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Oregon Basketball: 3 bold predictions for second-round battle vs. Iowa

By Connor Muldowney

Oregon's Eugene Omoruyi, left, Amauri Hardy, LJ Figueroa and Chris Duarte pose for a photo after the last regular season home game against UCLA.Eug 030321 Uombb16
Oregon's Eugene Omoruyi, left, Amauri Hardy, LJ Figueroa and Chris Duarte pose for a photo after the last regular season home game against UCLA.Eug 030321 Uombb16 /
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Feb 20, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Chris Duarte (5) drives to the basket as Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) defends during the second half at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Chris Duarte (5) drives to the basket as Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) defends during the second half at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Chris Duarte scores 30

Only twice in Chris Duarte’s entire Oregon career has he scored 30-plus points and both occurrences happened in 2019-20.

But Duarte is an All-American this year and has been much more consistent. He’s broken 20 points on numerous occasions and he’s even had 25-plus points twice, but he hasn’t scored more than 27 points in a single game this season. That’s kind of surprising given how dominant he can be when he’s on his game.

In order to beat Iowa, Oregon will need Duarte to have his best game of the season. While that may seem like too much pressure to put on one guy’s shoulders, he will stand and deliver when the spotlight is the brightest.

Duarte seems to thrive under pressure and he’s one of the more clutch players in the Pac-12. He’s going to put the team on his back on Monday morning, scoring a season-high 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting. He’s going to take over the game and be the perfect answer to anything Iowa throws at the Ducks.

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