Minnesota at Oregon Basketball Preview and Prediction

For all you late evening basketball lovers, your Gophers have a 9:30pm tip off tonight in Eugene, Oregon towards the Geese. It is Gophers and Geese, and its tonight! And GI is getting you prepared!

Recreation Info

Tip-Off: 9:30 pm central time (Tonight)

Streaming/Watch: FSI

Radio: KFAN FM 100.3

The place: Matthew Knight Enviornment (Eugene, OR)

The Line: Oregon -3.5 – Whole Factors: 134.5

The Storyline

Minnesota is predicted to be brief gamers in an enormous method but once more. Niko Medved mentioned on Saturday that he doesn’t count on beginning energy ahead Jaylen Crocker-Johnson to play at Oregon. Meaning Minnesota is with out their beginning PG, their beginning middle, their beginning energy ahead, their eighth man, and their deep bench middle and deep bench shooter. The brand new guidelines permit solely 15 rostered gamers in order that leaves Minnesota with 9 guys and no place to show to. These 9 guys embrace two walk-ons which have mixed to play six minutes of their profession, a real freshman reserve, and an NAIA switch deep bench depth piece.

In different phrases, the Gophers are severely brief handed as soon as once more.

As for Oregon, the Geese are 9-16 on the season with a 2-12 Large Ten report. Earlier than their house win towards Penn State On Saturday, Oregon had misplaced ten video games in a row and eight of these video games had been by double figures. That mentioned, it was only a week and a half in the past Oregon misplaced to Purdue by simply 4 factors (68-64) and so they beat Penn State by an excellent margin (83-72). What have you ever modified?

Seven foot, 215 pound Oregon middle Nate Bittle You’ve gotten returned to the line-up after lacking a month and he’s enjoying very effectively. Bittle can have some revenge in thoughts towards the Gophers as effectively (we are going to get into that shortly). Oregon’s greatest blow was dropping level guard Jackson Shelsted to the season with a extreme hand harm. Accidents have harm Oregon this yr closely as they’ve severely hampered their two finest gamers.

The Numbers

Again to Bittle, since his return he is had video games of…..

• 22 factors (6 of 9 taking pictures from the sphere, 8 of 11 on the foul line) and 7 boards towards Penn State
• 15 factors, eight boards and 7 assists towards Indiana (however 3 of 14 taking pictures)
• 23 factors on 6 of 14 taking pictures towards Purdue

Bittle takes 38.2 % of his photographs from behind the arc. He’s a profession 33.8 % three level shooter and that’s fantastic that he has that capacity, and the brief handed and really brief in measurement Gophers – heaviest participant tonight might be 220 kilos at 6’9 – will gladly permit him to try this versus being a deep paint risk. Final yr, Bittle had the worst sport of his profession when Minnesota beat Oregon in Williams Enviornment. Bittle performed 24 minutes, had 4 fouls, and went scoreless lacking all three shot makes an attempt and each foul photographs makes an attempt.

Six-foot-5, 185 pound Takai Simpkins has been the Oregon go to man as of late scoring 13 factors a sport with taking pictures splits of 44.4/37.3/81.7. He would be the perimeter scorer Minnesota is most anxious about adopted by 6’10, 220 pound Kwame Evans scoring 12 factors a sport with seven boards an evening. Evans may even take extra threes than he pry ought to (3-4 a sport) as he’s a 28 % three level shooter, but when Evans and Bittle give attention to the paint, that’s the place they are going to harm the Gophers.

Like nearly everybody that Minnesota appears to play recently, Oregon is a thirty second percentile three level taking pictures workforce that hovers round even on the glass (plus 1.8).

The Match-Ups

Dropping Shelstad has been devastating to Oregon. Oregon got here into the season realizing they’d little or no ball dealing with depth and when Shelstad was misplaced for the season issues went off the rails. Proper now UC Davis switch Drew Carter is beginning on the place however it is a senior who performed solely 4 video games final yr, and was getting low single digit minutes earlier than the Shelstad harm if he performed in any respect. Oregon had been beginning late including guard Wei Lin, a 6’3 guard from China however he is extra shooter than ball handler so that they have good to Carter initially. Simpkins has the ball in his fingers quite a bit as effectively.

Carter will seemingly have Isaac Asuma on him with Reynolds making an attempt to decelerate Simpkins. Little used sophomore Jamari Phillips will seemingly see time within the backcourt too. Minnesota has usually been harm by three guard line-ups however they won’t have to fret about this from Oregon. They’ll put Reynolds on Simpkins, use Asuma or Reynolds on the ball to make that first entry go a troublesome factor, and Max Gizzi nor Kai Shinholster ought to be overwhelmed by the guard depth.

Talking of overwhelmed, what you will have overwhelmed Minnesota (exterior of three guard line-ups that may rating from all three spots) is nice measurement. Oregon has that in Bittle and Evans plus 6’9 effectively traveled Sean Stewart (you have seen him at Ohio State and duke in previous years) who begins on the three. The blessing for the Gophers – to a level – is that Bittle and Evans usually are not the low put up possession by possession energy gamers that another frontlines have been towards Minnesota. If Bittle and Evans need to face-up and exhibit ability, that may be a good factor for Minnesota who wants their solely participant above 6’7 (Grayson Grove) to remain out of foul hassle. If Oregon goes to the put up, that shortly turns into Gopher points.

As for the forwards, each Cade Tyson and Bobby Durkin They’re in an excellent rhythm for the Gophers. They are going to be countered by the size of Stewart in addition to 6’6 2000 kilos Dezdrick Lindsay coming off the bench at 6’6 and 210 kilos. The Gophers have an edge right here IF they will in some way restrict Evans with an undersized ahead. That 6’10/220 and seven’0/225 beginning Oregon Frontline is lengthy however not as thick so suppose Wisconsin up entrance in kind of participant, and fewer Purdue.

Prediction

Oregon will go eight deep however they actually need to depend on six or seven. They are going to play with no conventional one so long as they will, if they will. Minnesota has an opportunity to benefit from issues with an excellent defensive effort from Asuma and Reynolds, however they should discover a solution to take care of the Oregon size up entrance. It’s going to assist if Oregon’s measurement depends on face-up capacity greater than again to the basket stuff.

Regardless of all of the loopy circumstances limiting Minnesota, they’ve an opportunity to win this tonight IF Reynolds and Grove can keep away from any kind of in depth foul hassle. Have they got the stamina to defend and play good for the total 40? They’ll do it however likelihood is they will not.

Oregon 71 Minnesota 63