Ducks Ready To Battle Badgers Again
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
OMAHA, Neb. — Right from the time this year's NCAA Tournament bracket was released, Oregon anticipated coming face-to-face with Wisconsin. The Ducks had no idea it would happen at halftime of a game against Oklahoma State.
Oregon was walking from its locker room to the CenturyLink Center floor Friday night when the Ducks and Badgers crossed paths. Wisconsin had just arrived at the arena for its game later in the evening, a win over Coastal Carolina that set up Sunday's third-round matchup with Oregon (4:45 p.m. PT, TruTV).
"I figured they'd be on the floor watching us," UO freshman Jordan Bell said. "You could tell it was like, 'We'll see you later.'"
The unexpected encounter gave the Ducks and Badgers a chance to size each other up for the first time since Wisconsin's third-round tournament win over Oregon a year earlier. UO players like Elgin Cook and Jalil Abdul-Bassit said their focus remained on finishing off Oklahoma State, but it was impossible in that moment to ignore the Badgers.
"It's always weird seeing the other teams," reserve guard Theo Friedman said. "There's a lot of awkward energy in the air. It's the same in the Pac-12 Tournament. It's not bad; we've seen them before. And that's what's cool about the tournament, is seeing all the other teams."
The Ducks saw plenty of Wisconsin a year ago, when the Badgers battled back from a 12-point halftime deficit to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Badgers had 14 offensive rebounds that day, two on one possession to set up the three-point shot that gave them the lead for good in the waning minutes.
Led by national player of the year candidate Frank Kaminsky, the Badgers return much of the personnel that ended Oregon's season a year ago. The Ducks have a revamped roster, but are counting on a similar matchup of Wisconsin's size against Oregon's high-scoring wings.
"Last year we were fighting to get back into that game after giving them a pretty big lead, so we understand how good they are," Kaminsky said. "And we understand how good the players on their team can be when you let them go out there and play freely. So we understand that we have to come out and play our best basketball if we want to beat them."
Wisconsin has played a lot of good basketball in 2014-15. The Badgers are 32-3, and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament's West Region. They're the nation's most efficient offense in terms of points per possession, they entered the tournament ninth nationally in scoring defense and they commit the fewest fouls and turnovers in the country.
For Oregon, rebounding is a huge focus entering Sunday night. "They've got a lot of good athletes who all play hard, all go to the boards," Cook said. "They're good at back-tipping. We've got to get in there, carve out some space and get to the ball."
Based on last season's win, Wisconsin has bragging rights. The Badgers know the Ducks will be motivated to come out with a different result Sunday.
"That game last year was awesome, one of the best games I've ever been a part of," Wisconsin's Sam Dekker said. "Happy to get out of that one with a victory. It was a hard-fought game. But they're going to come in with the same intensity, they're going to play hard, try to hit us in the mouth right away. And they have the talent to do it.
"Like Frank said, Joseph Young is one of the best scorers in the nation. He's proven that the past few years, and they have other guys that are good. Elgin Cook is a Wisconsin guy, so he's always fired up to play against us. They got a lot of talent. Pac 12 is a good conference, and gotta respect it, so you gotta ready for a battle, and I think we're going to be."
