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COLLEGE BASKETBALL Cowboys, Ducks have had their ups and downs The two squads square off at 3:50 p.m. Friday on TBS Comment By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 5:58 PM By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 5:58 PM » Social News Oregon and Oklahoma State have been headed in different directions during the last month leading into their meeting at the NCAA Tournament. Following a loss Feb. 14 at UCLA, Oregon won seven straight games to finish tied for second in the Pac-12 Conference at 13-5. The Ducks also reached the finals of the conference tournament where they lost to Arizona, 80-52. Oregon’s late-season success assured it a spot in the NCAA Tournament, a prediction made after the UCLA loss by senior guard Joseph Young. “As a team we put a lot of work in, our coaching staff, our fan base, and the way we worked, we had the ability to get better as a defensive team from the beginning of the year to now,” Young said Sunday after the bracket was unveiled showing eighth-seeded Oregon (25-9) facing the ninth-seeded Cowboys (18-3) in the second round Friday at 3:50 p.m. in Omaha, Neb. “I felt like this team was coming together and we work so hard. From practice, day in and day out, on and off the court, coach has done a good job keeping our composure and confidence and making sure we got the job done.” Like Oregon, Oklahoma State lost Feb. 14, a 70-55 defeat at TCU. That began a streak of six losses in seven games for the Cowboys heading into the NCAA Tournament. “I’ve studied the last several games and we are not playing bad basketball, not at all,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said Monday. “We are disappointed we have not won, but the basketball has not been bad. Look at the scores where we have been in games, but not finishing it.” Oklahoma State’s six losses in the past five weeks have been by a total of 55 points and only two were by fewer than nine points. That includes losses to Iowa State, Oklahoma and twice to West Virginia, all teams that reached the NCAA Tournament. “We have come out on the short end of the stick lately,” Ford said. “We have had leads in the second half of most games, but we haven’t come up with the big plays. We need our best players playing well, something hopefully we can count on down the stretch in games. We’ve put ourselves in that position lately.” In its last game Thursday, Oklahoma State led Oklahoma by five at halftime before being outscored 43-23 in the second half during the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament. Oklahoma State led TCU 28-26 at halftime before being outscored 44-27 in the second half. Oklahoma State was tied with West Virginia and Iowa State at halftime before losing those games by 10 and five points, respectively. “We have to get all of our players playing ‘A’ basketball and some of that has to do with defense,” Ford said. “We held (Oklahoma) to 21 in the first half and in the second half we let them get out too much in transition. For the most part of the year we have been a second-half team, but the second halves have gotten us a bit and we need to do a better job of that. “We have to correct a few things and get back to where we need to be. We are close, it is not like we are getting blown out from the beginning to the end. We have had leads in the second half, but we have to get our guys playing at that level and finish out games.” Junior guard Phil Forte, Oklahoma State’s second leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, has not reached his average in any of the last seven games. He’s averaged 8.4 points and shot 28.6 percent from the field during those games. “He knows how important he is to our team, but every player has a role,” Ford said. “We need everybody, not just Phil. Everyone has to do their role in crunch time and players need to start making plays in crunch time.” Before their recent struggles, the Cowboys won three straight games against Texas, Kansas and Baylor, who are all NCAA teams. Oklahoma State finished tied for sixth in the Big 12, which got seven teams in the NCAA Tournament field. “We have the top league in America from my standpoint from top to bottom,” Ford said. The Pac-12 Conference got four teams in the NCAA Tournament and the Ducks are 3-4 against those schools after beating Utah twice, splitting two games with UCLA and losing three times to Arizona. In nonconference play, Oregon defeated UC Irvine, which won the Big West title to get into the NCAA field and lost to tourney teams VCU and Mississippi. “We want the guys to feel good about what they accomplished, 25 wins and finishing second in the league,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We beat UCLA, beat Utah twice, we didn’t do well against Arizona but that is a bad matchup for us. Other than that, Irvine is an NCAA team and we had a chance against VCU so we have faced tournament teams and been OK.” Ford acknowledged the Ducks bring more momentum into Friday’s game. “Oregon is playing great basketball, they have won 11 of 13 games, so they are one of the hottest teams in America,” he said. “That is a very, very talented basketball team. “They have a lot of different versatile parts and a lot of guys in different positions. They score a lot of points and have talented offensive players. Dana has done a terrific job.” By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 5:58 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Fantasy Football Outlook for Cowboys Stars May. 29, 2015 at 2:26 am Fantasy Breakdown of Top Quarterbacks May. 24, 2015 at 2:51 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Patriots' Stars May. 22, 2015 at 6:05 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Eagles Stars May. 18, 2015 at 12:35 am Early Fantasy Football Rankings May. 17, 2015 at 4:22 am Fantasy Football Stars Likely to Disappoint May. 15, 2015 at 2:02 am Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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