This is likely the game they most wanted and most dreaded in equal measure. The little engine that could is steaming down the tracks directly in the path of the big, bad locomotive that already did. The upstart Oregon Ducks are in the Elite Eight but are decidedly looking up at the defending National Champion Florida Gators, both figuratively and literally, on the eve of their Midwest regional final game in this year’s NCAA tournament.
The Gators have arguably two of the most versatile big men in the country, Al Horford and Joakim Noah. Horford, in particular, was devastating in Florida’s Sweet 16 match-up against Butler, scoring 16 points to go along with 4 blocks and 7 boards. Meanwhile, Horford’s front court teammate Noah averages over 12 points a game on better than 60% shooting and gathers in better than 8 boards a game as well as averaging 1.8 blocks a contest.
The rest of Billy Donovan’s starting five isn’t too shabby, either. Junior guard Taurean Green scored 17 against Butler, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. More importantly (and impressively), he didn’t a single turnover in 38 minutes on the floor. Green’s back court teammate, senior Lee Humphrey, is also a perimeter threat, hitting on 45% of his chances from beyond the arc for the year. Forward Corey Brewer rounds out the starting squad for the Gators and is tied for second on the team in scoring average, dropping in better than 13 points a game.
And all five players already have championship rings.
Meanwhile, Oregon advanced to the match-up with the defending champs by dispatching a tough UNLV team. Freshman guard Tajuan Porter continued to impress and torched the Rebs by scoring 33 points on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. And he wasn’t alone. As a team, the Ducks were 13-of-23 (56.5%) from long distance against UNLV.
In addition, Oregon had some success in the paint as well. Malik Hairston had 14 points and 11 boards, while unheralded Marty Leunen chipped in with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Although Oregon’s leading scorer, Aaron Brooks, was held to just 8 points on 2-of-8 shooting, he had only two turnovers in 37 minutes, and it was his senior leadership that held the team together as UNLV made a furious second half comeback.
So, now the Ducks bring their red-hot perimeter attack against Florida’s all-around fury. It will be the quickness of Brooks and Porter looking for space to launch 3’s versus the scary athleticism of Horford and Noah in the paint. It will also be (perhaps, in a more telling way) the varied scoring threats of Hairston, Leunen, and Bryce Taylor against the underrated but highly effective perimeter play of Green, Humphrey, and Brewer.
Still, the Gators’ experience, height, and athleticism are telling. The defending champs have remained the odds-on favorites to reclaim the crown for the balance of the tournament. So, in the most defining moment of their season, the Ducks will likely need to play a nearly flawless game to have a chance. However, as their 29-7 season records attests, they have enough talent to do that.
Oregon just needs to channel their inner Al Michaels. Do you believe in miracles? If so, that impossible dream may just come true.
Nooch is a lifelong sports fan who believes that Indianapolis ended up with a slightly better QB than San Diego in the 1998 NFL Draft, the Golden State Warriors may not make the NBA playoffs again in his lifetime (how was I supposed to know that Chris Mullin would make a coaching hire and a mid-season trade that would basically save the franchise?), and that Mike Ivie's pinch-hit, game winning grand slam for the Giants against the Dodgers in 1978 may have been the greatest moment in baseball history.
