Oregon Ducks Basketball

Former Oregon basketball players Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson have filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming they were unfairly dismissed amid a 2014 sexual assault investigation. 

Attorney Alex Spiro told ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil the lawsuit hopes to show "the manner that the proceedings were conducted at Oregon has been problematic and that these students were victimized by that process."

Artis, Dotson and Brandon Austin were accused of raping a woman in March 2014. They were dismissed from the program two months later despite not being charged with a crime. 

The lawsuit claims Oregon "engineered a 'kangaroo court' hearing with the purpose of finding that Artis and Dotson committed a sexual assault that did not in reality occur." The players are seeking damages of $10 million apiece, specifically saying their dismissals left them at a disadvantage when trying to play basketball professionally.

Artis has since transferred to UTEP. He averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game as a junior.

Dotson is currently playing at Houston, putting up 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 36.9 percent from the field.

Austin, who was previously accused of sexual assault while at Providence, sued the university for $7.5 million last year. He claimed "he was wrongly accused and was denied a chance to adequately defend himself in university disciplinary proceedings." Like the suit filed by Artis and Dotson, Austin claims the situation has prevented him from making millions in the NBA. He no longer plays Division I basketball.

"It is unfortunate the Mr. Austin has decided to pursue this type of lawsuit, and we intend to vigorously defend the university," Oregon spokesman Tobin Klinger said regarding Austin's case, per The Associated Press (via ESPN). "We're confident Mr. Austin was afforded fair and consistent due process that fully complied with the university's legal obligations."

The university is yet to offer a comment on the filing from Artis and Dotson.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter

It was not easy for either of the top two seeds to get to Saturday’s Pac-12 tournament championship game, as both needed to work overtime to get here.

The top-seeded Oregon Ducks (27-6) will now try to beat the second-seeded Utah Utes (26-7) for the seventh straight time after going 5-1 against the spread in the previous six meetings. Oregon opened as a slim one-point betting favorite for Saturday.

Oregon has also won nine of the past 10 head-to-head matchups with a 7-3 mark ATS since Utah joined the conference for the 2011-12 season.

The Ducks won both meetings with the Utes this year by double digits but have to consider themselves fortunate to be back playing for the tournament title after blowing a seven-point lead in the final 20 seconds of regulation against the fourth-seeded Arizona Wildcats on Friday.

Oregon closed as a consensus one-point underdog versus Arizona in the semifinals at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark and was able to close out its opponent in the extra session en route to a 95-89 victory.

While Arizona was unable to convert its remarkable comeback into a win, Utah did just that against the third-seeded California Golden Bears following a game-tying layup by Lorenzo Bonam with one second left in regulation that saw him travel the length of the court in less than 4.3 seconds.

The Utes trailed the Golden Bears 56-49 with 6:21 remaining but slowly closed the gap before taking the lead in the last minute. The teams traded baskets and free throws before heading to OT, where Utah took control and held on for an 82-78 victory to cover as 2.5-point chalk.

Both teams will likely be a bit tired heading into the Pac-12 title game, which could obviously impact the tempo here. And if their recent meetings and current form are any indication, bettors can expect a low-scoring affair.

The under has cashed in each of the past six meetings, according to the OddsShark College Basketball Database, with the high-scoring Ducks topping 70 points in only the previous two.

Their win over the Wildcats also ended a streak of five consecutive unders overall, and the Utes had seen the under go on a 4-0 run as well before beating Cal.

The country's most weirdly wonderful player can be found in Eugene, Oregon, because, well, why not? When you're born on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, then immigrate to Montreal, trek to New Mexico and from there to Wyoming, you always parachute next into Eugene, right?

A 6'10" forward with a body by Twizzler who swats shots with alarming frequency, Chris Boucher bravely holds his ground in the paint against huskier players. For kicks, he also steps out 20 feet from the rim and drills shots from deep, which makes him rather typical in that regard, no? A springy shot-blocker who often shoots threes like a guard. Those players cost five cents a dozen, right?

It wasn't but four years ago when Boucher confined his game to a neighborhood park, dribbling to nowhere special and standing tall on absolutely nobody's college basketball radar. He didn't play organized ball until he was 19, although his Oregon coaches and teammates, marveling at his rapid development and realizing his importance, suggest he's right on time.

It's been quite a journey to go from way over there to way over here, which means Boucher has covered more ground quicker than anybody who ever blessed the Oregon campus except Steve Prefontaine, the fabled distance runner.

