Oregon Basketball: 3 keys to beat Virginia in the Sweet 16

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: Ehab Amin #4 of the Oregon Ducks starts a fast break ahead of teammates Payton Pritchard #3 and Louis King #2 against the Washington Huskies during the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Huskies 68-48. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 16: Kenny Wooten #14 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates on the court after a Washington Huskies turnover during the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Huskies 68-48. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Oregon basketball will face its toughest test of the tournament when it faced No. 1 seed Virginia. What do the Ducks need to do to upset the Cavaliers?

No. 12 seed Oregon has made it to the Sweet 16 after upsetting Wisconsin in the first round and running past UC Irvine in the second. Even though the Ducks are enjoying a 10-game win streak, skeptics persist in doubting how high Oregon’s tournament ceiling is. They downplayed Oregon’s Pac-12 title by citing how weak the Pac-12 is. They downplayed its victory against Wisconsin by pointing out Wisconsin’s offensive issues, which helped Oregon to thrive in transition. The fact that Oregon beat a Big West team, UC Irvine, hasn’t convinced the skeptics, either.

If Oregon were to beat Virginia, the skeptics would lose more ammo. Year in and year out, Virginia boasts one of the nation’s top defenses in terms of efficiency and opposing points scored. This year’s Virginia can also score. It ranks second nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Cavaliers are a complete team, which is why they were regular season champions in the ACC and the South Region’s No. 1 seed.

The Ducks do have some experience playing against strong defenses. Besides Wisconsin and its fourth-most efficient defense, they faced Washington, which ranks 18th nationally in defensive efficiency. Oregon did benefit, though, from seeing Washington three times. Also, Washington ranks 116 spots behind Virginia in offensive efficiency. In those three games, Oregon improved, first losing 61-56 at home albeit with a controversial finish, then winning 55-47 in Washington, and lastly winning 68-48 in the Pac-12 title game.

Oregon will have to deal offensively with Virginia’s pack-line defense for the first time and defensively with a stronger and more well-rounded offense that has elite inside scorers like NBA prospect De’Andre Hunter and elite shooters like Kyle Guy.

Here are Oregon’s three keys to pulling off the upset.

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