Oregon vs. Virginia: Key storylines for 2019 Sweet Sixteen matchup

Who controls the pace?

Look, this isn’t a case of North Carolina and Virginia, where you have two teams playing a completely opposite season style of play. UVa plays at a controlled pace on offense and gets back on defense, rarely allowing opponents easy fast-break conversions.

Oregon, too, tries to control the pace. Of course, the Ducks play at a faster pace than the Cavaliers. Teams who usually play UVa try to speed up the pace. If Virginia can keep opponents at its pace, it lessens the total amount of possessions you receive, therefore creating fewer scoring opportunities. No doubt, Oregon head coach Dana Altman will want to speed Virginia up some.

People who accuse Virginia of just holding the ball on offense, obviously haven’t watched the Hoos play. Virginia runs plenty of ball screens and motion sets to create opportunities for its top shooters. And the Cavaliers rarely turn the ball over, too. One of the reasons Bennett added diminutive freshman Kihei Clark into the starting lineup is it gives his team another adept ball-handler.

The Ducks block shots and create steals, which leads to easy scoring opportunities on the other end. That is more difficult, but can be accomplished. If Oregon can get the Wahoos into double-digit turnovers, which has happened on a few occasions this season, it will lead to easy points. If that doesn’t happen, though, the Ducks will be playing right into Virginia’s hands.