Ducks vs. Cowboys NCAA Tourney Spread/Handicapping
The No. 12 Oregon Ducks and the No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys both received a bit of bad news on Selection Sunday. Oregon was hoping for a seed higher than 12, while the Cowboys were hoping for an opponent more resembling a lower seed. Oregon’s placement is unfortunate for both teams, but it will create for one of the more exciting Round 2 matchups in the tournament.
No.12 Oregon Ducks (26-8, 12-6 Pac-12) vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys (24-8, 13-5)
Thursday, March 21, 2013
San Jose, CA
4:40 PM ET
Spread: Oklahoma State -3.5 at DSI
Total Play: Expect OVER 140
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Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks were a streaky team throughout the 2012-13 season. They began the year 18-2, taking down three of four ranked opponents along the way. Then they went on to lose three straight to unranked teams, lost two more to close out the regular season and then won the Pac-12 Tournament.
The Ducks don’t have one go-to scorer on most given nights, but they do have good balance. Their top 5 scorers are all averaging between 8.5 and 11.6 points, and it’s their effort on the defensive end that will win or lose them this game.
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They’re a physical group that plays tough on the block, and if they can force the Cowboys into jump shots, it will give them an advantage.
Oregon should win the battle on the boards, which means forcing a bad three-point shooting team like OSU into uncomfortable situations will be key. [ad-6571516]
Oklahoma State Cowboys
If Oregon can successfully force the Oklahoma State Cowboys into jumpers, it’s going to come down to whether or not they crash the boards. OSU is just the 240th-ranked team in the country when it comes to deep-range shooting, meaning they can’t be relied on to hit those shots.
The player to watch for the Cowboys is Marcus Smart. The freshman guard leads the team in points, assists and steals, and is also the third-leading rebounder on the roster. How he reacts to playing in his first big-time game is going to be important to watch.
Oregon’s guards have more experience, but this is the Ducks’ first tournament game since 2008 and they’re searching for their first tournament win since 2007. At the point guard position, Smart will be taking on Dominic Artis.
The key for Artis will be to limit his turnovers and keep Smart honest defensively because Smart is the better player at this point in their careers.
The Ducks will challenge OSU in this one, but the Cowboys simply have too much talent. This won’t be a classic 12-over-5 upset, but it should be wildly entertaining for fans of competitive basketball.
Score Prediction: Oregon 71 – Oklahoma State 73
