Dana Altman continues his unbeaten streak with the Ducks in the Round of 64. After Oregon defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks, Altman and the Ducks are now 8-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon now turns its attention to the next matchup, the Creighton Bluejays, so who should Altman have the Ducks focus on in round two?
Creighton has a powerful offense, scoring the 39th-most points per game on a national level.
However, the Bluejays’ scoring is led by just three key players, who I think the Ducks can handle. Here is who Oregon should set its sight on in the second round:
Baylor Scheierman - Guard
- 18.4 points per game
- 9.0 rebounds per game
- 4.0 assists per game
Baylor Scheierman is a big guard who can shoot out of his mind. Not only is he a cultural leader for the Bluejays, Scheierman also leads Creighton in points and rebounds per game.
Scheierman and fellow guard Trey Alexander average 36.6 minutes per game and it is reflected in their stat books. Scheierman averages 18.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.
The 6-foot-7 guard also contributes an average of 1 steal per game – Creighton averages just 4 steals per game as a team.
Trey Alexander - Guard
- 17.6 points per game
- 5.7 rebounds per game
- 4.8 assists per game
Scheierman’s counterpart Trey Alexander is another well-refined all-around player for the Bluejays. He leads the team in assists and steals per game, just a few percentage points ahead of Scheierman in the two categories.
With 17.6 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, Alexander is a beast on both ends of the court for Creighton.
Alexander and Scheierman make for a dynamic duo on the court that Oregon guards Jackson Shelstad, Jermaine Couisnard, and Jadrian Tracey need to collaborate on.
Ryan Kalkbrenner - Center
- 17.1 points per game
- 7.4 rebounds per game
- 1.3 assists per game
N’Faly Dante’s assignment for the Round of 32 matchup is Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Shockingly, 6-foot-11 Dante will not have the size advantage as the Bluejay clocks in at 7-foot-1 and 270 pounds. Kalkbrenner’s size alone makes him hard for opponents to shut down but he also leads the Bluejays in shooting percentage.
Kalkbrenner has shot 65 percent from the field so far this season, nearly as good as Dante’s 70.2 percent.
Hopefully, Couisnard and Dante can repeat the dominant performance they had against South Carolina, and the rest of the team can improve upon its production level.
As a team, Creighton earned the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region heading into the tournament. In the first round, the Bluejays demolished the Akron Zips in a 77-60 victory. Creighton is currently 24-9 and the Ducks sit at 24-11 overall.
Altman, who has been with Oregon since 2010, was Creighton’s head coach for 16 years before taking over the Ducks.