The Oregon Ducks look to turn the corner in a pivotal game against the struggling Arizona State Sun Devils.
Oregon and Arizona State faceoff tonight in a game that could help push the Ducks back into the good graces of the selection committee. With Arizona State’s tournament hopes all but dashed to this point they have a chance to play spoiler tonight and hand Oregon a detrimental loss to their late push. Both teams could mark this season as a disappointment regardless of the outcome of this game. At one point both teams were featured in the top twenty five and looked like they would coast to tournament bids and earn seeds in the upper half of one of the four regions. However, Oregon hit a rough patch and Arizona State’s wheels fell forcing both of them to try to pick of the pieces of a broken season in February. Oregon currently sits in the last four in category and this win could help push them off the bubble. Arizona State currently is projected to play Kentucky, if you know what I mean.
Oregon Ducks: A team with high expectations after last season has seemed to trip over their own feet this year. On the surface,10-4 is a record that should get you into the tournament however, the Ducks haven’t beaten anyone note worthy and that will hurt them on selection Sunday. Even though Arizona State is not a world beater picking up another win, at this point in the season, can only help a resume. If the Ducks can’t secure the win tonight they will have to try to dig themselves out of an even bigger hole and possibly end up in the first four out instead of the last four in.
Chris Duarte: Senior guard Chris Duarte is poised to be the next Duck selected in the NBA draft. Only spending two years under Dana Altman, Duarte has made a major leap in those two years. A scoring guard that can convert at all three levels, one of the major leaps he has made this year is his three point shooting percentage. Spacing the floor in the NBA is essential and if you are a good sized guard who can knock down a shot from deep at a high rate, you will have a chance to earn minutes at the next level. He has also shown he can rebound at an above average level for a guard and has a nose for the ball on defense averaging 2.3 steals a game. If he can shoot the ball at his current clip (45.1%) and continue to play high level defense he will have no problem earning development minutes at the next level. Duarte will have to continue to play at his current level to keep teams interested. As an older prospect who has a questionable ceiling, teams may be more inclined to pick a younger “project” instead. MIP Projection: Late First/Early Second (28-36)
Arizona State Sun Devils: The Sun Devils, in my opinion, are one of the most disappointing teams in the country. After recruiting two top 50 prospects this year it looked like Arizona State was going to make a splash in the PAC-12. The team is well coached and had a strong backbone from the previous year but has continually fell short. Sitting at 6-8 the focus should move to trying to win the PAC-12 tournament and sneaking into the tournament the only way they can. Tonight would be a good win for the Sun Devils but won’t help their tournament chances, only the team’s morale.
Marcus Bagley: Marcus has not had the same draft hype or, to this point, the same success at the collegiate level that his brother experienced during his time at Duke. Once projected as a prospect who could come off the board in the middle of the first round, Bagley’s play has sunk his draft stock for the 2021 season. This year he hasn’t shot the ball particularly well from the floor, especially from three and should test the NBA waters but ultimately come back to school for his sophomore season. He needs to continue to develop and look to improve his game year over year. I do like Bagley as a prospect and he has shown flashes of a NBA career in the future but it doesn’t seem to be his year. If he can comeback next year and improve each facet of his game, specifically on the offensive end, he should find himself in the league by 2022. MIP Projection: Undrafted in 2021
Josh Christopher: Another prospect that has been falling on draft boards is Josh Christopher. Over the year at Arizona State he, like Bagley, has shown flashes of an NBA future and seems to be more NBA ready at this point. On the defensive end, Christopher puts pressure on the ball and forces the opposing ball handler to make mistakes leading to steals. Averaging over a steal a game, Christopher’s ability to make defenders uncomfortable even when he isn’t forcing turnovers is something that he can continue to build on at the next level. Offensively, the 6-5 guard has shown that he is a bit of a project. Shooting less than 32% from deep, 42% from the floor and 80% from the free throw line his numbers show he has potential to grow but should not be classified as one of the “premier scorers” in this draft class. His ability to get to the basket and finish around the rim elevates his overall field goal percentage but to make an impact at the next level he will need to work on his outside shooting. Converting 80% of his freethrows should help NBA teams believe in expanding his range through development but Christopher has gone from a legitimate mid first round prospect to a project pick. Initially I didn’t love that Christopher was being projected in the bottom of the lottery because of where his game was offensively, I had him in the early 20’s however but it now seems that analysts/teams may be underrating him and if he ends up where we project, he could become one of the steals in this upcoming draft. MIP Projection: Late First/Early Second (26-35)
Prediction: Oregon 80 – Arizona State 67