One of the more intriguing plot points of the 2022 Pac-12 basketball season has been the impact of the transfer portal on various programs in the conference.

USC fans know that the 2022 Trojans have a lot of returning players from the 2021 team which was built largely in and through the transfer portal.

The 2021 Trojans brought Drew Peterson from Rice University, Tahj Eaddy from Santa Clara, Isaiah White from Utah Valley, and Chevez Goodwin from Wofford. The 2022 Trojans have used Joshua Morgan, a transfer from Long Beach State. The value of the portal is manifested in USC’s 24-4 record.

In most seasons, Oregon maximizes the portal and creates strong teams from it. This season, that hasn’t entirely been the case, though the Ducks did just get a huge win over UCLA which keeps them in the NCAA Tournament hunt. Oregon is on the bubble right now; that’s not where the Ducks expected to be. Usually, they’re safely in the NCAA Tournament at this time of year.

Our friends at Ducks Wire talked to us when we wondered if Dana Altman and Oregon are relying on the portal too much. Analyst Donald Smalley responded:

I don’t think so. Altman has hit a lot more in the portal than he has missed. Jacob Young has been better than expected, but he has these mental lapses that are confusing. He tends to commit a lot of unforced turnovers, but he scores. De’Vion Harmon has been okay, not great. He has struggled to find his place on the floor. When Oregon went on that winning streak, Harmon really locked in on defense. But that’s gone away for some reason.

USC was outplayed by Oregon’s transfers in January. We will see how everything changes on Saturday night in Eugene.