EUGENE -- Dana Altman hoped they would show up.

On the eve of a rare Tuesday night Pac-12 game, the coach walked from Oregon’s fraternity houses to its business school and even delivered protein bars to the recreation center on his most unique recruiting trip of an unpredictable season.

It was all to drum up support and elicit a few promises that when his team’s bubble hopes were on the line the next night against Arizona State, the students would arrive in full-throated support just as they’d pledged.

The students showed up in force. And desperately needing a victory, so did Altman’s Ducks.

Oregon earned a sixth consecutive victory with an 85-78 win against the Sun Devils that began with an eye-opening 15-0 run and finished with the roar from 9,125 at Matthew Knight Arena sensing Oregon’s ever-improving case for an NCAA Tournament bid.

“I need to get out of my office more,” Altman said. “I thought when we were struggling there a little bit the energy in the building helped. That’s why college basketball is a home court sport. You’re supposed to get that energy from your crowd and they delivered.”

The bubble could burst yet with one game remaining in the regular season and the conference tournament left to play, but when Oregon’s free-wheeling first half slowed down and the Sun Devils (21-9, 10-7 Pac-12) trimmed an eight-point halftime deficit on the heroics of point guard Jahii Carson’s one-man comeback, Oregon (21-8, 9-8) made tough shots and defensive stops.

“It’s funny people are so surprised,” Oregon forward Mike Moser said. “We’re trying to play like every game in an NCAA game.”

Carson scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half and shot 10-of-19, yet the rest of his teammates were 13-of-41. The Sun Devils never led but cut its deficit to five with 6:24 remaining in the second half, delaying the party inside the arena as the Ducks struggled with fouls and Carson’s ballhandling.

As they have nearly every game during the win streak, though, Oregon wrenched itself from defeat. One day after winning Pac-12 player of the week honors, Moser was the agitator by grabbing 17 rebounds and scoring 22 points. He was one of four Ducks who scored in double figures, including 13 from Joseph Young, 16 from Jason Calliste and 15 from Damyean Dotson – who scored eight points in the game’s first four minutes alone.

When it comes to Oregon’s contributors, Calliste, Moser, Young and Dotson are the usual suspects. Yet it was a victory defined by unexpected contributions.

For example few could have foreseen Oregon football coach Mark Helfrich dancing alongside students while wearing a yellow “Pit Crew” T-shirt, just as few would have expected

center Waverly Austin to score five points, grab a career-high 10 rebounds and block five shots in easily his most dynamic performance this season.

“Coach always tells me to be ready,” Austin said.

He nullified the impact of Jordan Bachynski, who scored 13 points and had 11 rebounds but wasn’t the destructive inside force who led ASU’s victory in their first meeting one month ago.

“As well as Mike played, I thought Wave was the difference in the game,” said Altman, who estimated Austin altered 10 shots in the first true “rim protector” performance by a Duck big man this season. “I’m hoping that we can get something similar to that on Saturday.”

Oregon's Feb. 8 loss at Arizona State left it for dead at 3-8 in Pac-12 play. Since then, UO has shown up in force to the point they’re now on the doorstep of the NCAA Tournament.

“During that losing streak we’re on the road a lot and so I knew that the schedule would flip in our favor so no, I’m not surprised,” Altman said. “We had to take care of business and we had to play better but I knew we had the talent.

“I knew the guys were staying together; there wasn’t any panic.”