As profound a story as Boucher's basketball history appears to be, the Ducks are too busy being excited about the immediate future to reflect on it. They're tied for first in the Pac-12 and trying to capture a high seed for the NCAA tournament, a leap for a program that recently stood on wobbly ground after dealing with a legal case that saw three players suspended.

This reversal of fortune is due in part to the raw Haitian-Canadian who crystallized from nowhere and now has the Ducks going, perhaps, someplace special.

"I like his activity," Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. "Chris is a unique player, a good worker, very gifted."

Oregon and Boucher were a match from the start this season. He was the National Junior College Player of the Year in 2015 and a transfer who was projected to supply energy off the Ducks bench.

When sophomore center Jordan Bell missed the early portion of the season with a foot injury, Boucher filled in and fit in right away. In the season's second game, a victory against a Baylor team ranked No. 20 at the time, Boucher led the Ducks with 15 points and eight rebounds, and he hasn't pumped the brakes since.

Blessed with a 7'4" wingspan, he's among the top five in the country in blocked shots, which comes instinctively for him. But while Boucher has taken advantage of the shot-blocking skills most inexperienced post players lean on until they figure out the nuances of the game, he has not remained a one-dimensional talent.

His coaches see his basketball intellect expanding, his footwork improving, his court awareness sharpening. And his ability to hit three-pointers (35.4 percent through 27 games) is impressive for someone his size.

It's not a coincidence that Oregon is a mild surprise in the nation's Top 20.

"Chris has turned himself into a fan favorite and all the kids on the team appreciate him," said Mike Mennenga, the Oregon assistant coach who recruited him. "He's a smart, responsible kid who isn't satisfied about where he's at and how quickly he's gotten this far, although he should be."

If only Oregon could discover a way to nourish his body to grow with his game. He's roughly 200 pounds after dessert, a playing weight that gets stretched like taffy when placed on a 6'10" body. His pipe-cleaner arms and legs are disconcerting at first, but then you see how he manages to block shots and be a presence on defense in spite of his lanky body.

"Coach Altman has given me confidence, and my teammates make it feel like family," Boucher said. "I'm happy that I've played a role, and everyone is always trying to make me better."

To know Chris Boucher, you need a good sense of geography or a GPS. His family left Saint Lucia when he was a toddler and relocated to Montreal, where his father was from. After his parents soon separated, Chris lived primarily with his mother and younger brother and sister.

Finances were tight, so they settled in a community that fluctuated between lower-middle-class and grim, depending on the mood. Even tougher challenges awaited Boucher in keeping connected to his father, who lived nearby in Montreal North, the meanest part of town.

Montreal North is where you're conditioned to walk briskly. It's often referred to as the Bronx of Montreal, sharing with its New York City cousin its share of social conflict, unemployment, gang activity and mistrust of police.

Home to a large percentage of the city's ethnic population, and Haitians in particular, the North stands in stark contrast to the majority of Quebec. It's a place where, in August 2008, police shot a teenager from Honduras to death.

The incident caused an uncomfortable ripple effect in a country that rarely sees the level of racial tension that flares in America. Riots followed, and an officer was shot. Since then, the North residents have maintained an often-tenuous relationship with the political establishment and law enforcement.

Mennenga knows the turf well, having recruiting connections in Toronto and Montreal as well as the American Northeast corridor. He knew the challenges Canadian players face, which go far beyond the weather.

"You're dealing with first-generation immigrants—no money, no jobs, crime is rampant," he said. "Situations like what happened with the riots in '08 don't happen overnight. That's developed over some time, with frustration and oppression.

"When that kid got shot, enough was enough. The citizens went off. The problem is any type of social reform was difficult to get done because of the cross section of people and the language barriers."

During that turbulent time in the North, Boucher was just about to enter his teenage years and was in danger of being swallowed up by his surroundings. There weren't many options for kids. When his mom lost her job, the family hop-scotched from one apartment to another.

"For about two years," said Mennenga, "Chris didn't really have a firm address. Chris was just kind of living day to day, which isn't unusual for some kids around there. School was secondary."

Boucher also was growing, literally. In 10th grade, he was 6'2". Soccer and hockey were his games—"that helped my coordination," he said. The next year, he was 6'9", and he beat a path to Camp Park, where his friends played ball. He became a regular, the tallest on the playground, but that's as far as his game went. He never played in high school.

