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Oregon appears to have gotten back on track with three straight wins.
Making it four in a row could be a bit more difficult for the 23rd-ranked Ducks, who will be without forward Luke Jackson when they host Pac-10 rival Washington State on Saturday.
Jackson, the only player in the conference's top 10 rankings in points, rebounds, assists and steals, sustained a deep cut on his right ring finger during the first half of Oregon's 91-66 rout of Washington on Thursday.
Jackson, the Ducks' second-leading scorer at 16.4 points per game, was bleeding profusely from his hand after a collision with Washington's Doug Wrenn. He did not return for the second half after taking 10 to 12 stitches to close the cut.
Jackson's injury will be reevaluated next week. His status for Oregon's upcoming games at UCLA and Southern California is uncertain.
``We'll just wait and see,'' Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. ``Obviously, we don't want to bring him back too soon.''
Luke Ridnour and James Davis compensated for Jackson's absence. Ridnour had 15 points and 11 assists and Davis added 18 points as Oregon (13-4, 3-3 Pac-10) won its third straight after dropping three of four. It was also the Ducks' 26th win in their last 27 home games.
Without Jackson, Ridnour will carry an even bigger offensive load. He leads Oregon with 16.9 points and 6.4 assists per game. After Jackson, who leads the Ducks with 6.4 rebounds, Davis is third on the team with 10.0 points per game.
Washington State (5-11, 0-6) also will be without one of its best players -- junior guard Marcus Moore, who is lost for the season after opting to have surgery on his right ankle. Moore was the Pac-10's second-leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game.
Without Moore, the Cougars figure to have an extremely difficult time Saturday as they try to end a 35-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
Washington State, playing without Moore for the first time, lost its seventh straight game in Thursday's 63-48 setback at Oregon State. Chris Schlatter and Thomas Kelati each scored 12 points for the Cougars, who shot a dismal 26.6 percent (17-for-64) from the field.
Oregon has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with Washington State, posting seven straight wins at home. The Cougars haven't won in Eugene since the 1994-95 season.
Updated on Friday, Jan 24, 2003 7:37 pm, EST
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