Oregon @ Arizona State preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 11, 2020 ) Arizona State 69, Oregon 78

Arizona State has positioned itself firmly in the Pac-12 title race discussion thanks to a league-best five-game winning streak that included a road sweep of the Bay Area schools last weekend. The Sun Devils, tied with in-state rival Arizona for third place just a half-game out of first, return home to host conference co-leader and 16th-ranked Oregon on Thursday.

Arizona State comes in off a 80-75 victory at Cal on Sunday to complete the Sun Devils' first conference road sweep in a decade dating back to a sweep of the Oregon schools in January of 2010. "I know its been talked about quite a bit, but it's not really a thing for me," fifth-year ASU head coach Bobby Hurley told the Arizona Republic after finally garnering his first conference road sweep. "It's more where we stand right now, just can ill afford to lose and got to keep it rolling the way we've been." Next up for the Sun Devils is an Oregon squad that just swept conference co-leader Colorado (68-60) and Utah (80-62) at home and also won the first meeting between the two schools, 78-69, on Jan. 11 in Eugene, Ore.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT OREGON (20-6, 9-4 Pac-12): Senior point guard Payton Pritchard earned national player of the week honors for the third time this season on Monday when the Naismith Trophy recognized his efforts in the wins over the Buffaloes (15 points, career-high 11 rebounds) and the Utes (25 points, 5-of-9 3-pointers). "These two games were must-wins for us, obviously, to keep in the hunt for a conference championship," Pritchard said. Pritchard leads the Ducks in scoring (19.5), which ranks second in the Pac-12, and also leads the conference in assists (5.8) while grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game while junior guard Chris Duarte (13.4 points) and sophomore guard Will Richardson (10.7) also are averaging double figures with senior forward Shakur Juiston topping the team in rebounds with an average of 6.5 per game.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (17-8, 8-4): While Pritchard was claiming national player of the week honors, Sun Devil junior point guard Remy Martin picked up Pac-12 player of the week honors for the second time this season after averaging 23 points on 67 percent shooting (16-of-24), including 5-of-6 3-pointers, and 3.5 assists in ASU's weekend sweep in the Bay Area. "When the chips were down, he was hitting all kinds of shots," Hurley said of Martin. "He continues to surprise me, the things I see him do out there." Martin leads the Pac-12 in scoring (19.6) and also tops the team in assists (4.0) and steals (1.6) while guard Alonzo Verge Jr. (14.0 points), who had 22 points and six rebounds in the win at Cal, forward Romello White (10.5) and guard Rob Edwards (10.4) are also averaging double digits.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pritchard and Martin both had 29 points, six assists and three rebounds in first meeting that saw Oregon lead by as many as 14 points early in the second half.

2. Martin has scored 20 or more points in nine of Arizona State's 12 conference games.

3. White ranks second (9.25) to Colorado's Tyler Bey (9.28) in the Pac-12 in rebounding and has eight double-doubles.

PREDICTION: Oregon 71, Arizona State 67