Word about Boucher filtered out, though, and reached Ibrahim Appiah, who grew up near the park. Appiah had survived the neighborhood and played at High Point University before returning to Montreal. Appiah and his coaching partner, Igor Rwigema, had started scouring Montreal for young talent to train, learned about Boucher and brought him to Alma Academy, a prep school a few hundred miles away that offered what Boucher never had.

"He had [at Alma] some…stability in his life," Appiah said. "He had a place to play, a place to stay, a schedule to follow, going to practice and studying. He also had us whenever he needed us. When a kid has all of those things in his life, you finally see the real potential. So many kids are just discarded because they don't have those benefits. They're never given a chance."

Boucher did post-graduate work at Alma, and it opened doors educationally, socially and athletically.

"Ibrahim and Igor, they saw so much potential in me," said Boucher. "They said, 'You're talented, you can do things in this game.'"

His basketball breakout came in a prep-school tournament in Rhode Island, where Boucher had a beastly performance against Blair Academy, a traditional New Jersey basketball powerhouse that had previously produced Charlie Villanueva and Luol Deng.

"When we came home from that tournament, we figured we'd have Chris for another year, but that put him on the map," said Appiah. "We realized we had to let him follow his dream."

That dream didn't take him to a glamorous Division I program, but to New Mexico Junior College, because his grades, though adequate, kept him off the radar of some major programs. Boucher was joined by Nicky Desilien, his close friend and Alma teammate. Boucher averaged 11.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in a promising debut, but he left after one year when the coaches refused to bring Desilien back.

"It was difficult because I came from a big city to a smaller one, but it also helped me concentrate on basketball and school," Boucher said.

Boucher and Desilien transferred to Northwest College in Wyoming, and the former became an instant smash. He averaged 22.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game, a performance that earned him recognition as the nation's top JUCO player.

What struck the Northwest coaches was how well Boucher developed into a smart and more efficient player almost overnight. His offensive skills were raw, but he nonetheless shot 44 percent on three-pointers and gained the confidence to step beyond the paint.

"A hard worker," Northwest head coach Brian Erickson said. "Chris puts so much into his preparation. He wants to win and he wants to improve. When he came to us, he couldn't dribble with his left but worked on it, like he did with other parts of his game. And it happened so quickly. He ran the floor hard, did a better job of taking it off the dribble and attacking the rim and stepping out for threes. He did it all."

Erickson remembers his first meeting with Boucher like it happened an hour ago: "He comes into my office and says, 'Coach, we're going to win a championship.' No smile, no nothing, just levelheaded. And when we won the region championship, which hadn't happened in 46 years, he gives the biggest smile. He was saving that smile."

After helping Northwest to a 31-5 record and to the quarterfinals of the JUCO tournament, Boucher received some interest on the D-I level, but not a lot. The Kentuckys and Michigan States didn't call. Those types of schools were thrown by his weight. Boucher came to Northwest at 175 pounds and added 20, but that still wasn't enough to ease some schools' fears.

Mennenga had none. He knew of Boucher since that Rhode Island tournament and had followed his progress. The day before the Ducks played in Omaha for an NCAA tournament game last season, Mennenga drove to Kansas to watch Boucher get 24 points and 14 rebounds in a loss to eventual JUCO champ Northwest Florida State. Oregon was sold.

One of Boucher's unmistakable gifts, one that helps him even the tactical scale against D-I counterparts who sometimes outweigh him by 40-50 pounds, is an indefatigable desire to run. He constantly zips up and down the floor. His junior college coaches are convinced that if not for basketball, Boucher would excel in track and field.

"Maybe if I was bigger, I wouldn't be able to run the floor as well," he said.

This is a welcome period for Oregon basketball. Two years ago, the program was hit with a sexual assault scandal that saw three players jettisoned. And men's basketball still trails football in prestige. But there still is the presence and generous contributions of Nike. And now there is a roster—Dillon Brooks, Elgin Cook, Tyler Dorsey and Boucher—that gives the Ducks a shot to make an enjoyable run this spring.

"We were excited about the guys who were returning without Chris," said Mennenga, "and Chris has really elevated us to an elite team."

The only question about Boucher is whether he'll be back next season. He's technically a senior, since the NCAA insists his eligibility began with his one year in prep school. Oregon plans to seek a waiver, but there's also the chance he could be one-and-done at Oregon and bolt for professional ball. NBADraft.net has Boucher pegged for the second round.

"I think I have a chance to make the NBA, that's what I see, and if not, I'm trying to get my degree," Boucher said. "I feel like there are no limits. To go from where I was two years ago to now has given me the confidence to do more and work harder. I have to challenge myself."

