XFactor: Duke basketball vs Oregon

<p>Sophomore Grayson Allen is averaging 26.0 points so far in the NCAA tournament and will look to power the Blue Devils past top-seeded Oregon Thursday.</p>

Sophomore Grayson Allen is averaging 26.0 points so far in the NCAA tournament and will look to power the Blue Devils past top-seeded Oregon Thursday.

After taking care of No. 13 seed UNC Wilmington and No. 12 seed Yale in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils will look to advance to the Elite Eight with a win Thursday against top-seeded Oregon. Before the game, the Chronicle takes a look at one player from each team who could be the difference maker in the upcoming contest.

Duke: guard Grayson Allen

In the Blue Devils’ opening-round matchup against UNC-Wilmington, the sophomore was a piece of a larger puzzle and was one of three Duke players who tallied 20 or more points against the Seahawks. But in the first half Saturday against Yale, Allen stole the show—scoring 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers—and put the talents that made him the second-highest scorer in the ACC on display. 

The guard will have a much tougher task Thursday when he faces off Pac-12 champion and top-seeded Oregon—a team that has lost just six times all season and is in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. The Fighting Ducks finished second in their conference in scoring defense—holding opponents to just 68.5 points per game—and have a versatile, athletic rotation that could give Allen fits. Oregon also has the benefit of 6-foot-10 forward Chris Boucher, who ranked second in the nation with three blocks per game. 

Duke’s leading scorer will need to stretch the floor with his ability to not only knock down perimeter shots, but also attack the rim and get fouled. Allen hit 19-of-21 free-throw attempts during the first weekend of tournament play and balanced taking jump-shots with attacks to the basket. Alongside freshman Brandon Ingram, Allen has consistently shown his ability to fill it up on offense and another spectacular performance against the Fighting Ducks will be key if Duke hopes to advance to the Elite Eight on Saturday.

Oregon: forward Dillon Brooks

Oregon's emergence on the national scene during the past two seasons has much to do with Brooks, who was named to the first-team All-Pac-12 this year. Pairing the 6-foot-7 forward with redshirt senior Elgin Cook gives the Fighting Ducks a duo capable of trading blows on offense with the Blue Devils. As a team, Oregon averages 79 points per game and ranks 11th in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offense metric. 

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will have to decide whether his team is capable of defending Brooks man-to-man or will need to go to zone. The sophomore averages 16.8 points per game and shoots 46.9 percent from the field, as well as 33.6 percent from beyond the arc. Brooks also leads the Fighting Ducks at 3.1 assists per game and shoots a team-best 82.7 percent from the foul line. 

As the only Pac-12 team remaining in the NCAA tournament field, Oregon will enter Thursday's contest looking to make a statement on the national stage. Give credit to Brooks for much of the Fighting Ducks' success up to this point, but if they hope to knock off one of college basketball’s blue bloods and earn a shot at a trip to Houston and the Final Four, Brooks will need to have a big game against the Blue Devils. 


Mitchell Gladstone | Sports Managing Editor

Twitter: @mpgladstone13

A junior from just outside Philadelphia, Mitchell is probably reminding you how the Eagles won the Super Bowl this year and that the Phillies are definitely on the rebound. Outside of The Chronicle, he majors in Economics, minors in Statistics and is working toward the PJMS certificate, in addition to playing trombone in the Duke University Marching Band. And if you're getting him a sandwich with beef and cheese outside the state of Pennsylvania, you best not call it a "Philly cheesesteak." 

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