Watson’s Streak Could Come to an End

Point guard Earl Watson’s status for Thursday’s game against Oregon State remains in doubt. He practiced for about 20 minutes Tuesday while wearing a back brace, and, although he didn’t have his full range of motion or directional burst, he said he felt relatively good.

“The brace helps out a lot, takes a lot of pressure off my back,” said Watson, who sat out the final 18 minutes of Saturday’s 25-point loss to Arizona. “But I can still feel the pain when I try to make some explosive moves or try to sprint as fast as I can.”

Hanging in the balance is Watson’s streak of 112 consecutive starts. He is averaging 14.9 points and 33.7 minutes a game this season.

“I always assume that by game time he’ll find a way to get out there,” said Coach Steve Lavin, citing the way Watson played in the NCAA tournament last year two days after undergoing laser surgery on his eye. “But he seems to be in severe pain this time.”