Game Preview: Size could be issue for Ducks in NIT quarterfinal vs. Wisconsin
The Oregon Ducks have managed to make their way through the first two rounds of the National Invitation Tournament without the services of their big-man N’Faly Dante, the team’s leading scorer, leading rebounder, and leading shot-blocker.
Going into the quarterfinals against the Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday night, his potential absence might have a bigger impact, though. The Badgers are big, and led by their best player Steve Crowl, a 7-foot big-man who has the ability to dominate inside.
Of course, it has not yet been officially determined whether or not Dante will miss this game or not. While he was sidelines vs. UC Irvine and UCF, head coach Dana Altman didn’t officially shut the door on him being ready to play vs. Wisconsin. There’s also the possibility that guard Jermaine Couisnard returns as well.
“I was hoping maybe Wednesday, give them another day.” Altman said on Sunday after the win over UCF. “If they can play, they will. If they can’t, they can’t.”
We will be watching as Oregon comes out to warm up before the game whether or not Dante or Couisnard will be suited up, but regardless, the Ducks are going to have their hands full. Here are a few things that you need to know about Wisconsin.
Steven Crowl can take over a game
If the Ducks don’t have N’Faly Dante patrolling the paint in this game, it could end up being an issue as Oregon tries to slow down 7-footer Steve Crowl.
Crowl leads the Badgers in scoring with 12.3 points per game, and he’s shown an ability to completely take over when the situation calls for it. In the first round of the NIT, Crowl had 36 points against Bradley in the win. He also has games of 25, 21, and 20 points this year, respectively.
Badgers have multiple ways to beat you
Even if the Ducks are able to slow down Crowl in the paint, there will be other ways for Wisconsin to succeed. The Badgers have 4 players — Crowl, Chucky Hepburn, Connor Essegian, and Tyler Wahl — who average double-digit scoring.
Badgers take care of the ball
One of the more impressive numbers that I came across when diving into Wisconsin’s stats is their turnover margin. The Badgers turn the ball over just 8.5 times per game on average, while forcing 11.8 turnovers per game on defense. For comparison, the Ducks average 12.3 turnovers per game while forcing an average of 11.0 turnovers per game.
Nate Bittle needs to be big
Should N’Faly Dante be ruled out of this game, the Ducks will need to rely on Nate Bittle to once again have a major impact. Fortunately, he is playing as well as we’ve seen in an Oregon uniform, coming off of a career night with 21 points and 13 rebounds against UCF. If he can continue to have a massive impact in the paint with Dante on the bench, then the Ducks have a real shot to win this game and move onto the semifinals in Las Vegas.
Weakness at the Charity Stripe
If there’s one place where you can take advantage of the Badgers, it’s sending them to the free-throw line. As a team, they average just 67.1% from the line, with Steven Crowl shooting at a 63.7% clip on the freebies. Should the Ducks struggle to contend with the big-man in the paint, they can at least have confidence that sending him to the line should alleviate some pressure.
Betting Line
At the moment, the Oregon Ducks are listed as 2.5 points favorites over Wisconsin at home. It’s possible that we see that number change as game time approaches and we find out more about the status of N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard.
