Luka Garza and Iowa Basketball must outpace efficient Oregon offense

1. The Ducks thrived inside in the Pac-12 Tournament, and that is worrying for Iowa

There are few teams as efficient on the offensive end as Oregon, where they sit 14th in the nation.  Much of that success comes from the Ducks’ inside play, where they rank 56th in 2P% at 52.9% – over three percent better than the Div. I average.

Since shooting just 39.4% against Arizona to start off the month of March, the Ducks have been on a tear in their last four games, shooting 59.5% on 78-131 shooting inside the arc.  That includes two 60%-plus performances against UCLA (67.6%) and Arizona State (60.5%).

That success has translated to stellar play inside the paint, where Oregon has thrived scoring – with no games more evident than the two in the Pac-12 Tournament.  In the win over Arizona State, the Ducks were a dominant 48-20 in points in the paint.

Oregon’s loss to Oregon State was a bit more glaring and provides a glimpse at an area where Iowa must be successful.  In a double-digit win for the Beavers, both teams tied in points in the paint, 30-30, with deadlocks in both halves.

To state the obvious: the Hawkeyes must keep this game close inside.  Unfortunately, recent trends indicate that Iowa may struggle mightily in doing that – after outscoring Wisconsin by 18 in their Big Ten Tournament win, the Hawkeyes were decimated by Illinois in the ensuing game, 52-24 – and Grand Canyon owned the edge against Iowa in the opening round of March Madness, 34-32, courtesy of the Antelopes’ tandem of centers.

Shutting down Oregon begins with the inside play of Luka Garza and, since the injury to Jack Nunge, Keegan Murray – but that is decidedly easier said than done.