Oregon Looks to Advance Past UCLA in Pac-12 Quarterfinals
After getting a bye in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament, the No. 2 seed Oregon Ducks will face the No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins Thursday at 6 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks.
Oregon only played UCLA once this season as the Bruins had to forfeit the earlier matchup due to the team being stricken by injuries. In the only game against the Bruins this season, the Ducks almost blew a 20-point lead until they were able to pull away in the fourth quarter. If Oregon hopes to advance to the Semifinals, here are a couple of things to watch out for.
Matchup to Watch | Endyia Rogers vs. Charisma Osborne
Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest
This will be fun as the matchup between the two talented guards will be a good indicator for the outcome of this game.
Rogers, just named to her second all-conference team, will be an important cog for the Ducks on the perimeter. After transferring from USC, the junior is the second leading scorer for the Ducks (14.7 ppg) and third in assists (2.85 apg) for the season. Oregon has relied on different guards stepping up every game to win, so look for Rogers to be aggressive early on, as UCLA can get hot fast.
Osborne is the head of the snake for this UCLA team. Oregon will have to be on their toes with the Pac-12’s second-leading scorer (17 ppg). The junior was also named to the Pac-12 conference team for the second consecutive season. Osborne has scored 20+ in seven games this season and has only failed to reach double figures in one game.
After only scoring 14 points and shooting 4-14 (28.6%) from the field against USC on Wednesday, watch for Osborne to be looking to get in a rhythm early.
Stat to Watch | Three Point Shooting
Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest
The perimeter will be big for both teams as Oregon shoots 33.5% from three and UCLA is at a nearly identical 33.1% from beyond the arc. Both are middle in the pack when it comes to shooting the rock, but the real difference is how they defend the three-point line.
The Ducks allow opponents to shoot 30% from beyond the arc, which is tied with USC for the third-lowest in the conference. However, the Bruins allow the highest three-point shooting percentage at 37.1%.
Look for Sydney Parrish and Ahlise Hurst to have good open looks for the Ducks as the Bruins are sometimes late in rotations in halfcourt sets and can lose shooters in transition
If Oregon guards can knock down threes it will space the floor perfectly for Nyra Sabally and Sedona Prince to dominate in the paint.
Deciding Factor
Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest
Speaking of Sabally and Prince, look for those two to put the nail in the coffin on the Bruins. In the only game these two teams played, the paint was huge. 24 of UCLA’s 53 points came from second-chance opportunities. The game was a tale of two halves.
In the first half, Oregon was up 40-20 and had only allowed UCLA two offensive rebounds and four second-chance points. The second half was different, as the Bruins got within eight points. The reason why UCLA caught up was thanks to 14 offensive rebounds, which led to a staggering 20 second-chance points.
The Ducks will need Sabally and Prince to clean the glass to finish the defensive stands. If the Ducks can do that, they'll increase their chances to win this game.
Final Thoughts
Oregon will need to stick to the fundamentals in this game. In the only game between these two teams, we saw two different games played. One where the Ducks were dominant and the other where they looked lost.
If they want to be the team from the first half, they will need to rebound, communicate and listen to head coach Kelly Graves. That team should face either Washington State or Utah in the Semifinals on Friday.
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