Boucher is ready to change locales again? The Ducks can only hope he brings them along for part of the trip, starting with a plum first-round NCAA site. 

Oregon Ducks senior point guard Dylan Ennis will miss the rest of the 2015-16 season with a broken foot.

Continue for updates.

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Ennis to Undergo Surgery After Reaggravating Foot

Wednesday, Jan. 6

Matt Prehm of 247Sports reported the unfortunate news on Ennis' season-ending injury. He managed to appear in only two games after transferring from the Villanova Wildcats.    

Ennis averaged 9.9 points and 3.5 assists last season as a key contributor for a Wildcats squad that locked up a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed before being upset by N.C. State in the third round.

The Ducks have Casey Benson and others to run the point, but no one is as accomplished or as much of an offensive playmaker as Ennis is. He shot respectable percentages of 41.7 from the field and 36.3 from three-point range last season.

As Steve Mims of the Register-Guard pointed out in November, Benson is the only other guard on the Ducks with experience at the highest level of NCAA basketball. Ennis was initially injured in an exhibition win over Northwest Christian in early November.

Although Oregon has fared rather well thus far with an 11-3 record entering Wednesday's game against California, Ennis was a legitimate X-factor who would have bolstered the squad's hopes of a solid March Madness run.

He also had a bit of unfinished business from last year—when Villanova fell short in March Madness—to drive him.

After losing their Pac-12 opener to Oregon State, there's already considerable adversity besetting the Ducks at the moment. Ennis' absence for the year only exacerbates the difficulties that lie ahead for Oregon amid what should be a challenging conference slate.

Forward Trevor Manuel didn’t take long to determine he didn’t want to remain with the Oregon Ducks.

Head coach Dana Altman confirmed to Danny Moran of the Oregonian on Tuesday the true freshman plans to transfer just 14 games into the season.

“The door’s always open,” Altman said. “I don’t want him to leave. Obviously I think he’s got a lot of upside, but everybody’s got to do what they’ve got to do.”   

Altman told Moran that Manuel hadn’t returned his calls as of Tuesday afternoon’s practice—well after Matt Prehm of 247Sports first reported the news of his transfer.

Manuel was a 4-star prospect from basketball territory in Lansing, Michigan, but has played in just nine games this season and only 7.1 minutes in those contests. He didn’t play at all in Sunday’s rivalry game against Oregon State, a 70-57 loss.

Manuel had offers from basketball heavyweights Florida State, Michigan and Michigan State, as well as USC and Wake Forest, which could give an early glimpse at his potential landing spot.   

Before Manuel committed to Oregon, 247Sports forecast he’d likely remain near his roots at Michigan State.

Manuel will probably want increased minutes at his next destination, which seems unlikely at a powerhouse like Michigan State given he wasn't utilized much at Oregon—a respectable program but certainly not in the same echelon as the Spartans. 

Recruiting information and star rankings courtesy of 247Sports unless noted otherwise.

Former Oregon Ducks basketball player Brandon Austin was dismissed from the university in June 2014 after sexual-assault allegations surfaced against him and two teammates. He is reportedly suing the school and others as a result.

According to Tyson Alger of the Oregonian, Austin “is seeking $7.5 million in damages in a lawsuit against the University of Oregon, former President Michael R. Gottfredson and three others.”

The suit is 18 pages long and alleges the university and representatives “violated Austin’s rights by unfairly suspending him and not providing due process, among other things.”

Austin’s suit points to emotional distress and the loss of future income, as his dismissal diminished his chances of making it to the NBA. The suit also claims Austin did not commit the alleged sexual assault.

Alger noted that charges were never filed against Austin or his teammates, Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson, even though all three were dismissed from the university and barred from campus for four to 10 years.

Austin’s suit alleges his “rights were violated” because the defendants did not let him subpoena witnesses, did not provide a contested case hearing and “refused to provide the due process required by the United States Constitution and applicable laws,” per Alger.

Austin transferred to Northwest Florida State College after his dismissal and led his team to the junior college national title. However, he had previously been accused of sexual assault at Providence and suspended from the team. Although he was cleared in that case, he transferred to Oregon during the Providence suspension.

Austin had to sit out for a year as part of his transfer and was then dismissed following the allegations, so he never played a game for the Ducks.

It's almost impossible to contend for an NCAA men's basketball title without a competent floor general running the offense. The Oregon Ducks hope Payton Pritchard can be that guy starting in 2016.  

