Virginia vs. Oregon: 2019 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule
Oregon is the lowest seed remaining in the NCAA Tournament. Can they pull off a huge shocker and beat No. 1 Virginia?
TV schedule: Thursday, March 28, 9:59 pm ET. (approx) TBS
Arena: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky
In a tournament full of chalk, Oregon (25-12) has been the one true surprise of the Sweet Sixteen. From having to win the Pac-12 Tournament to even get into the NCAA Tournament to beating both Wisconsin and UC Irvine by nearly 20 points each, the Ducks have become a real threat to become a giant killer.
The re-emergence of point guard Payton Pritchard has been the key, coming off a 19-point performance against the Anteaters. Others have contributed, including Ehab Amin, Louis King, and forward Kenny Wooten, who has 11 blocks in the first two rounds of the tournament. On the season, Oregon is top-15 nationally in scoring defense and has found their scoring touch at the right time.
But the Ducks defense isn’t as good as their next opponent Virginia (31-3), No. 1 in the country in points allowed at 55 a game. It’s been as good as advertised, giving up 107 combined in the wins over Gardner-Webb and Oklahoma. The Cavaliers were able to withstand Kyle Guy going 0-10 from three-point range in the win over the Sooners thanks to Mamadi Diakite having a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds. Reserve wing Braxton Key played well off the bench, making all four of his shot attempts (nine points) and nine boards.
In this game, Oregon will have to find a way to score efficiently. Pritchard having a good performance is a must but guards Emin, Will Richardson, Victor Bailey also need to play well to negate Guy and Ty Jerome for the Cavaliers.
Ranking the Sweet 16 teams. dark. Next
Compared to the other possible opponents in the Sweet 16 (Kansas State, Wisconsin and UC Irvine) the Ducks are the toughest matchup for Virginia so the seed isn’t a big deal. And they’re riding a high wave of momentum. However, Virginia is a different kind of beast than any Pac-12 opponent. The “Cinderella” run for Oregon should end after a solid March for the program.