The Pac-12 Tournament starts today and Oregon is currently sitting comfortable as the No. 2 seed. The Ducks, who were predicted to finish eighth in the conference before the season began, are scheduled to play the winner of the Colorado, Oregon State game Thursday. With that said, Emerald basketball reporters Hayden Kim, Ryan Kostecka and Josh Schlicter offer their insights and predictions about Oregon’s postseason run.
Oregon is a No. 2 seed heading into the Pac-12 tournament and has a first round bye. How surprising is this considering they were projected to finish eighth by the media prior to starting the season?
Kim – I’m not completely surprised to see Oregon in position to make the NCAA Tournament. I am however, shocked to see them as a No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament and projected as high as a seven seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. In retrospect, there is little doubt in my mind that this is Dana Altman’s greatest performance as a coach since arriving to Oregon in 2010. Apparently the conference agreed with me with Altman winning Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
Kostecka — I’ll be honest and say I’m completely shocked. Realistically, Oregon had two players returning. Joseph Young was a “shoot-first” guard and Elgin Cook was raw. That combination does not lead to wins. Behind the transformations of those two players and improvement from a rag-tag group of underclassmen, the Ducks have excelled this season.
Schlichter – I’ve had to eat some crow after calling the Ducks out for their less-than-impressive start to the season. Outside of the Utah game, Oregon hasn’t really had an “ah-ha!” moment this season– the group has just consistently gotten better as the year has gone on. Give credit to Dana Altman. He knows a thing or two about putting a team together with spit and scotch tape.
What will it take for Oregon to win the conference tournament? Who/what will be their keys to success?
Kim – It’s simple: Joseph Young needs to be at his very best and the trio of Elgin Cook, Dwayne Benjamin and Dillon Brooks are going to have to play their supporting roles to a T. If the Ducks can manage to do so, there is no reason why they can’t take home the hardware. Even if they face off against Arizona, which is undoubtedly their biggest competition, the Ducks will have as good a chance as anyone to compete for this year’s conference title.
Kostecka — For how good the Ducks have been over the last month, it’s very hard to picture a scenario where they can challenge and defeat No. 1 Arizona. The Wildcats are playing at a different level compared to everyone else. Oregon can reach the championship game by having one other scorer step up to aid Young and Cook, but it’s a near impossible task to take out the Wildcats. I’ve been wrong before, though.
Schlichter – The three newcomers: Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell and Dwayne Benjamin. Joseph Young won’t have any problem getting his points, especially after getting a major confidence boost from the Pac-12 Player of the Year award announcement, so it will be up to Brooks and Benjamin to fill in on the scoreboard. Bell then must continue to make his presence felt in the paint.
Looking ahead: Can Oregon potentially make a run — like the past two seasons — in March, specifically the NCAA tournament pending their final seeding?
Kim – It all depends on their final seeding in the NCAA tournament. If Oregon enters as the eight or nine seed, there is little to no chance that it can upset a team like Kentucky in the Round-of-32. Having said that, I do believe they can exit the season with a first round win against a team like Dayton. Just don’t see the Ducks going much farther than that.
Kostecka — Seeding, momentum and health are everything. If the Ducks can emerge from the Pac-12 tournament healthy after playing Arizona very tough in the championship game, they have Sweet-16 potential written all over them. An early loss in the Pac-12 tournament with no third scorer stepping up could prove disastrous and get the Ducks eliminated in their first game of the NCAA tournament.
Schlichter – It’s very hard not to drink the Kool-Aid at this point; Oregon’s got everything on its side from momentum to postseason accolades, but the team just doesn’t have the talent to hang with top-tier teams, as we’ve seen this season when the Ducks faced Arizona. I’d pick the Ducks to advance to the Round-of-32, but that’s as far as they’ll get.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim
Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @JoshSchlichter
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