Oklahoma vs. Oregon: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
After both the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oregon Ducks lost their opening round game in the Victory Bracket of the PK80 Tournament, they rebounded with a win to set up this battle. Who wins the fifth-place game and gets a quality in the process?
TV schedule: Sunday, Nov. 26, 1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Arena: Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon
The Oklahoma Sooners (3-1) took a loss to Arkansas in round one despite the great play from star freshman Trae Young. In the next game, the Sooners easily dispatched the Portland Pilots of the West Coast Conference, 93-71.
There was no answer for Young, who continues to open eyes with a 33 point and eight assist game. Khadeem Lattin was a load down low, going for 17 points and 16 rebounded. Matt Freeman got in on the action off the bench with ten points.
They’ll take on an Oregon Ducks (5-1) squad who has shown thus far in this tournament that they’re a work in progress. After losing to UConn in round one, they had to fight off DePaul just to survive.
The Blue Demons were poised for an upset until Payton Pritchard took over. He made some huge deep balls and was the best player on the court in a 29 point, six rebound, and eights assist masterful performance. Elijah Brown was solid as well, finishing with 19 points and seven boards. As a team, the Ducks shot 15/39 from three-point range, showing the kind of offense they’ll be with a lack of true post players.
It’s going to be great to watch Pritchard and Young play against each other, as both are the catalysts to their teams. The Big 12 has had a solid feast week while the PAC-12 has arguably had the worst showing of all the major conferences. Between the teams, Oregon has the most to play for after what’s happened to their league peers.
Next: UNC vs. Michigan State by position
This should be a high-scoring affair between two teams that are very similar in styles and players. It could very well come down to which point guard plays better, and it’s hard to bet against Young right now.
Prediction: Oklahoma 86 – Oregon 81