Oregon Ducks vs. Oregon State Beavers Men's Basketball: Why It Matters This Year

With the exception of the three-year-old College Basketball Invitational, the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers have been irrelevant in college hoops lately.

Each team has one CBI title—OSU in 2009, UO in 2011—giving each team the honor of being the 101st-best team in the country in those years. They both finished right behind the 68 teams in the NCAA tournament and the 32 in the NIT.

But they are both tourney champions.

This year, the Ducks have a shot at making The Dance. Heading into Sunday's Civil War in Eugene, the Ducks are tied with the California Golden Bears at 6-2 atop the Pac-12 standings.

The Beavers are no slouches themselves. They lead the Pac-12 in scoring, averaging 82.7 points per game. That's No. 5 in the nation.

Even though Oregon State is struggling in conference play at 3-5, the Beavs still have a winning record at 13-7. By beating the Ducks and winning the rest of their home games, they’ll be at 19-11, leaving them firmly on the bubble for the NCAA tournament.

At 15-5 overall, Oregon is also in position to earn an NCAA bid by taking care of business down the stretch.

A win over its rival would move Oregon four games from the prestigious 20-win plateau. Two games against Utah (5-14, 2-5) and a home game against Washington State (11-8, 3-4) should equate to three more wins. With one win in its remaining six games, the Ducks get to 20 and likely earn a bid.

Not since 1990 have both teams qualified for the postseason in the same year.

In '90, the Gary Payton-led Beavers were a No. 5 seed but lost to Ball State by one point in the first round.

The Ducks also had a future-NBA point guard in 1990: Terrell Brandon. But Brandon couldn't lead his team to a postseason win either, as Oregon lost to New Mexico in the opening round of the NIT.

That makes this weekend’s 336th meeting—the most of any rivalry, according to The Oregonian's Paul Buker—one of the most interesting in recent years.

The game should be a good one with two rejuvenated programs. And it just might include two teams destined to play in the postseason while skipping the familiar confines of the CBI.