Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Evaluating 2017 Final Four teams’ odds of a return trip

By Holden Walter-Warner

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 30: Joel Berry II
CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 30: Joel Berry II /
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GLENDALE, AZ – APRIL 01: Payton Pritchard
GLENDALE, AZ – APRIL 01: Payton Pritchard /

Oregon Ducks (11-5)

Oregon made their first Final Four since 1939 last season. Then, they watched four of their starters leave the program, three of whom were selected in the second round of the NBA Draft. Arguably their best player when healthy, Chris Boucher, went undrafted but still departed.

Head coach Dana Altman brought in potential stars in Elijah Brown and Troy Brown, but the team is constructed much differently than last year’s squad. There’s also a cloud of NCAA violations casting shadows from up above.

A 1-2 start to Pac-12 play hasn’t helped matters. Those losses came against Utah and Oregon State, with the latter expected to be one of the bottom-tier teams in the conference. Now, Oregon is facing those same expectations.

Sophomore point guard Payton Pritchard has proved that he is ready to be the next star of the program. He’s averaging a robust 15 points per game, shooting 42% from downtown.

But the scoring needs to be more consistent. The team is averaging just a touch above 65 points per game in Pac-12 play.

Things will look better in 2018 when top recruit Bol Bol comes to town. Until then, the focus will be on simply making it back to the NCAA Tournament, then going from there.

Prediction: NIT