Streaking Oregon seeks rare success at Colorado

Oregon takes a six-game winning streak into its Thursday night road game against Colorado in Boulder.

The Ducks (13-3, 5-0 Pac-12) are the only team undefeated in Pac-12 Conference play. However, none of their five conference wins was easy, as Oregon's average margin of victory in those contests was just 5.4 points. And all five came against teams currently in the bottom half of the conference standings.

Now things get more difficult as Oregon takes on the Buffaloes, who are 10-0 at home this season. Colorado (12-5, 3-3) has lost three of its past four games overall, however, and one of those three defeats was a 47-point setback to then-No. 10 Arizona.

Colorado is 11-1 overall in Boulder against Oregon, but the Ducks are winning with a smaller lineup that just got back its top center. N'Faly Dante, who missed nearly two months with a knee injury, was projected to be a top player in the conference this season but has played just two games.

"We gotta get used to playing with him, getting more movement when we throw the ball to him so they can't double (team) him as easy," Oregon coach Dana Altman said.

Dante returned to the court in Oregon's 80-73 win over visiting Cal on Saturday, finishing with eight points and two rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. The Ducks came back from an 18-point, first-half deficit in that game.

The Buffaloes are coming off a 68-58 home win over Southern California on Saturday, when Colorado rallied from a 16-point, first-half hole.

"The credit goes to our kids," Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle said after the game. "They were frustrated, down at halftime. We weren't ourselves offensively or defensively. But they dug in in the second half. We really guarded them. They played with grit and toughness and we got the win."

KJ Simpson is averaging 19.3 points to lead Colorado. The Buffaloes lead the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage (50.1 percent) and 3-point field-goal percentage (39 percent).

—Field Level Media