The No.8-seeded Saint Joseph’s Hawks get together with the No.1-seeded Oregon Ducks in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Spokane Arena. The game gets underway at 9:40 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 20 and can be seen on TBS.
The Ducks dismantled Holy Cross 91-52 in the First Round. Elgin Cook was a key piece, recording his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-76 win against Cincinnati in the First Round. DeAndre’ Bembry was the team’s top scorer, accounting for 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting.
This matchup pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Oregon currently ranks 21st in the nation in offensive efficiency and Saint Joseph’s is 14th in defensive efficiency. Also, the Hawks commit the fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 14.4%), while the gambling defense of the Ducks causes the fifth-most (opponents’ TO% of 20.6%).
The Ducks enter the game with records of 29-6 Straight Up (SU) and 19-12-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Ducks have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 7.0 three-pointers made per game.
Across the court, the Hawks have 28-7 SU and 23-11 ATS records. The Hawks are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 12th in Division I at 1.51. The Saint Joseph’s defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 8.0 field goals from three-point range per game.
Oregon and Saint Joseph’s will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Oregon, ATS Winner – Oregon
Notes
In its last game, Saint Joseph’s won by a margin of two points. Oregon is 1-1 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Saint Joseph’s has a 6-1 record in close games.
Ranked 10th, the Oregon Ducks have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 99.2 points per 100 possessions. The Saint Joseph’s Hawks rank 59th in offense, scoring 111.5 points in the same number of possessions.
The Saint Joseph’s Hawks average a field goal percentage of 45.5% this season. The Oregon Ducks have a solid 7-3 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 45.5% or greater.
The Oregon Ducks and the Saint Joseph’s Hawks both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Oregon is 58th and 39th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Saint Joseph’s ranks 122nd and 98th in these categories.
Saint Joseph’s ranks 70th in assists, recording 15.1 per game. Oregon performs worse at 145th with 13.7 assists per game.
The Oregon Ducks average 5.9 blocks per game, the fourth-ranked team in the country. The Saint Joseph’s Hawks rank a lowly 174th in blocking with just 3.4 per game.
Saint Joseph’s is one of the top defensive rebounding teams, ranking 23rd. Oregon ranks 99th in offensive rebounding.
Though Oregon is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 20.6% (ranked fifth), Saint Joseph’s is undefeated (1-0) when its TO% is 20.6% or greater.
