Oregon vs. Oklahoma Prediction – Who’s Got Next


Oregon vs. Oklahoma prediction and preview. Who’s Got Next analyzes the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight matchup between the Ducks and Sooners.


How they got here

Oregon beat No. 16 Holy Cross 91-52 in the first round, beat No. 8 Saint Joseph’s 69-64 in second round, beat No. 4 Duke 82-68 in Sweet 16; Oklahoma beat No. 15 CSU Bakersfield 82-68 in first round, beat No. 10 VCU 85-81 in second round, beat No. 3 Texas A&M 77-63 in Sweet 16

Why Oregon will win

When the Ducks are flying, they’re a beautiful thing to watch. Oregon was a bit of a controversial choice to be the No. 1 seed in the West Region, but Dana Altman’s team has played like an elite team, and the players have shown a lot of poise. Oregon took care of the ball during its Sweet 16 win over Duke, and the Ducks’ ability to control the Blue Devils in the paint on the defensive end was critical to their win. Forwards Elgin Cook and Dillion Brooks were aggressive and dominant in the paint, and that allowed Oregon to spread the floor and give everyone more room to operate. Altman hasn’t been forced to send his guards to the glass when shots go up, which means his team also is in better defensive position on missed shots to shut down the transition game before it gets started. Brooks is also an excellent passer who is great at finding the open man when double teams come. Boucher can score in bunches, and his strength allows him to finish at the rim. The guard duo of Tyler Dorsey and Casey Benson are both quick and play physical defense on the perimeter. The can score at will, which will put a lot of pressure on OU’s guards to keep them out of the lane.

Why Oklahoma will win

Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield is the guy who gets all the pub with the Sooners, and rightfully so. When you average 25 points a night, you’re bound to get plenty of attention. He’s strong, he can knock down the open jumper and few people finish at the rim better than Buddy. When the clock is winding down, Hield is the guy who will find the ball in his hands, and more often than not, he knocks the shot down. But the Sooners wouldn’t be where they are if Hield was OU’s only weapon. Junior guard Jordan Woodard, for instance, was dominant vs. Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, scoring 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and knocking down 5-of-6 shot from 3-point range. He doesn’t always shoot with that same kind of efficiency, but when he is making in impact, the Sooners are tough to stop. Forward Ryan Spangler and guard Isaiah Cousins both need to be aggressive to give OU balance, and Spangler, in particular, has to hit the boards hard and be a hub for the offense in the lane. Oklahoma is a jump-shooting team, and the Sooners can be beat if they have an off night from the perimeter. If Oklahoma isn’t making shots, the Sooners need to be patient and keep working to find a shot near the rim.

Oregon vs. Oklahoma Prediction

Hield is going to have a big day, but Oregon just has too much strength inside and too much quickness on the perimeter for the Sooners to handle. The Ducks’ bigs are better than Oklahoma’s bigs, and although OU will have an advantage with Hield in the backcourt, Oregon will get enough from their guards to head to the Elite Eight.

Oregon vs. Oklahoma Final Score Prediction: Oregon 83, Oklahoma 76

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