The Louisville Cardinals take on the No. 12 seed, Oregon Ducks in the Sweet 16 of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at 7:15 p.m. ET. Check out predictions for this game although the math is pretty simple for the Ducks and only one question has to be asked.
Can they stop the Rick Pitino Press?
If they find the answer, then they should be in good hands. However, Louisville has used the press in big situations, so there is no reason why they would magically break down now as they have a chance to advance to the Elite Eight and play on Sunday. If we remember closely, Louisville was trailing Syracuse by 13 at the half of this game before creating havoc and bouncing back to win 78-61 scoring 56 points in the second half of this game.
Let's not get things twisted, Oregon has played great basketball in the tournament. They got past No. 5 Oklahoma State in a game that wasn't even close, 68-55. Then they defeated No. 4 Saint Louis Billikens by 17 points. They did a great job out-rebounding both teams winning the battle of the boards by 28 rebounds combined. Arsalan Kazemi had 33 rebounds by himself.
However, here's where the problem lies, aside from facing the brick wall of the Louisville, the Ducks have committed 36 turnovers in their first two tournament games combined. They committed 18 in each of their games. Put that carelessness up against the Louisville defense and there will surely be problems.
Their best bet is to stop Louisville from getting to the rim. The Cardinals have shot over 40 percent in the tournament, so the defense will have to step up. The good news for Oregon is that they've shot close to 46 percent in both games combined. So if they do get a chance to score, chances are that they will, but they have to take care of the ball.
Final Score Prediction: Oregon's ability to rebound will keep them in this battle, however, I don't believe they'll have enough possessions to defeat Louisville and make their high shooting percentage a factor in this one. Louisville wins 71-55.
