Oregon Basketball: 2019-20 keys to beating Seton Hall in Battle 4 Atlantis

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PORTLAND, OREGON – NOVEMBER 12: James Wiseman #32 of the Memphis Tigers and Anthony Mathis #32 of the Oregon Ducks battle for position during the second half of the game at Moda Center on November 12, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Oregon won the game 82-74. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

3) Get Anthony Mathis Open

One thing that needs to happen for the Ducks to score enough points to win is to free up their shooters, specifically Anthony Mathis. The Pirates are one of the best perimeter defenses, holding opponents to just 20.5% from deep, and will likely try to limit the production of the Ducks’ best shooter.

As was the case in their win against Memphis, Mathis will likely determine who wins this game. If he can continue to shoot at a high level, the Ducks should have the upper hand in the matchup. However, if he struggles to find good looks, it may be impossible for Oregon to find any type of scoring rhythm.

This means that the Ducks’ ball movement needs to be perfect, and Mathis should have plenty of screens set for him to get some space. He doesn’t need to score as much as Myles Powell, but he must at least make his mark on the game. If Mathis must handle the ball more than necessary, the Ducks should consider it a failure. His shots should come exclusively off well-timed passes.

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This will put a lot of pressure on Payton Pritchard, Shakur Juiston and Francis Okoro to establish dominance on the interior. If they can cause the defense to collapse on them, not only will Mathis get open looks, so will Will Richardson and Chris Duarte. It is crucial that this happens because the Pirates are going to score a ton of points, and Oregon doesn’t have the interior scoring alone to keep up.

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