This year's tournament has gone in the favor of most of the favorites. Fifteen of the 16 teams are No. 5 seeds or higher. But the one outlier is the Oregon Ducks. Oregon, who looked like a lock to be left out of the tournament just a few weeks ago, is one of the most fascinating stories of the year. It rattled of four wins in the Pac-12 Tournament, including Arizona State and Washington, two tournament teams, and has now won its first two NCAA Tournament games by at least 18 points. Junior point guard Payton Pritchard has been running the show for this team. He has recorded at least 18 points and five assists in the team's last five games.
Virginia has been one of the most consistent regular season teams the past six years, but Tony Bennett's team has only gotten out of the Sweet 16 once in that span. This team has followed the same blueprint as usual and is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, ranking first in scoring defense. The Cavs also have a lot of different guys capable of shooting the 3-ball. Its top three scorers, De'Andre Hunter, Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, all shoot at least 40 percent from 3-point range.
Viewing information
- When: Thursday, 9:59 p.m.
- Where: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky
- TV: TBS
- Live stream: March Madness Live and fuboTV (try for free)
Predictions, picks
Who wins Oregon vs. Virginia? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Virginia vs. Oregon spread to back, all from an advanced computer model that's up over $4,000 on its top-rated college basketball picks the past two years, and find out.
