very deep, very talented Oregon team. They have some kinks on the defensive end to work out, but I don’t think it’s crazy to think that the Ducks could challenge Arizona in the Pac-12.

The bigger question is the Cougars.

They won at Stanford, beat Texas and knocked off Utah State. Good wins, but all three of those teams could end up in the NIT as the Cougars head into WCC play having lost three of their last four games and five of their last nine.

There is no question that the Cougars are one of the most entertaining teams in the country.

They’re good enough to get people to watch. But are they good enough to get the wins needed to end up on the right side of the bubble?

Follow @robdauster