The 4-star point guard committed to the Ducks on Friday, per Reggie Rankin of ESPN.com. Matt Prehm of 247Sports confirmed the report.

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Pritchard is the No. 8 point guard in the country and the No. 48 player overall. He's also the best player in the state of Oregon.

Pritchard had originally committed to the Oklahoma Sooners but walked back on that decision in January.

"He just wants to be 100 percent sure," said Pritchard's father, Terry, per ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello. "He's a young kid, and we want him to [be] 100 percent comfortable. He's been thinking about it for two or three weeks. And if he was going to do it, he should probably do it before the July period."

When the race to secure Pritchard's commitment opened up again, plenty of heavy hitters among the coaching ranks looked to get a leg up, per 247Sports' Jerry Meyer: 

Jay Wright, John Beilein, Bo Ryan watching Payton Pritchard. http://t.co/MBpZq5TvDe @Evan_Flood @247Wolverine

— Jerry Meyer (@jerrymeyer247) July 24, 2015

The point guard competed with Team Wall at the Adidas Nations event in Long Beach, California. He appeared in six games, averaging 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and four assists per game. He shot 36.7 percent from the floor, including 34.5 percent from behind the arc.

Although those numbers don't jump off the page, they're not a fair representation of the player. Pritchard is a solid shooter and playmaker who knows how to pick out a pass. 247Sports' Evan Flood argued that Pritchard, as an incoming point guard, is about as ready-made as a team could hope for:

Not much I'd change about Payton Pritchard as a point guard. Kid is gonna win a lot of games in college. #adidasUprising

— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) July 23, 2015

Pritchard isn't the most gifted point guard in his class, but he is the perfect type of point guard in a way. He can play the role of facilitator, setting up his teammates to score, or he can put the ball on the floor and look for his own shot.

With Oregon looking to make some noise next March, Pritchard is a great addition to the Ducks' class.

The eighth-seeded Oregon Ducks take on the ninth-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys in a virtually even West Region matchup that will be played in Omaha, Nebraska, Friday. The Ducks may have seven more wins, but that has not translated much to the betting line, which has hovered close to a pick 'em since it opened.

Opening spread

The Ducks opened as one-point favorites (compare lines and consensus on the Odds Shark matchup report).

Why pick Oklahoma State to cover the spread

While Oklahoma State did not finish the season strong, this is still a team that started out 7-0 and won 11 of 13 games before struggling a bit in Big 12 play. The Cowboys ended up going 8-10 in the conference, which got seven teams into the Big Dance, including a similar Texas Longhorns squad that finished with an identical league mark.

The NCAA tournament selection committee liked the conference enough to put every team with a winning record into the field, and now teams such as Oklahoma State have the opportunity to prove they belong.

Meanwhile, only four Pac-12 teams got into the tourney, and four more with winning records did not. Anything other than current form for each team seems to favor the Cowboys, who simply need to win the game to cover the spread.

Why pick Oregon to cover the spread

If you do like to look at the current form of both schools, then you will more than likely side with Oregon in this spot. Winners of seven of eight games and 11 of 12 before they lost to the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats 80-52 as 12.5-point underdogs in the Pac-12 Championship Game, the Ducks hope to continue their strong play of late and win their opening matchup in the Big Dance for the third year in a row.

They have covered the spread in each of their previous two round-of-64 games, blowing out the 10th-seeded BYU Cougars 87-68 last year as five-point favorites and knocking out a fifth-seeded Oklahoma State team 68-55 as two-point underdogs in 2013 en route to the Sweet 16.

Oregon deserves to be the higher seed against the Cowboys this time and will try to back up the committee’s thinking and prove that this team should be a bigger favorite.

Smart betting pick

In a game the oddsmakers believe will be as close as the seeding suggests, the Ducks have the X-factor who is fully capable of putting his teammates on his back and carrying them deep into the tournament in Pac-12 Player of the Year Joseph Young.

The transfer from the Houston Cougars made his senior year count at Oregon and seems poised to take this team far—except for the fact that the top-seeded Wisconsin Badgers will likely await the winner in the next round.

It is also difficult to ignore the current form of both teams here. The Ducks are 9-3-1 against the spread in their last 13 games, while Oklahoma State has dropped six of seven both straight up and ATS. Like two years ago when they last met, Oregon was and remains the better team.

Power rankings (per Odds Shark power ranks)

Oklahoma State Cowboys: No. 197

Oregon Ducks: No. 101

March Madness betting trends

- Cowboys went 1-6 SU and ATS in their last seven games of the season.

