On Thursday at 6:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal men’s basketball will welcome the 11th ranked Oregon Ducks to Haas Pavilion. Cal comes in at 9-10 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12 while Oregon comes in at 17-4 overall and 6-2 in the Pac-12.

Last time out: On Sunday, Cal defeated Stanford 52-50 behind 15 points and 4 assists from senior guard Paris Austin.

RECAP: Cal gets even with Stanford at Haas Pavilion

NOTEBOOK: From Cal MBB’s 52-50 win over Stanford

On Oregon: The Ducks are led by senior guard Payton Pritchard, who is averaging 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Pritchard is arguably the top player in the Pac-12 and has the Ducks humming to the best record in the conference. Junior guard Chris Duarte is the number two option on the Ducks, averaging 14.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. Together, Pritchard and Duarte give the Ducks a killer backcourt that is very difficult to stop.

As a team, the Ducks are averaging 77.6 points per game on 47.5% shooting from the field, 38.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 68.9% shooting from the foul line. They’re averaging a +2.4 rebound margin per game, 14.6 assists, 7.9 steals, 3.3 blocks, and 12.2 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 67.4 points per game on 39.3% shooting from the field, 31.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.7% shooting from the foul line.

Despite coming in ranked just outside the top ten, the Ducks have proven to be vulnerable. They lost to Washington State up in Pullman 72-61 and also lost 74-65 at Colorado. Plus, they got taken to overtime at Washington and at home against USC. Cal definitely shouldn’t feel like Oregon is impossible to beat.

Keys to the game: If Cal wants to win this game, the first thing they need to do is contain Pritchard and Duarte. If those two players go wild and have a big night, Cal will not win this game. Conversely, if they struggle and Cal is able to capitalize off their missed shots and mistakes, they just might pull off the upset.

Secondly, Cal needs to maintain a good offensive flow. If Cal has stretches where they’re not scoring and shooting ice cold from the field, there’s no way they win this game. Cal has to make sure that they are able to consistently score, getting good production from Matt Bradley, Paris Austin, Kareem South, and others. Personally, I feel South is the x-factor. We saw him have a solid night against Stanford (13 points) and that made the difference. He was shooting from the perimeter, attacking the rim, etc. When he’s playing well, Cal’s offense does pretty well. When he’s off, their offense really suffers. Odds are if he plays well against Oregon, Cal’s offense will likewise be doing well.

Finally, Cal needs to get to the foul line. Cal shot 13-17 from the foul line against Stanford, doing a good job at getting into the bonus and knocking down their foul shots. It was two free throws from Austin that won them the game. If Cal is attacking the rim, going downhill, and getting free throw attempts, they’ll give themselves an opportunity to steal this game. Especially if the game is tight down the stretch.