Oregon basketball: Can Ducks slow Luka Garza and Iowa in NCAA Tournament?
Oregon basketball faces an impossible task trying to keep Luka Garza under wraps when they take on Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
Luka Garza is one of the best players in the NCAA Tournament. Oregon basketball has the unenviable job of knocking him and Iowa out of the dance.
The Ducks and Hawkeyes will meet on Monday with a Sweet 16 place on the line. One big question hangs over Oregon: Is there a way to slow down Garza?
Garza is a two-time Sporting News National Player of the Year, the first since Michael Jordan to do it twice. He’s big, strong, efficient and plays with the veteran savvy.
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No one has had much of an answer for the 6-foot-11 center. This year he’s averaging 23.7 points per game while adding 8.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Oregon basketball is at a severe disadvantage facing Luka Garza
The trouble for Oregon is they have no one to match his stature. The regular starting lineup doesn’t get taller than leading scorer Eugene Omoruyi and leading rebounder Eric Williams Jr. at 6-foot-6. The height disparity will be huge.
If they play Garza straight up, they risk him dominating the game. If they double-team him, they risk passes to perimeter shooters.
A glimmer of hope exists for the Ducks. The Big Ten has fallen apart in the Big Dance, with Illinois, Ohio State, and Purdue falling to teams they had no business losing to. Iowa could be vulnerable as well.
The Hawkeyes may get huge scoring contributions from Garza, but they’re suspect on the defensive end. They rank No. 181 in defensive efficiency, and they allow opponents to shoot 41.5 percent from the field. Their opponent’s three-point shooting percentage of 34.5 percent ranks No. 221 in the nation.
Oregon’s shooting percentage of 47.2 is actually better than Iowa’s at 47.1 percent. The Ducks have exceptional output from beyond the arc, ranking 18th nationally at 37.9 percent.
The Ducks won 10 of their last 12 games and will be more rested than any other team in the tournament because of their canceled first-round game with VCU.
They may not be able to slow down Garza, but they may be able to outdo him. That’ll be the key to the upset.
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