- Cowboys have lost four straight NCAA tournament games, going 1-3 ATS.

- Oregon went 7-1 ATS in its last eight games of the season.

Note: All spread and betting line data powered by Odds Shark. Download the free Lines and Bet Tracker app in the Apple Store and on Google Play.

Tyler Dorsey—a 4-star point guard out of Maranatha High School in Los Angeles, per 247Sports—committed to play college basketball for Oregon on Monday.

Dorsey confirmed his decision, via Twitter:

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports initially reported the news and called it a "huge get" for Oregon.    

247Sports' national composite rankings list Dorsey as the fifth-ranked point guard and the No. 28 overall prospect in the class of 2015.

Dorsey could stand to add more bulk to his 6'4", 180-pound frame. Otherwise, there aren't many holes to poke in his game.

Although his position suggests he's more of a distributor, Dorsey is fully capable of filling it up on his own. Rivals.com's Ryan Koenigsberg highlighted in mid-January how hot Dorsey became as a scorer:

I have committed to the University of Oregon #Ducks 🐥

— Tyler Dorsey (@TDORSEY_1) February 2, 2015

As athletic and dangerous as Dorsey is when he's in the open court or taking the ball to the paint, he also has the passing ability to create opportunities for teammates off dribble penetration.

A nice mid-range jumper sets up Dorsey to slash to the rim, making him even harder to guard. That should get him on the floor as a prominent contributor for Oregon soon enough.

What also helps Dorsey's prospects at the NCAA level is that he's older for his class and can take on a larger leadership role compared to most incoming freshmen.

Dorsey was among the last top-tier point guards to make his decision to attend Oregon, so the Ducks have to feel great that they stood out and rose to the top of Dorsey's list in the end.   

Tempe, Ariz.— Joseph Young's game-winning jump shot in overtime helped Oregon get past Arizona State 68-67 Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. 

The Ducks found a way to bounce back after getting throttled by Arizona 90-56 on Thursday in Tucson and keep themselves in contention for a third straight NCAA tournament appearance.   

Elgin Cook and Young again made critical plays when Oregon needed it most and eventually led their team in scoring for a second consecutive game. Cook’s 10 points helped give the Ducks a 34-29 lead heading into halftime, while Young had another slow start with just four points.

In the second half, Oregon and Arizona State would go back and forth by exchanging eight different lead changes. 

The Sun Devils, who entered Friday's contest after a convincing 73-55 victory over Oregon State on Wednesday night, had their chances to extend leads with Shaquielle McKissic, as well as Tra Holder, knocking down shots and being tough as a team on the offensive board, but they struggled from the free-throw line.

Arizona State was just 4-of-11 from the charity stripe in the second half.

On the other hand, Cook and Young combined for a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, but the lone miss from the line by freshman point guard Ahmaad Rorie with 13 seconds remaining in regulation is what gave the Sun Devils an opportunity to push the game into overtime.

Oregon led 60-57 with Rorie at the line in a one-and-one free-throw situation that could've potentially iced the game. Rorie’s missed free throw was rebounded by Arizona State forward Jonathan Gilling and helped give the Sun Devils one last chance to tie the game up. 

McKissic, who finished the game with a career-high 24 points, eventually threw up a deep three-pointer as time was about to expire and drained it to knot things up at 60 forcing overtime.

Overtime proved to be just as entertaining, as Cook and Joseph converted a combined six free throws to give the Ducks a 66-62 lead with 1:45 left, but a three-point shot by Gilling, followed up by a McKissic layup, gave Arizona State a 67-66 lead again with 31 seconds remaining.

With the game on the line, Young would make the go-ahead 17-foot jumper on the ensuing possession to help reclaim the lead with 25 seconds left in overtime. Arizona State would get one final possession, but it was unable to convert on a Bo Barnes prayer from beyond the arc as time expired.

Cook finished the game with an impressive 23 points and six rebounds, while Young scored 14 points and recorded seven assists.

Dana Altman’s squad managed to sweep the Sun Devils this season by a combined total of four points. The two last met in Eugene on Jan. 10, where the Ducks won in a low-scoring 59-56 affair.

After splitting games in the desert this week, Oregon (15-7, 5-4) will host both Washington schools next week in Eugene. The Ducks failed to come up with wins on the road against both teams back in mid-January.

Follow Josh Sachnoff on Twitter at @JSachnov17.