Oregon Ducks vs No. 1 Baylor Bears preview, prediction, and odds

The Oregon Ducks host the defending national champion Baylor Bears at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday evening.

Oregon Game Plan

Oregon’s plan for this game should be relatively simple: pound the ball in the paint.

N’Faly Dante is coming off perhaps the best game of his career on Wednesday against the Portland Pilots, dropping 20 points and nine rebounds on 9/11 shooting.

Baylor’s guard play is excellent again, despite sending three players to the NBA, but they do not have any established rim protectors under the rim.

Their tallest rotation player is the 6’10 Flo Thamba, who is averaging under five points and five rebounds in just 18 minutes per game.

The Bears do play physical, and they won’t just allow Dante and freshman Franck Kepnang to establish position and go to work down low, but Oregon has the depth in the frontcourt to continually pound the ball and force Baylor to guard them in the post.

Now, what will Baylor try to do to secure their 10th win of the season?