On Friday. No. 5 seed Wisconsin takes on No. 12 seed Oregon in South Region action in San Jose. The winner of this game will face the winner of the 4-13 matchup between Kansas State and UC-Irvine. Preview: After struggling immensely and missing the postseason last year, Wisconsin is back in business this season, led by All-American big man Ethan Happ. The Badgers have returned to the NCAA Tournament thanks to a 23-10 overall record and a 14-6 mark in the Big Ten. Wisconsin was eliminated by Michigan State in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Oregon entered this season with high expectations, but an injury to five-star Bol Bol put them on the ropes. However, there might be no team in the country hotter right now. The Ducks (23-12) have won eight straight, including four in a row in the Pac-12 Tournament to win the event and wrap up an automatic bid. W E ' R E B A C K ❗️ L E T ' S D A N C E ‼️ (5) Wisconsin vs. (12) Oregon Friday in San Jose, California#OnWisconsin // #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/yFRuGP8AGR — Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 17, 2019 The Ducks receive a 12th seed and will face fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Friday in San Jose. Let’s dance! #GoDucks — Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) March 17, 2019 Date: Friday, March 22 Time: Approx. 4:20 p.m. ET TV Channel: TBS Location: SAP Center, San Jose, Calif. Announcers: Spero Dedes/Len Elmore/Steve Smith//Ros Gold-Onwude Preview: Wisconsin and Oregon play contrasting styles and will be an interesting matchup. If the Ducks can control Happ, they can keep their hot streak going. We’ll take the Badgers to win and advance though, opting for their consistency to win out in the end.<doc-sep>EUGENE — An early look at Oregon’s matchup with the Wisconsin shows the teams play similar, slow-paced, methodical styles. Both teams rank in the bottom 30 nationally in adjusted tempo and top 20 in defensive efficiency, which explains why the over/under for the matchup between the No. 12 seed Ducks (23-12) and No. 5 seed Badgers (23-10) is 117, lowest of any first-round game in the NCAA Tournament. The strength of both teams is clearly on defense, where they both rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring, top 25 in field goal percentage defense and top 30 in three-point percentage defense. One clash of styles is going to be Oregon’s defensive pressure against Wisconsin’s ball security. The Badgers commits just 9.5 turnovers per game, sixth nationally, due in large part to their slow style. Yet while playing nearly as slow offensively, the Ducks average 7.8 steals per game (34th) compared to Wisconsin’s 5.1 (304th). Should Oregon’s press and defense end up leading to fouls it may not be much of an issue as Wisconsin is terrible at the free throw line. UW is shooting 64.9 percent from the foul line, 329th nationally. RELATED: How to buy tickets While both teams played Iowa and Stanford, the game with the Hawkeyes is virtually irrelevant because the Ducks still had Bol Bol at the time. But the Badgers beat the Cardinal 62-46 and the Ducks won 69-46, displaying exactly how similar the teams can be in their plan of attack. --- SCORING OFFENSE: Oregon: 70.5 (237th) Wisconsin: 69.1 (270th) FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Oregon: 45.0 (145th) Wisconsin: 45.3 (124th) 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE Oregon: 34.3 (186th) Wisconsin: 36.6 (70th) 3-POINT FIELD GOALS/GAME Oregon: 7.6 (188th) Wisconsin: 7.1 (234th) FREE THROW PERCENTAGE Oregon: 71.9 (131st) Wisconsin: 64.9 (329th) ADJUSTED OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY Oregon: 107.7 (108th) Wisconsin: 110.8 (52nd) SCORING DEFENSE Oregon: 62.9 (17th) Wisconsin: 61.4 (9th) FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE Oregon: 40.2 (22nd) Wisconsin: 39.3 (11th) 3-POINT FIELD GOAL DEFENSE Oregon: 29.4 (11th) Wisconsin: 31.2 (30th) ADJUSTED DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY Oregon: 92.6 (18th) Wisconsin: 87.1 (3rd) SCORING MARGIN Oregon: 7.5 (53rd) Wisconsin: 7.6 (52nd) ADJUSTED EFFICIENCY MARGIN Oregon: +15.15 (43rd) Wisconsin: +23.68 (12th) REBOUNDS PER GAME Oregon: 34.43 (227th) Wisconsin: 35.21 (189th) ASSISTS PER GAME Oregon: 13.3 (180th) Wisconsin: 12.8 (229th) TURNOVERS PER GAME Oregon: 11.8 (73rd) Wisconsin: 9.5 (6th) ASSIST TURNOVER RATIO Oregon: 1.13 (109th) Wisconsin: 1.34 (33rd) STEALS PER GAME Oregon: 7.8 (34th) Wisconsin: 5.1 (304th) BLOCKS PER GAME Oregon: 4.2 (65th) Wisconsin: 4.2 (67th) FOULS PER GAME Oregon: 17.8 (181st) Wisconsin: 15.1 (18th) ADJUSTED TEMPO<doc-sep>SAN JOSE, Calif. — No. 12 seed Oregon routed No. 5 seed Wisconsin 72-54 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Ducks (24-12) have won nine straight and advance to face UC Irvine (31-5) in