Oregon handled Arizona on Saturday afternoon. Here’s what we learned.
It didn’t take long to figure out how the matchup between the Oregon Ducks and the Arizona Wildcats would go in Eugene on Saturday. The Ducks came out hot, knocking down 10 3-pointers in the first half en route to a 38-18 halftime lead. Things didn’t let up over the final 20 minutes as Oregon closed out the Wildcats, 85-58, behind 23 points from Tyler Dorsey.
The win extended the Ducks’ home winning streak to 40 games and pulled them even with Arizona atop the Pac-12 standings. It also helped shed some light on the two teams. Here’s a look at what we learned.
1. Oregon is as good as anybody when its offense is rolling
That seems like an obvious statement, but the Ducks entered Saturday’s contest with the No. 44-ranked offense in the country based on adjusted efficiency. While Oregon has been excellent all season at scoring inside the arc and on the offensive boards, it has struggled on occasion to protect the basketball and knock down outside shots.
That wasn’t a problem at all against Arizona as the Ducks shot 16-of-25 (64.0 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc, stroking 10 3s in the first 20 minutes of the game. Tyler Dorsey finished a perfect 6-for-6 from deep while Dillon Brooks hit four of his seven attempts. Both players came into the game shooting about 36 percent on 3s this season.
The reason performances like this are important, though, is because Oregon already has an impressive defense. When the offense is rolling as well, the Ducks look like a national title contender.
2. The Ducks smothered Arizona’s stars
Speaking of Oregon’s defense, it held the Wildcats to 0.91 points per possession in Saturday’s blowout by containing Arizona’s most potent offensive weapons. While freshman Rawle Alkins finished with 16 points, Kobi Simmons, Lauri Markkanen and Allonzo Trier combined to score just 18 points while shooting 6-for-23 from the field.
Markkanen’s performance, in particular, is surprising. The 7-footer came into the game as Arizona’s leading scorer, but struggled much of the game as the Ducks’ defensive versatility took away the space required for him to launch looks from behind the arc.
Oregon’s Jordan Bell deserves special mention here for grabbing six defensive rebounds and swatting three shots. The 6-foot-9 forward is one of the most versatile pieces of the Ducks’ defense and was one of many players who helped contain Markkanen.
3. This isn’t the real Arizona
There should be plenty of credit headed towards Oregon for its performance on Saturday, but it’s also worth noting that this wasn’t a normal performance from the Wildcats. Arizona entered the contest with the 13th best efficiency margin in the country, per KenPom, but floundered on both ends of the floor in Eugene.
Still, this is the same squad that had reeled off 15 straight victories, including road wins over California, UCLA and USC. It’s highly unlikely that the trio of Markkanen, Simmons and Trier will shoot this poorly from the field again. While the Wildcats may not have been deserving of their top five ranking, they’re still talented enough to make a run come March.