The essentials:
What: Second round of 2013 Men’s Basketball NCAA Tournament, Midwest bracket
When: 1:40 p.m. tipoff.
Where: HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif. Televised on TNT
Who: (5) Oklahoma State Cowboys versus (12) Oregon Ducks
Why: After winning the Pac-12 conference tournament in Las Vegas, Oregon was seeded surprisingly low as a 12-seed for the tournament. The Ducks are making their first March Madness appearance since 2008. Oklahoma State fell in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament this past week. The Cowboys have a strong resume this year and return to the big dance for the first time since 2010.
The brief:
There are a lot of one-man bands in college basketball. Oregon has faced the likes of California’s Allen Crabbe, UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad and Arizona State’s Jahii Carson this season. The Ducks’ first round opponent isn’t just one man and a bunch of empty jerseys, but make no mistake, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are Marcus Smart’s team.
The physically sturdy point guard runs the show for OK State and his stardom in Stillwater has launched him to the top of NBA Draft boards after just one year in college. The Cowboys will live or die by Smart’s ability to score and distribute to his team’s wealth of scoring-guards. Marklel Brown and Le’Bryan Nash are other scoring threats for Oklahoma State averaging approximately 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Oregon couldn’t be more opposite of their first game foes, as the Ducks rely on collective scoring rather than one or two players. The Ducks have six players that that average from 8.5 to 11.6 points per game, but the top scorer, E.J. Singler is usually a solid measurement of how the Ducks fare in each contest.
In six of Oregon’s eight losses, Singler has failed to meet his scoring average of 11.6. In a fast-paced, guard-driven game, like this one is expected to be, ball control is a must. Oregon led the Pac-12 in turnovers per game this year but in the last three games, the Ducks have done a bit better, coming in at or below their typical turnover mark. A huge part of that will be how well the 6-foot-1 Artis and 5-foot-8 Loyd can keep the ball away from the longer reach of OK State’s primary guards, who average almost 6-foot-4 in height.
Matchups to watch:
**The point guards
While Marcus Smart and Oregon’s tandem of Johnathan Loyd and Dominic Artis may not play man on man defense against each other, their role in this game is of the utmost importance. Marcus Smart is a given to produce for his team, being the consistent core of his squad. The return of Dominic Artis was projected to be a boost for the Ducks but he has been almost a nonfactor as of late, averaging less than four points per game in the six games since being back. Johnathan Loyd came on strong in the Pac-12 Tournament, sinking key free throws and making a decisive steal against Washington to propel Oregon to an overtime win. He scored an above-average 10 points against Utah and in the championship he notched a career-high 19, in an MVP performance. If Artis can return to original form, the Ducks could get hot in this tourney, but without his contribution, one has to wonder how long Loyd can play hero.
**Arsalan Kazemi versus Oklahoma State’s rebounders
Both teams average almost identical rebounding marks, but this is where the Ducks may have the edge. Smart is the Cowboy’s second leading rebounder behind 6-foot-11 center Philip Jurick, but Smart plays the point and Jurick only plays 17 minutes per game. Between Tony Woods and Waverly Austin, both 6-foot-11, Oregon should have the height in the paint at all times. Overall, juxtaposed against each other, Oregon is smaller than the Cowboys on the perimeter but taller inside. So what is the tiebreaker? Kazemi. The prolific board-getter who cleans the glass to the tune of 9.5 rebounds a game with just a 6-foot-7 frame, will need to be in top form for the Ducks to win the battle of the boards. Oregon is 4-4 when their opponent snags more rebounds. Oregon has won the rebounding war in 26 games this season, coincidentally the amount of wins the Ducks have this year.