the second round on Sunday while the season ends for the Badgers (23-11). Here’s a roundup of what was written nationally and in Madison, Wis. about Friday’s game:<doc-sep>The Wisconsin Badgers will face a familiar postseason opponent on Friday afternoon when they take on the Oregon Ducks in a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup inside the SAP Center in San Jose. Both teams placed in the South region of the bracket, No. 5 seed Wisconsin (23-10) comes off a regular season where it rebounded to finish fourth in the Big Ten Conference standings once again and will be dancing after missing out during a disappointing 2017-18 campaign. For red hot Oregon (23-12), Dana Altman’s team rides an eight-game winning streak into the Big Dance and captured the Pac-12 Tournament championship with a demonstrative win over regular season champion Washington. With their opponents listing four potential starters at 6’9 and a former recruiting target in guard Payton Pritchard, it should be quite the test for Greg Gard and the Badgers on Friday (approx. 3:30 p.m. CT, TBS). Check out B5Q’s game previews, updated stats, projected starters, and both our podcast and written Q&A with Addicted to Quack below. Oregon team stats Points per game: 70.5 Opponents’ points per game: 62.9 (No. 17 in the nation through games played on March 17) Field goal percentage: 45.0 Opponent field goal percentage: 40.2 Three-point percentage: 34.3 Opponent three-point percentage: 29.4 (No. 11 in the nation through games played on March 17) Free throw percentage: 71.9 Rebounds per game: 34.4 Rebound margin: +1.7 Turnovers per game: 11.9 Opponents turnovers per game: 13.9 Steals per game: 7.8 (No. 34 in the nation through games played on March 17) Blocks per game: 4.2 NCAA NET ranking: 51 Key KenPom.com stats (as of March 21) Team rank: 42 Adjusted offensive efficiency: 107.9 (107th in nation) Adjusted defensive efficiency: 92.7 (18th in nation) Effective field goal percentage (offense): 51.7 (127th in nation) Effective field goal percentage (defense): 46.8 (25th in nation) Turnover percentage (defense): 20.9 (50th in nation) Offensive rebound percentage (offense): 29.7 (123rd in nation) Block percentage (defense): 14.5 (12th in nation) Steal percentage (defense): 11.7 (20th in nation) Best wins: 80-65 victory over Syracuse (No. 35 KenPom) on Nov. 16; two wins over Washington (No. 53 KenPom) in regular season finale on Mar. 9 and Pac-12 Tournament championship on Mar. 16 Worst losses: 89-84 loss to Texas Southern (No. 209 in KenPom) on Nov. 26; two losses to UCLA (No. 107 in KenPom) on Jan. 10 and Feb. 23 Check out our podcast with Addicted to Quack’s Managing Editor Adam Chimeo from earlier this week! Be sure to follow Bucky’s 5th Podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher and pretty much everywhere where you listen to your favorite podcasts! Potential starters Freshman forward Louis King (28 games, 25 starts), 6’9, 230 pounds: 13.1 points per game; 5.7 rebounds per game; shooting 42.9 percent from the field; 35.6 percent three-point shooter; 76.7 percent free throw shooter; scored 15 points in Pac-12 Tournament championship win vs. Washington. (28 games, 25 starts), 6’9, 230 pounds: 13.1 points per game; 5.7 rebounds per game; shooting 42.9 percent from the field; 35.6 percent three-point shooter; 76.7 percent free throw shooter; scored 15 points in Pac-12 Tournament championship win vs. Washington. Junior guard Payton Pritchard (35 games, all starts), 6’2, 195 pounds: 12.7 points per game; 3.7 rebounds per game; 4.5 assists per game; shooting 42.3 percent from the field; 84.3 percent free throw shooter; scored 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, grabbed six rebounds, dished out seven assists and recorded four steals in Pac-12 championship game vs. Washington. (35 games, all starts), 6’2, 195 pounds: 12.7 points per game; 3.7 rebounds per game; 4.5 assists per game; shooting 42.3 percent from the field; 84.3 percent free throw shooter; scored 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, grabbed six rebounds, dished out seven assists and recorded four steals in Pac-12 championship game vs. Washington. Redshirt senior forward Paul White (35 games, 33 starts), 6’9, 230 pounds: 10.6 points per game; 3.9 rebounds per game; shooting 44.9 percent from the field; 37.9 percent three-point shooter; scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in Pac-12 Tournament championship win vs. Washington. (35 games, 33 starts), 6’9, 230 pounds: 10.6 points per game; 3.9 rebounds per game; shooting 44.9 percent from the field; 37.9 percent three-point shooter; scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in Pac-12 Tournament championship win vs. Washington. Sophomore forward Kenny Wooten (31 games, 24 starts); 6’9, 235 pounds: 6.2 points per game; 4.6 rebounds