San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - After being given a disappointing 12-seed by
the NCAA Tournament selection committee, the Oregon Ducks will look to upset
the fifth-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys in Midwest Regional second round
action of the NCAA Tournament at HP Pavilion.
Dana Altman's Ducks had a very impressive season that included wins over
Vanderbilt, UNLV, Arizona, UCLA, Washington and a Pac-12 Tournament title.
Still, Oregon was announced as a 12th-seed despite its 26-8 overall record.
This will be the first appearance in the Big Dance for the school since 2008
when it was bounced in the first round by Mississippi State. However, it did
make a run to the regional final in its previous trip in 2007.
Sean Sutton's Cowboys are going to be a tough out for Oregon as they have one
of the top backcourts in the nation. Freshman guard Marcus Smart has been
sensational in his inaugural collegiate campaign with 15.4 points, 4.2 assists
and 2.9 steals per tilt. Smart was able to net 18 points and grab six rebounds
in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament, but the team still fell, 68-57, to
Kansas State. OSU finished just one game behind Kansas and KSU in the Big 12
standings.
Oklahoma State and Oregon have met just one time on the hardwood. That meeting
took place on Dec. 28, 1987, in the Far West Classic in Portland in a game the
Ducks won by a 68-55 score.
Whichever team survives this matchup will face the winner of the Saint
Louis/New Mexico State matchup.
Oregon poured in 47.5 percent of its field-goal tries including 7-of-14 from
beyond the arc in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship to coast past UCLA. The
Ducks assisted on 13 of their made field goals and held a 35-27 edge in the
rebounding battle. It was yet another showing that illustrates how balanced
the Ducks are on offense as they have six different players averaging at least
nine points per game. E.J. Singler (11.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg), brother of former Duke
star Kyle Singler, stands as the leading scorer and has been in double figures
in three of his last four games. Carlos Emory tallied 20 points in the Pac-12
title game and Damyean Dotson provided 13 points. Arsalan Kazemi (9.3 ppg, 9.5
rpg) is one of the best rebounders in the conference and has shown a natural
knack for playmaking on both ends of the court. As a team the Ducks are the
leading squad on the glass in the Pac-12 (37.4 rpg), while scoring a healthy
71.7 points per game.
OSU has been stellar on both ends of the floor this season, scoring 72.4 ppg
while surrendering just 62.8 ppg to opponents. While Brown leads the team in
scoring with 15.3 ppg, Michael Cobbins and Philip Jurick act as defensive
anchors as well as strong rebounders in the post. Le'Bryan Nash (14.1 ppg) and
Phil Forte (10.4 ppg) are also consistent scorers. As a team, the Cowboys
convert 75.0 percent of their attempts at the free-throw line.
The Sports Network