There were many skeptics that thought the top-seeded Oregon Ducks and the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners would be eliminated from the Big Dance in earlier rounds, yet here the two underrrated programs are: one game away from a Final Four berth.
Head coaches Dana Altman of Oregon and Oklahoma’s Lon Kruger have a three-decade-long friendship as mentors in the collegiate level, and now they’ll put their March Madness legacies on the line against one another. Will Altman’s Ducks continue to prove their doubters wrong, or will Kruger’s Sooners catch fire from deep once again? Let’s take a closer look at this massive top-seeded showdown from the West Region below.
And for the other one-versus-two matchup over in the South Region, check out our preview for that sizzling bout in Kansas vs. Villanova right after this.
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March Madness No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 2 Oklahoma Preview
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim
When: Saturday, March 26, 6:09 PM ET
Line: Oregon Ducks vs. Oklahoma Sooners – view all March Madness lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Oregon Ducks
Lastly, and more importantly, this 10-game winning streak that the Ducks have going will need just another victory to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1939, which also happens to be the last time that the program made it that far at the Big Dance and eventually won the national title, all the more.
On Thursday night, Dillon Brooks led the way for the Ducks with his 22 points (four three-pointers). Big man Elgin Cook also pitched in with 16 points and nine rebounds of his own, as Oregon won the assists (22-12) and boards (38-31) battles against Duke.
The Ducks have shown great tenacity throughout the tournament by finding the right balance and gutsy plays from virtually their entire roster, and they are certainly capable of baffling another national title hopeful this Saturday in Oklahoma. Plus, they’ll have the Pac-12’s Orange County crowd well behind them at the Honda Center, and that could ultimately be the X-factor lacking from the Sooners’ own gameplan.
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Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners
Much like the Ducks, the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners are aiming to secure an ever-elusive Final Four berth. With the convincing 77-63 beating of the Texas A&M Aggies this Thursday, the Sooners are well on their way to the Final Four for the first time in 14 years.
One fact we know about this Oklahoma team is that its heart and soul is none other than senior phenom Buddy Hield. The phenomenal guard finished with a solid double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday night, which was hardly his usual self considering he scored 63 points combined in the two prior March Madness contests.
However, a rather off-night from Hield is actually a blessing in disguise for this team. The Sooners overcame the Aggies by having five players score in double figures, led by equally streaky guard Jordan Woodard’s 22 points (5-of-6 from the three-point line).
Woodard’s shooting prowess from deep that evening exemplified what the Sooners have been known for throughout this season: slay their opponents from deep. They are the second-best three-point shooting team in the nation for the season at 42.6 percent, and they made 11 of their 25 shots from beyond the arc on Thursday to oust Texas A&M from title contention.
For as long as Oklahoma can keep their sniper vision on-lock from downtown this Saturday, it seems as if the Ducks will be hunted right out of the Big Dance. Oregon allows nearly seven three’s per contest this season at a 35.7-percent clip to their opposition (237th in Division I).
Writer’s Prediction
The Sooners prevail against the Ducks in a shootout, 85-80.
