South R32: #12 Oregon vs #13 UC-Irvine (3/24 6:40 PM TBS)

[greenyellow]

#12 Oregon 24-12
#13 UC-Irvine 31-5

[greenyellow]

Sucks that both the men's and women's games are going to be on at roughly the same time.

[Merganzer]

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[duck58]

#12 Oregon 24-12
#13 UC-Irvine 31-5

Obviously two teams that were underrated at this point: Ducks because of season record but now playing great; UC Irvine apparently because of supposedly weak regular season competition, though great record.

[Duck07]

60 points seems to be the mark we need to hit on Offense with the way our Defense has been playing.

[Merganzer]

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[GrantDuck]

Watched 2 of Irvine's game this year.

Keys:
1. Limit Hazzard
2. Limit offensive rebounds
3. Make foul shots

I expect another close, low scoring battle.


Kenpom gives us a 65% chance to win, but that takes in to account neither team's recent hot streaks.

Vegas has us a slight favorite 3-5 pts.

[greenyellow]

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[duckduckgoose]

I looked at Cal Irvine’s schedule to see who they had played in the last 17 games they won. So many directional schools and unknown schools. 17 in a row is a great achievement no matter what, but they wouldn’t have done that in the LOWLY Pac-12.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Merganzer]

https://athlonsports.com/college-basket ... ament-2019

UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Oregon Ducks Prediction: NCAA Tournament Second Round Preview



Keys for UC Irvine

Shooting well from the perimeter is going to be critical for the Anteaters. Oregon has a ton of size, length, and quickness. Four of the five starters for the Ducks are 6-foot-9 or taller, so getting to the basket will be a chore for UC Irvine. Max Hazzard and Evan Leonard can open things up a bit if they shoot as well as they are capable of doing. Both players scored 19 points against Kansas State. Leonard is shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point range, while Hazzard is at 39.7 percent.

Cutting down on turnovers is crucial if the Anteaters want to advance. UC Irvine got sloppy at times against the Wildcats. That won't fly against the Ducks. Oregon loves to throw a relentless press at opponents and it can cause turnovers to pile up in a hurry. The Ducks thrive on transition baskets. If UC Irvine lets the transition game get going for Oregon, it will be battling a double-digit deficit for the better part of 40 minutes.

Keys for Oregon

The Ducks need to use their size to their advantage around the glass. UC Irvine has consistently won the rebounding battle with opponents all season long. Oregon can prevent that from happening on Sunday. The Ducks have outrebounded six of their last nine opponents through a collective effort on the glass. Louis King, with 5.6 rebounds per game, is the only healthy Oregon player averaging more than five rebounds.

Cranking up the defensive pressure is an Oregon trademark, especially during the team's current winning streak. UC Irvine showed it is vulnerable to turning the ball over in the team's win over Kansas State. The Ducks know how to fluster opposing guards with their quick hands. Oregon is averaging 5.4 steals per game over the last nine games and has forced 14.8 turnovers per game in that stretch. The Ducks have had eight steals in back-to-back games against Washington and Wisconsin.

Final Analysis

Few teams left in the NCAA Tournament are on a bigger roll than these two squads. UC Irvine has won 17 straight games. Oregon has won nine in a row. Both teams are hungry to prove themselves and both are dangerous teams. The edge ultimately goes to the Ducks. Oregon has more quickness, depth, and athleticism than UC Irvine. Injuries were largely responsible for the Ducks' struggles earlier in the season. Now fully healthy, Oregon is playing how everyone expected when it started the season as a Top 25 team. That's ultimately bad news for the Anteaters.

Prediction: Oregon 67, UC Irvine 56

[withamjd]

https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-baske ... s/game-log

From the last Irvine loss to present day...

UCSB with an RPI of 154 was their best win before K State playing without Dean Wade's 6'8" size and 12.9 PT, 6.2 RB stat line.

Imagine if Oregon played Cal and Wash State exclusively.

The only size K State had was 6'9" Makol Mawien who had a career day with 14 points and 12 boards.

The trio of guards carrying their offense tops out at 6'2".
Subbing in athletic 6'4" guys to chase the 3 point line if they prove they can score over a steady diet of 6"9" seems like a viable defensive plan.

01/16 Lg Beach St 212 Home L 70-80
01/19 at Cal St Nrdge 271 Away W 74-68
01/23 at Hawaii 181 Away W 75-74
01/26 UC Riverside 301 Home W 82-64
01/31 at UCSB 154 Away W 66-62
02/02 at Lg Beach St 212 Away W 82-80
02/06 CS Fullerton 184 Home W 60-53
02/09 Hawaii 181 Home W 67-56
02/16 UCSB 154 Home W 83-70
02/21 Cal Poly 325 Home W 74-47
02/28 at UC Davis 226 Away W 64-48
03/02 at UC Riverside 301 Away W 68-47
03/07 at Cal Poly 325 Away W 110-72
03/09 Cal St Nrdge 271 Home W 86-74
03/14 vs UC Riverside 301 Neutral W 63-44
03/15 vs Lg Beach St 212 Neutral W 75-67
03/16 vs CS Fullerton 184 Neutral W 92-64
03/22 vs Kansas St 24 Neutral W 70-64

Irvine can win but the underrated narrative is dubious.

They cruised through a middling league and were fortunate to get an incomplete K State squad.

[Merganzer]

It's all pointing towards a W for the Ducks. Fortunately, I don't think that matters to this team.

[Duck07]

2 steals to start and we go up 5 then go on a lull and give up 3 baskets before a PP jumper and Okoro post score has up 9-6.

[Duck07]

White and Richardson with back to back 3s 15-6

[Tray Dub]

UCI is feisty but needs to hit shots to have any chance. We're just way longer and quicker, and totally locked in defensively.