The pacific northwest gets a nice matchup tonight on the PAC-12 network when BYU heads up to Oregon to take on the Ducks. Oregon is flying high at 10-0 and just brought back two key players from suspensions to further bolster its depth.
The Ducks played 13 different bodies in their win over UC Irvine and saw a whopping 10 of those players see 10 minutes or more in the game. Dominic Artis and Ben Carter came off the bench in that one and are expected to continue to do so for the immediate future.
While the added depth is important, it’s difficult to gage how a team will handle it in the short term. Working two new bodies into a lineup is going to cause serious changes in a variety of ways, and you never know how certain players handle that.
For BYU, this is an opportunity to get back on their feet following a blowout defeat at the hands of an improved Utah team just last Saturday. The Cougars have lost two of their last three, but each loss on their season has come against quality competition.
The strength of their schedule is superior to that of Oregon, and no one the Ducks have faced pose the same offensive efficiency numbers that BYU brings to the table. They have four players scoring in double figures led by Tyler Haws. Haws is a lethal shooter and combines with several other Cougars to enable them to rank inside the top 35 in three point percentage.
Oregon is not statistically bad in defending the triple, but that is in large part due to the teams they have played. In the Illinois game last Saturday they gave up open looks from deep with regularity, and that could cost them here.
BYU enjoys playing at the pace Oregon will look to go for here, and its incredibly important for Matt Carlino to provide a quality outing here. Carlino is the lead guard for the Cougars and has played a tremendous role in their ranking eighth nationally in turnover efficiency, a critical factor given Dana Altman’s desire to press.
This will be yet another tough road test for BYU, but they are already battle tested in that regard after having made trips to Massachusetts, Stanford and Utah already this year. While they did not necessarily perform at a great clip in bounce back opportunities a season ago following a loss, I think they are a good situational play here.
Oregon doesn’t have a ton of front court depth. While Carter helps in that regard, he, like Artis, are still figuring out how to play with their new teammates in game situations. That is a problem given that BYU is talented on the inside thanks to the presence of 6’11 Nate Austin and 6’9 Eric Mika. Kyle Collinsworth is a bit undersized, but overall I think their front court should matchup quite well.
BYU looks to play a lot of zone, which is important given that Oregon hasn’t seen a ton of it this year. I had this game at 7.5 and believe it will be tricky for Altman to make due on the fly given his new pieces. BYU is built to play a game like this and they, like Illinois, have a good chance to keep this game tight throughout.
BYU +9
