Final Four: Oregon Ducks Embracing Underdog Role vs North Carolina
The Oregon Ducks have earned respect, but they have been the underdog throughout the NCAA Tournament and the role fits this team well.
When you are the underdog, you tend to step up your game, you fight a little harder, in some cases you want to win a little more. If nothing else, this Oregon Ducks team is gritty. They don’t give up the fight and they battle through everything. They fought off Rhode Island, battled past Michigan and took the wood to a top seeded Kansas team.
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North Carolina and Oregon enter on four game winning streaks respectively, but only one will move to the Championship. Dana Altman has led this team for seven seasons, and they have made the Elite Eight for the last two years straight. Add to that two seasons of not losing a game a Matthew Knight Arena and being the first Head Coach to take a team to the Final Four in his tenure.
The talent is there for the Oregon Ducks. From Tyler Dorsey to Dillon Brooks to now a postseason for the record books from Jordan Bell. Unlike what the Ducks have seen this season, the Tar Heels will play the ball more inside than out. If there is a game where Chris Boucher will be missed, it’s against North Carolina.
The Tar Heels average more points per game than Oregon and foul trouble will be key on both side of the ball. The player to watch for Oregon is Kavell Bigby-Williams. He had a slow start off the bench, but through the Pac-12 Tournament has shown he has the ability to be disruptive on the inside. Jordan Bell has been the key averaging 12 rebounds in each NCAA Tournament game to go along with a few double doubles and finding ways to get to the rim.
Next: Oregon Ducks Lacking National Respect
The Oregon Ducks and North Carolina Tar Heels tipoff in the Final Four Saturday at 5:49pm Pacific Time on CBS.