Three Keys to a Rhode Island Upset Over Oregon in the Second Round
As a fan of the Oregon Ducks basketball team, I have watched the program continue to grow and improve under Dana Altman. Consequently, I have good knowledge about the Ducks that the average college basketball fan may not and I know that I can key in on a few areas that could point to an URI upset victory tonight.
1. I need to point out just how big of a hole is missing in the middle of the Oregon lineup without the services of Chris Boucher. On the offensive end, he would have been an offensive nightmare for Rhode Island. At 6'10 and 200-plus pounds, the Montreal native is able to score anywhere in the post and in the paint. Yet at the same time, Oregon's great forward is a more than capable three-point shooter. Defensively, Boucher (2.5 blocks/game) is a prime reason for why Oregon ranked at the top of the NCAA in blocks. With all of this said, the Rams need to attack the middle of Oregon's defense and drive into the lane as much as possible since Boucher is out. Rhode Island cannot be content with settling for jump shots and contested jumpers, whether they are wide-open or not.
2. Typically, Rhode Island likes to key in on a couple of star players on the other team and shut them down, in particular (i.e. Jack Gibbs and Peyton Aldridge, Marcus Foster and Justin Patton). Against Oregon, there is no such thing as an offensive liability when five players in white and green step on to the floor. Although there may be a temptation to give special attention to Oregon's stars, Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey, Rhode Island simply cannot commit any extra effort towards doing so. The rebounding from the Rams will need to be done as a team but whoever is defending Brooks or Dorsey will often be left on an island. Ultimately, in the man-to-man scheme, every defender will be single-handedly responsible for whoever they are guarding and extra help should rarely be given, besides defensive switches and rotations.
3. Rhode Island has but two "X-factor" ways of winning this game, which is to either turn Oregon over more than they usually turn the ball over or the Rams have to be highly effective and efficient from beyond the arc. In a game where the Rams are expected to play man-to-man defense, they must stick to man-to-man defense and somehow force numerous Oregon turnovers. If Coach Hurley ever tries to use a zone defense, Oregon will pick it apart with ease. Moreover, if the Rams pull out any type of press, the Ducks will thrive because they excel in transition. Offensively, the team from Kingston, RI shot just 19% from beyond the arc against Creighton in their first-round game. If they expect to try to upset Dana Altman's team, I advise them to shoot three-pointers like they did at the Atlantic 10 tournament or simply reduce the number of three-pointers that they take (if their long-range accuracy has a rough start again).
It will be an extremely tall task but this Rhode Island MBB team has all the potential in the world to turn the Ducks' world upside down. Here's a visual representation of what I am talking about:
