USC Basketball: 2019-20 keys to beating Oregon Ducks on the road

Get Onyeka Okongwu the ball

USC may have survived a bout with UCLA despite a nearly non-existent effort from their star freshman, who had the same number of fouls (four) as points, but it won’t work against Oregon.

Okongwu is USC’s ticket to victory, and you can bet Oregon will do all they can to get him in foul trouble and out of the way.

If Okongwu is able to avoid silly fouls (not jumping on ball fakes, not going over the back or leaning forward for a blocked shot) he should be able to have a big impact on both the offensive and defensive side of the court.

Okongwu is averaging 16.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, with most scouts projecting him as a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Oregon is an extremely guard-heavy team and has proven themselves susceptible to big performances from opposing big men (Filip Petrusev had 22 and 15 against the Ducks for Gonzaga in the Bahamas, and Armando Bacot had 23 and 12 for North Carolina the next day).

Of course, neither of those games had freshman N’Faly Dante in the mix. His size (six-foot-eleven) and athleticism make him a trickier matchup for opposing big men, even though his numbers haven’t really backed it up yet.

Okongwu shouldn’t have too much trouble scoring and rebounding against the Ducks, so long as he can stay out of foul trouble. Factor in Nick Rakocevic and his size and skillset, and USC could pull off a win if they dominate in the paint and on the glass.

However, it will take more than that.