Oregon Basketball: Ducks upset Wisconsin to advance to Round of 32

Oregon Basketball became another 12 seed to pull off the Round of 64 upset. How were the Ducks able to beat Wisconsin?

In a previous article, my three keys for Oregon Basketball to beat Wisconsin were to limit Ethan Happ, to turn defense into offense, and to be dangerous from behind the arc. The Ducks did all three things very well and pulled away from Wisconsin in the second half to win 72-54.

Oregon’s interior defense handled Ethan Happ as if it were already familiar with him. Duck defenders knew when to double-team him and when not to. They followed the tactic of other teams like Michigan State who limited Happ by giving multiple quality defenders the opportunity to guard him and to give him a unique look. Happ only attempted 10 shots, his third-fewest amount since the end of January, because he did not have many good looks at the rim. He had three shots blocked.

Above all, Kenny Wooten asserted himself inside with his length and athleticism whether he was defending Happ or another Wisconsin player driving to the basket. Wooten got four blocks in this game, two against Happ. He was effective even when he timed his jump too early. With his vertical talent, he could hang in the air long enough to contest an opponent’s shot.

Happ had as many turnovers, five, as field goals made. Oregon defenders punished him when he put the ball on the ground. In particular, Happ has a tendency to dribble farther away from the basket than bigs normally do. Guards like Payton Pritchard can easily get lower than Happ and swipe the ball. Forwards like Paul White and Louis King have long arms and active hands, which helped to disrupt passing lanes and prevent Happ from accruing any assists.

The first half was classic Wisconsin basketball, a slugfest in the half-court. What helped open the game up for Oregon was its ability to turn defense into offense. The Ducks thrived in transition after defensive rebounds, blocks, and steals. They had 12 points off turnovers, twice as many as Wisconsin. They also had six fast-break points, six more than Wisconsin did. In particular, Pritchard is difficult to contain when he gets moving in open space. He can speed past defenders to the rim or split two defenders.

Another reason for Oregon outscoring Wisconsin 47-26 in the second half was its success from behind the arc. The Ducks were efficient, converting seven of 15 three-point opportunities. They were able to dribble penetrate and work for open three-point opportunities by going inside and out. Pritchard was more careful with his shot selection. Paul White got a couple of momentous three-pointers and Louis King went three-for-three from behind the arc. Wooten was one player who demanded Wisconsin defenders’ attention inside and afforded more opportunities for his teammates to get open behind the perimeter.

The Ducks make opposing offenses uncomfortable with the pressure that they apply. Their defenders are quick and they help each other to guard the paint. Wisconsin also shot poorly from behind the arc. Part of the problem was simply a cold shooting performance evident in many missed open threes and another part was Wisconsin’s lack of rhythm. The Badgers attempted 30 three-pointers. They made only six of them, although they were converting 35.9% of their three-pointers on the season.