Oregon is expecting to be without starting forward C.J. Walker for a second straight game on Thursday against the Arizona Wildcats.
A former Wildcat recruit from Florida who once had UA among his final five choices, Walker hurt his back on Dec. 29 and tried to play through it on Jan. 2 against Colorado but then sat out a Jan. 4 game at Utah.
Oregon coach Dana Altman told reporters in Oregon that Walker "hasn't been quite the same" since the injury, and that he would be a limited factor if he plays at all this week.
Walker is averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds over 14 games.
The Ducks, however, have gotten Shakur Juiston back from a leg injury and have been able to increasingly work in freshman N'Faly Dante, who missed the fall quarter because he was not admitted to school after trying to reclassify last summer.
There's never a really good time for Arizona to take the Oregon trip, with the Wildcats never having swept an Oregon trip in the Sean Miller era.
But at least the Wildcats do not start class until Jan. 15, meaning the extended weekend will not cause any academic problems, and they haven't had to travel at all for the past three weeks.
“We have a tall order ahead of us, as I think any any team does that plays at Oregon, and really at Oregon State," Miller said. "But it comes at a good time for us. We aren't at school, and I think our guys are pretty fresh right now. So, if there would be a time for a longer road trip, you know, hopefully we could take advantage of maybe the freshness of it, as opposed coming in at the end of February when you've been at it for a while."
