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Pac-12 Basketball: 5 biggest questions for rest of 2019-20 season

By Tristan Freeman

ANCHORAGE, AK - NOVEMBER 08: Elijah Hardy #10 of the Washington Huskies reacts in the first half against the Baylor Bears during the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Alaska Airlines Center on November 8, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
ANCHORAGE, AK - NOVEMBER 08: Elijah Hardy #10 of the Washington Huskies reacts in the first half against the Baylor Bears during the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Alaska Airlines Center on November 8, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 14: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 14: Head coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

5. What is Oregon’s biggest flaw as a national title contender?

Hope

Frontcourt availability is really the only weakness I have seen so far this season. With Shakur Juiston hurt, Francis Okoro’s lack of consistency and N’Faly Dante’s need to get back into game shape, the Ducks have not yet been at full strength. Give them a full roster, and I am not sure what their weakness would be, outside of free throw shooting.

Cravalho

Oregon’s biggest flaw is rim protection and a big man presence down low. N’Faly Dante has just joined the team and has looked good in limited minutes. The question is if we will see him continue it in conference play as well as postseason play and do it in longer spurts. If so, I don’t see any reason why this Oregon team can’t make it to the Final Four or beyond. The Ducks look like one of the deepest teams in college basketball.

Dieckhoff

The lack of a dominant big man. Francis Okoro and Shakur Juiston have been more than serviceable, but neither is a double-double machine. N’Faly Dante has potential coming out of his ears and very well could become that type of player, but he’s not quite there yet. Of course, being held out of the team’s first few games robbed Dante of valuable development time in his first year with the Ducks.

Verboven

This would have been an easy question to answer before N’Faly Dante was granted eligibility. Oregon appeared to struggle a bit inside, lacking size at both the 4 and the 5. Juiston and Okoro would battle in there, but at 6’7 and 6’9 respectively they were sometimes overmatched by high major competition. The entrance of Dante and the increase in minutes for bouncy 5-star C.J Walker has solved that issue.

Next. Latest Pac-12 power rankings. dark

The problem that can emerge is who will get the minutes. There are now 10 Ducks that are averaging over 12 minutes a game. With Juiston expected back from his leg injury within the next game or two it will be interesting to see how Dana Altman plugs people into the lineup. A 10 person lineup could cause some issues for players as they might not get the time that they think they deserve. It could also lead to some mix-match lineups with players that have yet to see the floor together. This could result in some mix-ups on offense and especially on defense where Altman runs a variety of matchup zones and presses that require a lot of reps and communication.

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