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Both Oregon and Liberty (Friday, 7:10 pm PST, TruTV) are coming into the NCAA tournament as two hot teams with the Ducks winning eight of their last nine and the Flames are winners of 11 of their last 12, so something has to give.
Oregon is the 5 seed while Liberty is the 12 seed, and while the Ducks are the favorites, the 12 seed has seen a lot of success in upsetting 5 seeds in the past. In the history of the 64-team tournament that began in 1985, the 12 seed has won 35 percent of the time with an all time record of 55-101. In order for the Ducks to avoid becoming loser No. 56, Oregon needs to match the Flames' defensive effort.
Liberty is 18th in the country in field goal defense at 40 percent. Oregon needs to shoot well and force the Flames to score with them.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, Liberty has the ability to keep up with them on the scoreboard. They average 10 three-pointers per game. That led Conference-USA and is 13th in the nation. The Flames are also efficient at the three-point line, shooting 39 percent from long range. Look for Oregon's guards to pressure the Flames on the outside and not give Liberty many open looks from the outside.
On the opposite side of the floor, Liberty is one of the best in the nation in defending the three-point line. The Flames opponents are shooting just 28 percent from behind the line, third in the country. But they haven't faced a 7-footer that can shoot threes such as Nate Bittle or point guard Jackson Shelstad who has NBA range and further.
Going to the free throw line might be more difficult in this one than normal for the Ducks. Liberty rarely fouls. They average just 13 fouls a game. If Oregon can buck that trend and get some easy points from the charity stripe, that would only be beneficial for the Ducks.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon's keys to victory vs Liberty in NCAA tournament game
Continue reading...
Oregon is the 5 seed while Liberty is the 12 seed, and while the Ducks are the favorites, the 12 seed has seen a lot of success in upsetting 5 seeds in the past. In the history of the 64-team tournament that began in 1985, the 12 seed has won 35 percent of the time with an all time record of 55-101. In order for the Ducks to avoid becoming loser No. 56, Oregon needs to match the Flames' defensive effort.
Liberty is 18th in the country in field goal defense at 40 percent. Oregon needs to shoot well and force the Flames to score with them.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, Liberty has the ability to keep up with them on the scoreboard. They average 10 three-pointers per game. That led Conference-USA and is 13th in the nation. The Flames are also efficient at the three-point line, shooting 39 percent from long range. Look for Oregon's guards to pressure the Flames on the outside and not give Liberty many open looks from the outside.
On the opposite side of the floor, Liberty is one of the best in the nation in defending the three-point line. The Flames opponents are shooting just 28 percent from behind the line, third in the country. But they haven't faced a 7-footer that can shoot threes such as Nate Bittle or point guard Jackson Shelstad who has NBA range and further.
Going to the free throw line might be more difficult in this one than normal for the Ducks. Liberty rarely fouls. They average just 13 fouls a game. If Oregon can buck that trend and get some easy points from the charity stripe, that would only be beneficial for the Ducks.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon's keys to victory vs Liberty in NCAA tournament game
Continue reading...
