Oregon Basketball: 3 bold predictions for Sweet 16 battle vs. USC

Mar 22, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Chris Duarte (5) celebrates his dunk against the Iowa Hawkeyes with forward Eugene Omoruyi (2) and guard Will Richardson (left) during the second half in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

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Oregon Ducks guard LJ Figueroa (12) reacts after dunking the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 22, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Sam Owens/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports /

2. Ducks stay hot from deep, making over 50 percent

If you watched the Round of 32 game against Iowa, you probably felt like the Ducks were shooting close to 100 percent from the floor. Oregon just couldn’t miss.

The Ducks finished the game 11-for-25 from deep and made 56 percent of their shots from the floor. They were on fire from start to finish and that injected some life into the lineup that should carry over into the remainder of the tournament. Usually when a team gets hot like this, it’s tough to slow them down.

USC has one of the best defenses in the country but the last time these two teams met, the Ducks shot over 40 percent from 3-point range and I see the same happening here.

Oregon has some momentum and USC has held Drake and Kansas under 60 points through the first two rounds so something’s got to give. I’m going with a huge offensive game from Oregon here, but will the defense be able to slow down the Trojans’ attack?

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