SLU vs. Oregon, NCAA Third Round Preview
The University News coverage of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is brought to you by Humphrey’s Restaurant and Tavern.
Saint Louis University vs. University of Oregon
For the second year in a row, the Billikens advance to the Round of 32 at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships after a convincing 64-44 victory over New Mexico State Thursday. The win was SLU’s 28th on the season – most in Billiken history – and puts the team one win away from their first ever Sweet Sixteen birth.
Saturday’s match will take place at 6:10 p.m. CT at HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif. The game will be broadcast on TBS, with the winner advancing to the Midwest Regional Semifinal next weekend in Indianapolis.
The Scoop on the Ducks:
Oregon (27-8) is the Pac-12 Champion this year after winning the conference tournament over a ranked UCLA team last week. The conference is 3-1 in tournament play so far this year, holding the second best conference record (behind only the Atlantic 10, which is 6-0).
The Ducks boast a balanced scoring attack, with three leading scorers all on the same page. Forward E.J. Singler, brother of former Duke player Kyle Singler, averages 11.5 points per game and tends to play 35-40 minutes each night. Forward Carlos Emory averages 11.0 points per game and logged 12 points and 9 rebounds Thursday against Oklahoma State. Guard Damyean Dotson also averages 11.0 per game, and exploded with a team-leading 17 points Thursday afternoon.
The Ducks are also strong on the boards, as they have outrebounded opponents by a large margin this year. 6-foot-7 senior Arsalan Kazemi averages nearly 10 rebounds per game, and pulled down 17 boards Thursday night. He supplies a tough matchup down low for any opponent.
Common opponents:
Washington – The Billikens fell to the Huskies 66-61 in Seattle on Nov. 28, dropping the team to 3-3 at the time. The squad is 25-3 since that game. The Ducks have faced Washington three times, and won all three matchups (81-76 in Eugene, 65-52 in Seattle, and an 80-77 overtime win in the Pac-12 Tournament).
How will SLU win
In the spirit of this year’s team, “Defend, Rebound” should really be the only two words written in this section. But what specifically that defense looks like, and what the actual rebounding strategy is, varies by opponent. Against Oregon, the defense will focus largely on contesting all shots. The Ducks have spot up shooters than can knock it down from seven feet or 27 feet, so the Billikens’ defense will need to have a hand in everyone’s face Saturday. The pace game is usually one SLU can win, and they’ll want to control the pace against Oregon as well. On the boards, SLU will need to force Kazemi out of the paint if possible to counteract his rebounding abilities. Rob Loe’s outside shooting and Dwayne Evans’ new found midrange jumper should help this cause. All in all, if SLU plays their usual style of game with regards to face, stingy defense, and paint presence, they should be the favorites in this matchup.
How will Oregon win
But there are a lot of things the Ducks can do to sway the pendulum in their favor. To start, this hot-shooting team waltzed through the Pac-12 Tournament by knocking down shots from everywhere. Seemingly everyone in a green jersey got hot that the same time, and a high shooting percentage could spell trouble for the Billikens. As we saw earlier this year when Rhode Island visited Chaifetz – hot shooting is even better than being good, and it is hard to beat any team that shoots 50% or better. A hot shot is Oregon’s best chance against SLU. Their other paths to victory include a dominant rebounding margin or a fast-paced game, and Coach Dana Altman is undoubtedly pounding those thoughts into his players’ heads.
Official SLU Watch Party
Saint Louis University will once again hold a free watch party for all students and fans, this time at the Billiken Club inside Salsaritas. The party is free for all fans and will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Opening tip is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. on TBS.
Statistical Matchup:
Points per game: SLU – 68.7 71.6 – ORE
Field goal pct: SLU – 44.8% 44.5% – ORE
3-pt pct: SLU – 34.7% 32.4% – ORE
Rebounds per game: SLU – 32.8 37.6 – ORE
Turnovers: SLU – 11.5 15.0– ORE
