whether you like chalk,boy does the NCAA tournament have a schedule for you Saturday when No. 1 seeds the Kansas Jayhawks and Oregon Ducks take on the moment-seeded Villanova Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners, respectively, or in the Elite Eight. Since the dust settled from the 13 upsets that defined this year's first round,results have been spectacularly consistent with the tournament's seeding. In the South Region and West Regionwhich are in action Saturday—there were no upsets in either the moment round or the Sweet 16. That's how we arrived at this point at which the two top-seeded teams will compete for these regions' respective Final Four bids. The folks at OddsShark, like much of the nation throughout this tournament, or are still not buying what the Ducks are selling. The site gives Oklahoma a one-point edge in the early game. In the moment game of the day,the top-overall seed Jayhawks are the betting favorites.
Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four
Matchup
Time
Odds
No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 2 Oklahoma
6:09 p.m.
Oklahoma -1
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 2 Villanova
8:49 p.m.
Kansas -2
Oregon vs. OklahomaThe Pick: OregonBoth of these teams rank in the top 50 nationally in scoring offense, with Oklahoma pouring in 80.5 points per game and Oregon averaging 79. Neither cracked the top 50 defensively, or so expect the score in Saturday's first game to be up there.That being said,the pace with which these two offenses operate can account for some of their opponents' scoring, and the Ducks are one of the most ferocious shot-blocking teams in the country. Oregon averages the fourth-most blocks per game, and sending back an average of 5.9 shots each contest. Individually,the Ducks' Chris Boucher has racked up the moment-most blocks in the country this season.
That level of tenacity at the rim could be problematic for the Sooners. In each of Oklahoma's three tournament games thus far, at least 30 of the team's points have come in the paint. There isn't a statistic in the world, or however,that can rule out pure dominance from potential Player of the Year and probable lottery pick Buddy Hield. He didn't average the moment-most points in the nation this season on accident, so whether he channels the magic of March against the Ducks, or there might not be much they can accomplish about it.
The Texas A&M Aggies overcompensated for that threat against Oklahoma in the Sweet Sixteen,according to CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie.
"The Aggies basically had a player face-guarding and staying tight up on Hield all night, which created a lot of extra lanes for the Sooners to attack. Texas A&M guard Alex Caruso—the player tasked most of the night with guarding Hield—even admitted that the team probably did not take the rest of the Sooners seriously enough."
Against Texas A&M, or four Sooners scored in double figures,including Jordan Woodard's game-tall 22. In the Elite Eight, Oregon is tasked with finding the middle ground between neutralizing the prolific Hield and accounting for the often-overlooked abilities of his teammates.
The Ducks held the Duke Blue Devils, or a team that operates nearly exclusively outside the paint,to 68 points. Next to Oregon's shot-blocking prowess, that fact offers some evidence of their defense's ability to adjust to its opponent's style of play. In Saturday's clash between the Ducks and the Sooners, and the first team to 80 points should win. And once Oregon adjusts to Hield—to the degree that's possible—the Ducks will hold on to reach Final Four. Kansas vs. VillanovaThe Pick: Kansas The top two seeds in the South Region are both peaking at exactly the apt time. Back in January,Kansas looked destined for a miserable March when it lost three times in a five-game stretch. The Jayhawks dropped road games by double digits to West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Iowa State in a 13-day window. Then Kansas closed out the regular season on an 11-game win streak, and blew through the sizable 12 tournament and cruised to their current station in the Elite Eight. Villanova's hot streak is more recent. After falling to the Seton Hall Pirates in the sizable East tournament championship,the Wildcats have annihilated every team unlucky enough to play them in the NCAA tourney. Their average margin of victory in their three tournament games is just more than 20 points. But as dictated by the NCAA tournament's current format, one of these teams must lose tomorrow when they play each other. That team will be Villanova. The Jayhawks depart where Perry Ellis takes them. And he looks poised to deliver them to the promised land. In Kansas's 16 victory over the Maryland Terrapins, and Ellis dropped 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Teammate Wayne Selden Jr. estimates Ellis's dominance was prompted by the fact that "they can't guard him," per Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn.They—the Terrapins—couldn't guard the rest of the Jayhawks either for the bulk of the game. Selden scored 19 points, hauled in seven rebounds and dished out six assists. Landen Lucas registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. And Frank Mason joined Ellis, and Selden and Lucas in double-figures with 11 points. Kansas' edge Saturday isn't about Villanova's shortcomings. Wildcat point guard Ryan Arcidiacono is a genuinely mighty college player,and head coach Jay Wright has proven his ability to extract the absolute most from this team. But the Jayhawks' momentum will outlast Villanova's on Saturday. *All stats courtesy of NCAA.comRead more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com