The top-seeded Oregon Ducks are taking on the Duke Blue Devils tonight in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Tonight’s game is being played inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California where is has a start time of 10:07 p.m. and it will be televised nationally on TBS. The Vegas odds for the game have the Ducks favored to pick up what should be a close contest between these two squads.
Duke is the blue blood team that has been in this position before. Oregon is working itself into some new heights for the program this season, with a chance to get to the Elite 8 tonight.
The ACC has proven itself to be a powerful conference, outside of Duke there are five additional conference teams in the tournament still. The Pac 12 is a different story, where only Oregon remains. Outside of the Ducks only Utah picked up a win for the conference this tournament, they’re obviously out after getting whacked by Gonzaga last weekend.
Oregon didn’t play well against Saint Joseph’s last game, but the final five minutes saw them find a way to pick up a win. The Ducks are athletic, have size and multiple guys that can score. Duke will battle with depth issues here and the Blue Devil defense has not been good all season.
Duke ranks 109th in defensive efficiency ratings this year and is fourth-best offensively. That’s a big gap and one where Oregon does not find itself. The Ducks rank 11th offensively and 43rd in defense, giving them an overall edge on the defensive end.
Oregon should look to run the floor as much as possible tonight with Tyler Dorsey leading the way. If Duke gets into any kind of foul trouble they could have a disadvantage. Oregon has shown it can run and score, beating Holy Cross in the opening round, but also find a way to grind out a win against a team like Saint Joseph’s, where the game was played in the 60s.
Tonight’s game could see a ton of points scored and with how Duke has played defense this year, that gives an edge to Oregon.
Free Pick: Oregon
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