The Oregon Ducks take on the VCU Rams in a Round of 64 matchup for the NCAA Tournament. Which team will move on and advance?
TV schedule: Saturday, March 20, 9:57 pm ET (approx) TNT
Arena: Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana
Odds via Odds Shark: Oregon (-6)
The Oregon Ducks who finished the regular season 20-6 and 14-4 in conference play earned a 7 seed and they will face off against VCU in a 7-10 matchup. Oregon was playing really good basketball before they lost to Oregon State in the PAC 12 Tournament including the Oregon State loss the Ducks are 11-2 in the last 13 games.
It took Oregon a while to get into a rhythm, they missed Will Richardson due to a left thumb injury for about half the season. Big man N’Faly Dante tore his ACL in December and has been out the rest of the year. Oregon also had to deal with Covid two pauses and due to the weird offseason didn’t get the normal time to accumulate all their transfers.
The Ducks are led by Chris Duarte who was one of the best players in the PAC-12. The first team all-leaguer and all-defensive team member averaged. He’s a tremendous shooter as well shooting a 52.4/80.3/43.0 line to go with 16.7 points per game. Eugene Omoruyi who originally started his career at Rutgers made the first team all Pac-12 this season.
As an undersized big, Omoruyi is tough, physical, and shot the ball well from deep this year at 38 percent. Another impact player for the Ducks is LJ Figueroa, a transfer from St Johns. Figueroa contributes 12.3 points and is tied for the leading rebounder on the team with 6.1. He’s quick, aggressive, is a good driver, and can knock the three-ball down at 38.3 percent. Oregon is an under-seated team, they are a well-coached, athletic group that’s pretty good at shooting behind the arc.
The VCU Rams come into the game with a 19-7 record and a 9-4 record in conference play. This Rams team is known for their defense. They are 11th in Kenpom’s defensive efficacy in the country. This VCU team aggressive they are in the top third in the country in defensive FTA/FGA meaning they foul a good amount.
The Rams are also in the top 10 in defensive turnover percentage. They are led by NBA draft prospect Bones Hyland who was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year he averages 19.5 points per game on a 44.7/86.2/37.1 shooting. Vince Williams Jr, their leading rebounder at 5.2 was named third-team all-league, and Hason Ward the all-defensive team member is a great rim protector who averages 2.4 blocks per game.
This will be an interesting game, VCU is a very good defensive team that struggles on the offensive with the 117th adjusted offense in the country. A big key for Oregon is to take care of the ball and make VCU beat them in the half-court. Regardless, I think Oregon pulls out the win