NCAA Basketball: Oregon’s potential, Livers’ importance and more takeaways

2) Oregon looks like a team that can win a national championship

I’ve talked about how good I think this Oregon team is on several occasions this year, whether it be in a past Rauf Report or on the Busting Brackets Podcast (check it out), but their performance against Michigan solidified them as the team I think will win the national championship (yes, I jumped off that Florida bandwagon a while ago).

The Ducks were missing their starting frontcourt – senior forward Shakur Juiston remains out with a knee injury and five-star center N’Faly Dante just got eligible and has not made his debut yet – and still beat a top-five team on the road.

Dante’s presence will immediately bolster Oregon’s rebounding and rim protection, two areas where they are just average in now, and add another weapon to their offensive repertoire. If he compliments their backcourt the way he’s expected to, the Ducks will be unstoppable.

The depth of Oregon’s backcourt showed itself against the Wolverines. Chris Duarte and Anthony Mathis combined for 30 points and made seven three-pointers. Will Richardson added seven points off the bench, too, while Pritchard showed (again) that he can be the kind of senior leader and point guard that can carry them in close games. He scored 15 of Oregon’s last 17 points.

When Juiston and Dante enter the fold again, Oregon will have a reliable 10-man rotation in which every player has already proven they can contribute in a big way. They have shooting, multiple offensive weapons who can beat you, a shot-blocking big man, and one of the nation’s premier players in Pritchard.

Ohio State has been the best team in the country and deserves to be No. 1 on Monday, yet Oregon has the tools to be the best team when it matters.