CBB: Oregon Ducks Win Turnover Battle And Beat Baylor

CBB: Oregon Ducks vs Baylor Bears
FINAL: Oregon Ducks Defend Against Baylor

Oregon Gameday Preview

I remember vividly last summer when I was covering the NCAA Track and Field Championships reading a tweet from CBS Sports announcing that Oregon and Baylor would play a home and home series. I suddenly got excited thinking football, but then saw it said “CBB”. The tweet lost some of its luster, but not too much. It is half a blink later(or so it seems) and here we are. The Baylor Bears face the Oregon Ducks in a very intriguing early season non-conference matchup at Matthew Knight Arena. Baylor comes in ranked in the top 25 complete with experience and big players that play big. Oregon comes in with a smaller setup, but a scrappy group of players who can compete with anyone.

So, what gives tonight? One key to watch is the rebound battle. Whoever wins there will likely win the game. Against Jackson State to begin the season on Friday, Oregon had 35 rebounds, 25 of them were defensive. Oregon also had four of five starters in double figures. In looking at the Box Score, Baylor blew out Stephen F Austin and not only had four of their five starters in double figures, but also key members of their bench as well.

Players to Watch:

• Oregon: Tyler Dorsey – the young talented Freshman debuted with 20 points on Friday night against Jackson State and will look to build on a solid performance whether he gets the starting nod or comes in from the bench on Monday night. Oregon will look to get the ball in his hands.
• Baylor: Rico Gathers is the leader of this team and led the Bears with 18 points against SAF. He had seven rebounds in the opener and is also hitting close to 90 percent from the line. Keep in mind that Baylor knocked out Stephen F Austin by 42 points and had 37 rebounds in the game. Gathers is a big time threat to take the game from the Oregon Ducks. His supporting cast is also solid with his teammates hitting 56 percent from beyond the arc.

Autzen Zoo will have Live Coverage on Twitter as well as a Live Summary during the game and a complete recap following the game Tipoff is set for just after 8:30pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.