Predictions: No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks vs No. 11 Oregon Ducks
By 750 THE GAME STAFF
During the football season, our experts at 750 The Game like to predict the Oregon schools games. This time the staff is going to pick what they think will happen in the first round of the NCAA tournament in the matchup between South Carolina (26-7) and Oregon (23-11). According to betonline.ag the betting line is South Carolina -1 1/2.
No. 6 South Carolina (-1 1/2) vs No. 11 Oregon in Pittsburgh:
John Canzano:
Oregon won the Pac-12 championship with N’Faly Dante being almost perfect on the offensive end. Then defensively Oregon was just better than they had been at any juncture of the season. Case in point. They gave up 59 points to Arizona in the Semi-finals. Two weeks earlier they gave up 103 (points) to Arizona in a regular season game. Championship game against Colorado they gave up 68 points. 11 days earlier they gave up 79 to that same Colorado team. I think Oregon can beat South Carolina. I think it’s more of a coin toss. That’s a really good SEC team. But I would pick Oregon to win that game only because of N’Faly Dante. South Carolina has no answer.
Pick: Oregon +1 1/2
Spencer McLaughlin:
This is a good matchup for the Ducks. South Carolina is a good defensive team, but their offense can be inconsistent. If you play a defensive minded team that’s going to be a challenge for them. Oregon has won four straight games. How? They’ve held every one of those opponents to under 70 points. And Dana Altman teams when they play at their best this is what it looks like. The Ducks identity has always been defense and I think they’ve found their grove.
Pick: Oregon +1 1/2
Judah Newby:
March Madness can be absolutely magical. Can Oregon recreate their double-digit seed magic of 2019? I think the margins for error are much more slim for this year’s squad than that 2019 program led by Payton Pritchard and Kenny Wooten. But the way N’Faly Dante is playing, coupled with Dana Altman’s history in March, makes it nearly impossible to bet against Oregon. This should be a rock fight with the point total projected at 133. In a true survive and advance game, I will bet on what I’ve seen. And I’ve seen Oregon win this game before.
Regardless, Creighton beats either of these teams in round two.
Pick: Oregon + 1 1/2
Steven Vaughan:
This is a very even game. South Carolina has been great all season, but the Ducks are peaking at the right time. Jackson Shelstad is the key for me in this game. If he plays like he did in the Pac-12 tournament the Ducks can easily win this game. Oregon will need his outside shooting since N’Faly Dante isn’t a shooter. Dante has been excellent, but South Carolina has some big bodies to bang around with him. Starting center B.J. Mack is undersized at 6’8″ but he’s 270 pounds, and backup center Josh Gray is 7’0″ 285 pounds. Mack is a good shooter who will keep Dante honest on defense so he can’t just park underneath the hoop to defend the basket. I think this game is going to be close. But in the end I trust South Carolina’s resume and that they have some big bodies to throw at Dante. I think this is the final game for Oregon.
Pick: South Carolina -1 1/2