per game; 2.0 blocks per game; seven rebounds, four blocks in Pac-12 Tournament championship win vs. Washington. (31 games, 24 starts); 6’9, 235 pounds: 6.2 points per game; 4.6 rebounds per game; 2.0 blocks per game; seven rebounds, four blocks in Pac-12 Tournament championship win vs. Washington. Freshman center Francis Okoro (34 games, 19 starts), 6’9, 235 pounds: 3.1 points per game; 3.4 rebounds per game. Key reserves Freshman guard Will Richardson (35 games, 12 starts); 6’5, 180 pounds: 6.2 points per game; 2.4 rebounds per game; eight points, 6-for-6 shooting from free throw line in Pac-12 Tournament championship win vs. Washington. (35 games, 12 starts); 6’5, 180 pounds: 6.2 points per game; 2.4 rebounds per game; eight points, 6-for-6 shooting from free throw line in Pac-12 Tournament championship win vs. Washington. Sophomore guard Victor Bailey, Jr. (35 games, eight starts); 6’4, 190 pounds: 7.7 points per game; 2.1 rebounds per game; 40.2 percent three-point shooter. Redshirt senior guard Ehab Amin (34 games, seven starts), 6’4, 200 pounds: 5.8 points per game; 3.0 rebounds per game. To help us preview the Ducks, Addicted to Quack’s Arden Cravalho answered some of our questions. What are the general thoughts on Oregon making it to the tournament, its eight game winning streak, but also matching up against Wisconsin once again? The first word that comes to my mind is “astonishing”. The regular season didn’t plan out at all as well as this preseason top-15 team had hoped. First, it was Louis King and his torn meniscus. Then, that was followed up with the big season-ending foot injury to Bol Bol. Kenny Wooten also had a fractured jaw and was out for a long period of time.<doc-sep>
Oregon vs. Wisconsin Prediction Will No. 5 Wisconsin avoid the 5-12 upset when the Badgers face No. 12 Oregon today in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament at 4:30PM ET? Game Snapshot & Odds 825 Oregon vs. 826 Wisconsin Friday, March 22, 2019 4:30PM ET – SAP Center TV: TRUTV Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new College Basketball Odds & Betting Page. Public Betting Trends According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Wisconsin is favored slightly in this game, as the Badgers are getting odds of -2 points against Oregon. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 116.5 points. The public betting currently has 63 percent going on Oregon as the underdog. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game. Ducks on a roll Oregon is hot coming into today’s game, as the Ducks won the Pac-12 Tournament last weekend and have won and covered the spread in eight straight. Oregon is 23-12 on the season, 5-1 on a neutral floor, 20-15 against the spread and 24-11 with the under. The Ducks are a strong defensive team, allowing just 62.9 points per game this season while holding opponents to 40.2 percent shooting. Offensively, Oregon puts up 70.5 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. Louis King is leading the team with 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but is dealing with an ankle injury. Payton Pritchard also scores 12.7 points per game and adds 4.5 assists per contest. Badgers struggling to cover Wisconsin is coming off a 67-55 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals last weekend. The Badgers have won six of their last eight, but are just 2-7-1 against the spread in their last 10. Wisconsin is 23-10 on the season, 3-2 on a neutral floor, 16-16-1 against the spread and 18-14 with the under. Like Oregon, Wisconsin is a great defensive team. The Badgers are giving up just 61.4 points per game while holding opponents to 39.3 percent shooting. Offensively, Wisconsin scores just 69.1 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field. Ethan Happ is leading the Badgers with 17.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. D’Mitrik Trice is adding 11.7 points per game. College Basketball Betting Trends Oregon The Ducks have covered the spread in seven straight following a win and five straight on a neutral site. Wisconsin The Badgers are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight against Pac-12 opponents and 1-4-1 ATS in their last six games following a failed cover. Prediction: The Pac-12 isn’t getting much love in this tournament, as Oregon finds itself a 12 seed despite playing some really good basketball the last month. It’s a tough draw for Wisconsin, which has struggled to really pull away from its opponents. This is likely to be a big defensive battle, hence why the total is so low. I don’t like the long travel for Wisconsin, as I think this game is just going to come down to which team shoots better from the arc. Oregon has been the better offensive team lately. I am going to take a chance with the Ducks. College Basketball Prediction: Oregon +2