Oregon Basketball: 2019-20 keys to beat Gonzaga in Battle 4 Atlantis

3. Find the Hot Hand and Keep the Ball Moving

This season Oregon has been led by Payton Pritchard and Anthony Mathis. However, on Wednesday night it was Shakur Juiston, C.J. Walker and Chris Duarte who stepped up combining for 35 points while Mathis went for only six.

What this means is that any single player can get hot at any moment and this is especially true for Oregon. Typically it is Pritchard who finds himself leading in the points category and that was no different Wednesday, but his support around him has helped tremendously.

Having four other guys in Mathis, Walker, Juiston, and Duarte who can go for upwards of 10 points almost whenever, in addition to Pritchard who averages nearly 20 points per game, is a good sign for what’s to come later on in the season.

By finding the hot hand and not just running the offense through one player, the Ducks will effectively keep Gonzaga on their toes, potentially accomplishing goal number one: force the Zags into foul trouble.

Oregon NEEDS to keep the ball moving around and giving the hot hand chances to score while also incorporating other guys who can get hot at any second will allow Oregon to score time and time again.

Oregon averages over 16 assists per game and in order to beat a team like Gonzaga they will need to get somewhat close to that 16 assist mark. Southern Miss had only 12 assists Wednesday night and once again, because of this they went onto lose by 25.

The mere 10 assists that Oregon had against Seton Hall likely won’t cut it against a team known for frustrating offenses.

However, if Oregon does manage to keep the turnovers down and the assists up, there is a very good chance they leave 7-0 with three top-15 wins and likely a matchup with the North Carolina Tar Heels.